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Stark State College and University of Akron Unveil Direct Connect Partnership

Stark State President Para Jones (right), Steve Millard of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Dan Horrigan and University of Akron Interim President John Green unveil Direct Connect.
KABIR BHATIA
/
WKSU
Stark State President Para Jones (right), Steve Millard of the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, Mayor Dan Horrigan and University of Akron Interim President John Green unveil Direct Connect.

The University of Akron and Stark State College have announced a partnership to allow students to proceed from a 2-year program to a 4-year degree with much greater ease.

Stark State and University of Akron's 'Direct Connect'

The new Direct Connect program allows students to enroll at both schools simultaneously, and will also make it simpler for Stark State students to get academic advising from the University of Akron. Akron’s Interim President John Green acknowledges that more students may be able to save money by taking basic classes at Stark State instead of enrolling in a 2-year program at the university.

“There may be some short-term decline in certain programs. But I think overall, we’ll see an increase in the 4-year degrees that are offered in that college. So in that long-term I think it will, at least, be a wash.”

Green says some of the affected 2-year programs at the University of Akron could be in criminal justice and engineering, while others – such as Allied Health Technology -- were already expected to have declines and are slated to be phased out.

Copyright 2018 WKSU

Kabir Bhatia joined WKSU as a Reporter/Producer and weekend host in 2010. A graduate of Hudson High School, he received his Bachelor's from Kent State University. While a Kent student, Bhatia served as a WKSU student assistant, working in the newsroom and for production.