NWI-The Times reports: Purdue University Northwest has signed an agreement with Kennedy-King College in Chicago

Purdue University Northwest has signed an agreement with Kennedy-King College in Chicago, meant to benefit construction management students.

The partnership is intended to make the transition process easier for students who earn an associate of applied science in construction management at Kennedy-King College.

Under the agreement, students who graduate from Kennedy King’s Dawson Technical Institute with a minimum grade point average of 2.2 and no grades lower than a “C” will be guaranteed admission to PNW’s construction management engineering technology program. In addition, the partnership allows for students of the community college to “reverse transfer” college credits earned at PNW toward completing their associate degree.

Eligible students will receive a $500 transfer scholarship after completing their first semester at PNW and earning a GPA of 3.0 or higher. Students will also be considered for additional departmental scholarships. Both institutions held a ceremonial signing of the agreement at the Dawson Technical Institute in Chicago on Friday.

Katonja Webb Walker, president of Kennedy-King College, said the new agreement would open doors for students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. “Today we celebrate not only a new partnership,” she said. “But also a shared commitment to creating brighter futures for our students and for our communities.”

“This saves our students time and money, and it is the way we should be doing business, the way we should be coming to agreement with our four-year partners,” said Mark Potter, provost and chief academic officer of the City Colleges of Chicago.

Meanwhile, Marie Mora, provost of PNW, said the university was looking to have further collaboration with the City Colleges of Chicago in the future to expand their partnership into other academic programs.

More information about the partnership is available at PNW.edu/transfer-partners.