JEFFERSON CITY – Higher education staff members from multiple states assembled Friday to present and discuss ideas for assisting transfer students during the annual COTA Conference at the Harry S Truman State Office Building in Jefferson City. The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) and the Committee on Transfer and Articulation (COTA) hosted the event with the theme, “Bridging the Gap for Transfer Students.” More than 120 attendees from three states and over 30 higher education institutions exchanged views and objectives on various subjects during presentations and panel discussions. “It’s crucial for our transfer policies to work well so that Missouri’s transfer students can continue to advance through their educational journey,” said Dr. Bennett Boggs, Commissioner of MDHEWD. “This kind of conference provides the participating institutions various perspectives and will lead to better policies and guidelines that reduce confusion and stress for students.” Dr. Casey Fraites-Chapes, Associate University Registrar at the University of Kansas, provided the keynote address, “Credit and continuity: Current efforts to streamline the transfer experience in the state of Kansas.” Other sessions included discussions about students’ sense of belonging, transferring credits, helping students determine how to improve their GPA, AP credit policies, streamlining credit for prior learning (CPL) processes, and CORE 42. Guest speakers included Campbell Keele, Coordinator for Transfer Initiatives at Missouri State University; Nadia Irsheidat, Interim Director at the Transfer Center-University of Missouri; Scott Fiedler, Registrar at Ozarks Technical College; Janael Yowell, Director of Higher Education Policy within the AP Higher Education team at College Board; Scott A. Campbell, Vice President for Higher Education Partnerships at the Council for Adult and Experimental Learning (CAEL); Dr. Becky Blackaby, Professor of Physical Sciences at Moberly Area Community College; Dr. Paul Plummer, General Education Assessment Coordinator at the University of Central Missouri; and Leslie Buck, Professor of Psychology at Jefferson College. For more information about the conference, visit eduvents.dhewd.mo.gov/cota-conference/. For more information about COTA, visit dhewd.mo.gov/cota/. | 