Partnership allows IVC students to earn bachelor’s in business

IMPERIAL — As a working father with a job as a heavy-equipment operator keeping him busy for 10 hours on weekdays, Robert Vogel recalls not seeing many options for going back to college and earning the degree he needs to advance his career.

Then he heard about the new “Associate’s to Bachelor’s Program” at Imperial Valley College affording students such as himself the flexibility to earn a bachelor’s degree in business without sacrificing the day jobs they need.

“I kept getting passed up for promotions, and I noticed those who were getting promoted had a degree, said Vogel, 34. “I work every day 6 a.m. to 4 p.m., so this works for my schedule. It’s affordable. I could transfer more units than normal. It’s awesome.”

IVC began offering the program in January in conjunction with Columbia College of Missouri.

“It’s a new style of partnership offering the upper-division courses for a bachelor’s degree on the IVC campus,” said Kristen Gomez, IVC transfer center coordinator. “It’s modernized for working students. They go for eight weeks to the same class. There are two different classes in a semester.”

Gomez added students such as Vogel are exactly what IVC had in mind when it accepted an offer from Columbia to partner on a business-degree program.

“The population I have in mind is there are a lot of adults who got an associate’s degree from IVC and could not move away for a business school to get a bachelor’s degree. So they can do it locally. And the tuition if affordable,” she said.

The structure sets the program apart from any other degree program available in Imperial Valley, noted Lennor M. Johnson, IVC dean of student services and special projects.

“They can finish the bachelor’s degree completely on campus. I think that’s the biggest distinction,” Johnson said.

Specifically, the course offers several advantages to students, including:

 Taking up to 81 credits at the lower IVC tuition rate, rather than just the 60 normally allowed and only needing complete 39 credits at the higher Columbia tuition rate.

 Getting federal financial aid for up to 81 credits at Imperial Valley College, instead of the standard 60  The Columbia structure includes two intensive eight-week classes offered consecutively in a just one semester, instead of just one per semester, allowing students to complete the coursework in less time and in the evenings.

 Credits are divided into lower-division classes taken under IVC and upper-division classes taken under Columbia. Students are allowed to transfer credits from previous IVC classes to fulfill the requirements of the lower-division classes.

 Students who qualify can start the upper division classes while still completing their lower division coursework.

Vogel said this last provision was an important one to him, explaining, “I was able to transfer more units than normal. I last attended IVC in 2008. I now hope to finish in a year and a half.”

Coursework includes classes in business management and marketing. Instructor Guillermo Salgado said he focuses on real-world scenarios, and the approach has been greeted enthusiastically by students.

“For marketing, they all did a business plan and came up with a forecast. Then I had them get in front of the class and pitch it like on the Shark Tank television show. They’re into the topics and engage well,” he said.

Columbia has more than 86,000 alumni around the world and serves around 20,000 students per year at more than 35 nationwide locations. The college was founded in 1851.

“Our purpose is to make this another opportunity for the local community. Imperial Valley College and Columbia College worked in a partnership in order to give the opportunity to our business-degree students to be part of this program,” said Andres Ruiz, Columbia’s on-site academic advisor at IVC.

Registration is currently open for the Early Summer Session (April 30 to June 23) through April 29. Late registration will be open from April 30 to May 2.

Registration for the Late Summer Session (June 25 to Aug. 18) will remain open through June 24.

Late registration will be open from June 25 through June 27.

Those interested in enrolling the program should contact Ruiz at 442-2521405.