LCC-OSU deal lets you enroll at both.

Byline: Greg Bolt The Register-Guard

Beaver Believers don't have to leave Duck Town to head off to college, thanks to a new dual enrollment agreement between Lane Community College and Oregon State University.

The degree partnership agreement allows students to enroll concurrently at both Lane and OSU, taking classes at both schools at once, one school at a time or online. Students pay the tuition of the institution providing the classes they take and can use their financial aid dollars at both schools.

"It's very exciting because it's going to allow students who already attend Lane, say, Monday, Wednesday and Friday to go to Oregon State Tuesday and Thursday," said Helen Garrett, enrollment director at LCC. "They will have a seamless transition back and forth between the two schools."

LCC has had a similar agreement with the University of Oregon for the past five years. About 150 students a term enroll at both LCC and the UO.

This is the 12th degree partnership established between OSU and an Oregon community college, and the school plans to complete similar deals with the state's five other two-year colleges by the end of the year. It also is talking with community colleges in California, Washington and Hawaii about expanding the program to those states.

The agreement is "a clear reflection of our joint commitment to student success in higher education," OSU President Ed Ray said. "This is a significant part of the seamless student experience we are creating with community colleges throughout the state."

Garrett said it's unclear how many area students might take part in the dual enrollment program, but it potentially could be in the hundreds. According to OSU, 1,173 students from Lane County enrolled at Oregon State last fall.

Garrett said the two key components of the program are the easy data transfer between the two schools and the ability to spend financial aid dollars at both of them, things that don't happen without a degree partnership program. She said OSU is one of the country's leaders in such partnerships.

"What's phenomenal about Oregon State is that statewide and nationally, they are the experts on these types of programs," she said. "They know how to do this, they really take good care of the students in the program, and they've been doing it the longest."

Students in the program actually are enrolled at both schools at the same time. They can take lower-division courses at Lane and then easily transfer to OSU or can take classes at both schools and travel between them on different days. OSU also offers a large number of classes online, allowing students take classes at both schools without ever leaving the area.

But the most important piece is the ability to spend financial aid dollars at both schools. Without a degree partnership agreement, students are limited to using their aid money at one school only.

"The beauty is if you're in a situation where you need financial aid at Lane and/or Oregon State University, we have the ability to award aid that will cover tuition at both schools," Garrett said. "You don't get more money, but without this agreement you can only use it at one school."

All the pieces are now in place, and students are able to sign up for the dual enrollment program for summer term.

Garrett said the program meets the state goal of keeping Oregon students in Oregon as well as helping to create easier pathways to a college degree.

"The beauty of a degree partnership program is that when you ask a student, 'Where do you go to school?' They can say, 'I go to Lane, and I go to OSU,' ' she said. "They don't have to wait two years to start at OSU; they can start now and still take advantage of what they love at Lane."