BCC, Union College Sign Articulation Agreement
Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield, the first community college established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1960, and Union College in nearby Schenectady, the first college chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York in 1795, have joined forces to provide BCC engineering and computer science students with a clearly defined pathway to pursue a bachelor’s degree at Union College.Under the terms of an articulation agreement signed by the two colleges last month, BCC students graduating with an engineering or computer science associate degree, who meet the academic standards of the agreement, will be able to transfer with junior status into the equivalent bachelor’s program at Union College. To qualify, a BCC student must graduate with no grade lower than a “C” and a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
Based on current costs, BCC students who follow this path can save about $80,000 during their pursuit of a bachelor’s degree.
BCC President Paul Raverta and Union President Stephen Ainlay, who, along with members of their respective staffs, signed the agreement, both emphasized the importance of access for students. Raverta, who frequently refers to education as “the currency of the future,” stated that he was grateful for the agreement because it allows BCC “to offer our students an opportunity to easily continue their studies at this prestigious institution.” Ainlay, in turn, commented on BCC’s “strong identity and wonderful academic record” and stated that Union College “was pleased to provide BCC graduates with an access point to a bachelor’s degree.”
The two presidents also acknowledged and thanked Pittsfield residents Armand and Donald Feigenbaum for playing a major role in bringing the two colleges together. The two brothers, founders of the world renowned Total Quality Control system, are Union College alumni and long-time friends of BCC dedicated to the need for accessibility to higher education.
