Officials with Central Methodist University signed agreements recommitting to the school’s partnership with State Fair Community College (SFCC) this week, part of a full day of events in Sedalia on August 27.
Dr. Rita Gulstad, CMU provost, and Dr. Michael Murders, vice president of academic and student success at SFCC, began the day signing a recommitment of the existing articulation agreement between the schools, as well as a new Concurrent Enrollment Agreement.
With the signing of the latter agreement, Central and SFCC paid tribute to the late Dara Bigler, who served as the State Fair director on its Clinton campus and worked closely with CMU for a number of years before her passing.
“It was really Dara who got this concurrent agreement started,” said Dr. Deborah Degan-Dixon, CMU’s associate dean of assurance and regions, at the signing. “She contacted Dr. Gulstad and myself and asked if it was possible, and of course we love to do whatever we can to help our students succeed.”
“Dara was always looking for ways to help students, and this agreement is a way to help them accomplish their goals and move seamlessly from State Fair to Central Methodist,” said Dr. Brent Bates, president of SFCC.
The new agreement will promote seamless transferability and information sharing between the two schools, allowing students to work on degrees with both institutions simultaneously. This comes in addition to the longstanding articulation agreement which already helps provide a smooth path for students transferring from State Fair to Central as their educational journey continues.
“We appreciate Central and the services that they offer to folks in our service region and our communities, providing them a pathway to a bachelor’s degree, oftentimes right on our campus,” said Bates.
In addition to the agreement signings, members of the CMU and SFCC staffs took part in a meeting to discuss program updates and other partnership opportunities. Central was represented by Gulstad, DeGan-Dixon, Dr. Stephanie Brink, Dr. Dori Waggoner, Michelle Schuler, Maile Pihana Rhorer, Crissina Kemp, and Sheri Kemp.
The day was also highlighted by a ribbon cutting ceremony, as the Central office in Sedalia was introduced as a new member of the Sedalia Area Chamber of Commerce.
For more on the partnership between Central and State fair, visit https://www.centralmethodist.edu/locations/sedalia.html.