ACTC/MSU Advisor Helps Transfer Students

A new collaboration between ACTC and Morehead State University (MSU) is enhancing support for ACTC students planning to transfer to MSU.

An ACTC/ MSU transfer advisor is now working at ACTC to help students plan and follow a smooth transfer path into their chosen field at MSU. Supported jointly by the two institutions, the advisor provides counseling in course selection, enrollment procedures and transfer requirements.

The advisor, Hope Perkey, has experience in counseling, and she has Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Counseling from Marshall University. She started at ACTC in January 2013 as an advisor for technical programs, and her experience with ACTC programs is helpful in her new position. Also helpful is the fact that she was once an ACTC student herself.

Like many of our students, I started at ACTC because it was affordable and close to home, said Perkey, a 2003 Greenup Country High School graduate. I knew that I was going to transfer to a university, but I changed my mind about my field. I had good advisors to help me along the way, and Im trying to follow their example.

"For me, advising is more than just giving students a class schedule. You listen to their experiences and what they're going through, then you work together to choose the best path to reach their goals," Perkey said. "When they need help setting goals, we can focus on their interests, the requirements for different degrees and the employment opportunities available."

"The whole student experience is my focus, not just academics," said Perkey, a South Point resident. "Transitioning to a university is more than processes and forms, and I can help prepare students for that away-from-home, large campus experience."

"We are probably the largest community college feeder to Morehead, in good part because of Morehead's Ashland Campus," she said. "Many of our students are tied to their communities through family and work responsibilities, and they dont have to leave home to get a bachelors degree."

The Social Work and P-5 Elementary Education programs that are offered at MSU-Ashland are popular transfer choices, but students can transfer into any field offered by MSU.

"ACTC and MSU have always had a good working relationship, with many transfer agreements in specific fields," Perkey said. "My job is to make the process easier, to serve as one contact for many different questions about courses, enrollment, applications, credit transfer and other college procedures."

"We have concurrent enrollment so students can finish their ACTC degree and take MSU courses at the same time," she said. "For ACTC students who transferred to MSU before completing an associate degree, we have a reverse transfer process to help them complete the ACTC degree."

"We also have specific 2+2 transfer agreements in several fields, including Business Administration, the Nursing-BSN Completion Track, and a degree completer program in Technology Management. My job is to help students with all these opportunities," Perkey said.

"My most important advice to students is to research and set goals," she added. "The research in a chosen field of study, including coursework, degree needed, years required to complete the degree and the job market prediction, gives them the big picture. Then they can set goals to measure their progress."

"Since the big picture can sometimes be overwhelming, students should set small obtainable goals that they can achieve often along the way," Perkey concluded. "Meeting even a small goal gives you the encouragement needed to keep going."

For more information, contact ACTC/MSU Transfer Adviser Hope Perkey at ACTC, email: hperkey0001@kctcs.edu or 606.326.2098.