Students at County College of Morris can now know, on their first day of class, exactly where they’ll finish their bachelor’s degree.
CCM and Ramapo College of New Jersey have signed a new transfer agreement. It guarantees admission to Ramapo for CCM students who complete their associate degree and meet the criteria, so they can earn a bachelor’s in the same or a closely related field. The agreement covers every program except Nursing.
CCM President Anthony Iacono said the deal changes the game for transfer students.
“We’re rewriting how transfer works in New Jersey,” he said. “Through this partnership, every credit counts toward a bachelor’s degree. Students no longer must wonder where they will be accepted; they now have a clearer, more seamless path to earning a four-year degree.”
And knowing the next step from the start, he said, matters.
“Students knowing their next step when they start is a powerful motivator for student success,” he said.
Ramapo President Cindy Jebb, speaking at the signing ceremony, put it in terms of the schools’ mascots: CCM’s Titans and Ramapo’s Roadrunners.
“Starting as a Titan and finishing as a Roadrunner is a seamless transfer that provides continuous support,” she said. “Ramapo is the premier public Liberal Arts college in New Jersey, and this is a perfect partnership for transfer.”
Ramapo has partnership agreements with Thomas Edison State University, too.
State Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-Denville) said the arrangement gives students the best of both worlds.
“Students will get a great foundation at a reasonable price and then automatically transfer to a four-year. This should be the model for the future across New Jersey.”
Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-Morristown) said the best part is that the state didn’t have to force it.
“This is a needed program that is a good government story, because it didn’t need government,” she said. “It was built through a strong partnership and relationship.”
Dunn called CCM “the crown jewel of community colleges for the state of New Jersey.”
Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw said the agreement fits CCM’s role as a pipeline for regional employers and an institution that has a huge economic impact on the region.
“What goes on inside these buildings at CCM after they are built provides industries with talent throughout the region and helps students find jobs,” he said. “CCM has become a hub for preparing students for careers, and this is a phenomenal example of how we are doing that.”
