Grand Rapids Community College and Grand Valley State University are forming a partnership to ensure a smooth transfer process between the two schools.

Representatives of both institutions will attend the signing of an articulation agreement at 11 a.m. June 4 in Room 108 of GRCC�s Sneden Hall, 415 Fulton St. E.

President Steven C. Ender and interim Provost Patti Trepkowski will represent GRCC, and President Thomas J. Haas and Provost Gayle R. Davis will attend from GVSU. Jodi Gee, head of GRCC�s exercise science department, and GRCC student Courtney Tolar also will attend the June 4 ceremony.

In February, Gee�s department recently signed a 2+2 pre-major articulated program agreement that will allow a student majoring in school�s exercise science to complete the first two years of the program at GRCC, finish their final two years at GVSU and graduate with a bachelor�s degree in clinical exercise science.

After the institutional articulation agreement with GVSU is in place, students in GRCC programs will have the same ease of transfer as those pursuing clinical exercise science, according to a news release. Faculty from both institutions will work together formalizing a set of GRCC courses that students need to complete a transfer to GVSU.

In addition to providing ease of transfer, all newly formed 2+2 pre-major articulated programs will be included as programs in the GRCC catalog, making it easy for students and advisers to find which courses students should take for transfer.

GRCC participates in the Michigan Transfer Agreement, which is designed to help GRCC students who graduate with an associate degree transfer to their preferred four-year institution. Completion of the MTA requirements at GRCC will fulfill most lower-division general education requirements at participating four-year colleges and universities.

For information: grcc.edu or gvsu.edu.