Antioch University Santa Barbara and SBCC will sign an official agreement Wednesday formalizing a unique transfer arrangement between the two institutions that signifies another benchmark in their maturing and developing relationship.

AUSB’s Bridge Program with SBCC permits SBCC students to transfer up to three years of college credit to AUSB, one full year more than is accepted in transfer units to most four-year colleges and universities. After transfer, students may need to complete as little as one year of study at Antioch in order to complete a bachelor’s degree.

The “80-40” program provides a cost-effective means of completing the college degree, allowing students to complete as many as 80 units at a community college and the remaining 40 credit hours at AUSB. The Bridge Program allows students to stay in Santa Barbara, rather than leave the area, to complete a bachelor’s degree.

SBCC’s Transfer Center and AUSB’s Office of Admissions work closely with these students in developing an academic transfer plan, including financial aid that best suits their needs. In addition to the Bridge Program, SBCC and Antioch have a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) that ensures that qualified SBCC students are automatically guaranteed admission to any Antioch concentration.

“Never before have community colleges and four-year colleges and universities needed to work more closely together to ensure that students finish their lower-division studies, successfully transfer and complete their bachelors’ degrees,” said Dr. Jack Friedlander, acting SBCC superintendent/president. “Our evolving global economy has raised the bar substantially for students to acquire the skills and training needed to gain employment in jobs that pay competitive wages.

“SBCC and Antioch have a long-standing relationship of working together to best serve our students. More than 50 percent of Antioch of students in Santa Barbara have had some ties to SBCC, either through coursework or transfer.”

AUSB President Dr. Nancy Leffert added: “Intentional efforts must be made in order to increase access to higher education and these efforts must provide students the ability to fit their education into their busy lives. At a time of great economic uncertainty and severely constrained opportunities to transfer to four-year colleges and universities, collaborative efforts like this are responsive to the needs of our community, which is at the heart of our strategic partnership with SBCC. By establishing the Bridge Program and guaranteed transfer admission agreement, Antioch and SBCC have stepped forward and demonstrated that these students are important. This innovative program accommodates the needs of students today.”

Cutbacks in the state and the increasing costs of public four-year institutions have reached an inflection point that makes the four-year-old Bridge Program much more viable. SBCC and AUSB continue to strengthen their relationship and Antioch’s new location and new campus offer greater opportunities for collaboration between the two schools.

— Kristine Schwarz represents Antioch University Santa Barbara.