News
March 13, 2017

Crafton Hills partnership to boost degree-completion rates

University of Redlands President Ralph Kuncl (second left), Crafton Hills College President Wei Zhou (right), San Bernardino Community College District (SBCCD) Chancellor Bruce Baron (second right) and SBCCD Board of Trustees President Joseph Williams sign the Pathways Promise Partnership.


Crafton Hills College (CHC) students will be guaranteed admission at the University of Redlands under a new agreement signed March 8, 2017 by U of R President Dr. Ralph Kuncl and CHC President Dr. Wei Zhou.

"We are proud to be part of this promising pathway,” says Kuncl.  “It is a dynamic partnership that puts higher education within reach of every student, guides them through the liberal arts to careers experience, and prepares them to succeed at each level.”

Under the agreement, CHC will provide students with articulated transfer courses, develop student education plans and schedule courses in a pattern that supports their transfer as a junior-level student at the University of Redlands. Crafton students must earn a 3.1 cumulative grade point average in 24 transferable units, and they must complete college-level English and mathematics with a grade of C or better.

“The transfer agreement with the University of Redlands will provide a seamless pathway for our students to earn a bachelor’s degree from one of the most highly-ranked private institutions in our own backyard,” Zhou says.

Students accepted into the transfer program will receive a $10,000 scholarship, which Zhou says, will “alleviate the financial hurdle” students face when transferring from Crafton.

Envisioned as a “cradle to career” pathway, the agreement also encourages a pipeline from the Yucaipa/Calimesa and Redlands Unified school districts to Crafton Hills College, and onward from Crafton Hills College to the University of Redlands.

“This rare public-private partnership will increase the college-going rate in the Inland Empire and help provide the educated workforce needed here,” Zhou says.