WILMINGTON — The international honor society Phi Theta Kappa selected Wilmington College to its 2022 Honor Roll. It features America’s top four-year colleges and universities for creating programs and pathways that are especially effective for transfer students.
This marks the fifth consecutive year WC received this honor, which distinguishes the top 25 percent of the nation’s colleges that earned the highest “transfer friendliness ratings.” The College is among select institutions in Ohio to garner this year’s honor.
Steve Cukovecki, assistant director of admission, said Phi Theta Kappa’s continuing recognition of WC’s commitment to serving its transfer students at the highest levels is especially gratifying.
“This honor speaks volumes about who we are as a college and our students,” he said. “Wilmington College is about building relationships and its commitment that students have the best educational experience. I feel this award recognizes our success in accomplishing that.”
Dennis Kelly, senior vice president/chief enrollment officer, was inducted this year as an honorary member of PDK for his longtime association with creating pathways for transfer students’ success. He praised Cukovecki’s leadership of the collaborative efforts across the College resulting in the program’s work in building and maintaining external partnerships with a growing number of two-year institutions.
Kelly also noted the College’s selection again to the PTK Honor Roll cements its status as a destination institution for transfer students. “A consecutive five-peat! (2018 to 2022) is rare,” he said. “The recognition from the Phi Theta Kappa proves that transfers who enroll at Wilmington College are likely to succeed and graduate.”
Phi Theta Kappa lauded the College’s “excellence and success” in providing a program of accommodating transfer students from two-year institutions. It evaluated such areas as scholarships and financial aid, admission outreach, student support services and student engagement opportunities.
One of those especially unique elements is the College’s Transfer Advantage, which recognizes general education courses that associate degree recipients have taken at regionally accredited two-year schools as satisfying WC’s graduation requirements. This is essentially unprecedented for a private institution in Ohio.
As such, the College re-shaped its general education requirements so many community college graduates can continue their pursuit for a bachelor’s degree at WC with the expectation of needing only two more years of studies. Also, the College features a transfer-friendly transcript evaluation program and a website designed to answer most questions and concerns of transfer students.
Cukovecki said the College “greatly values” the education its transfer students have received at two-year institutions and is uniquely set up to provide this student population with a high-quality experience.
