Transfer Partnerships Expansion to non-STEM Programs

We are now accepting applications to expand the Washington Transfer Partnerships (WTP) beyond STEM programs. Through a pilot funded by the Student Success Center (SSC) at the WA State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) and the SSC are selecting 5 new transfer partnerships (10 institutions) across Washington in fields such as Education, Healthcare, Social Sciences, Humanities, and the Arts and beyond.

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WHAT IS THE EXPANSION PILOT?

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Building on the STP model you know well, this one-year foundation-building pilot will ask teams to pair a program or department at a 2-year institution with a corresponding program at a 4-year institution. Together, partnership teams will:

Establish or strengthen cross-institutional relationships
Begin or improve data sharing between partners
Identify 1-2 key barriers in transfer pathways for low-income students
Pilot targeted, evidence-based strategies to address those barriers
Meaningfully incorporate student voices into their change leadership work

Any program area is eligible — think Education, Business, Healthcare, Social Sciences, the Arts, and beyond.

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WHAT WILL TEAMS RECEIVE?

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Each selected partnership will receive $10,000 ($5,000 per institution) to support their work during the pilot year.

Beyond funding, teams will benefit from:

✔ Joining a vibrant, growing statewide community of practice

✔ Dedicated support from CCRI to help identify barriers and build evidence

✔ Access to tools and resources for data sharing and transfer improvement

✔ The opportunity to shape scalable solutions that can grow with future investment

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WHAT’S THE COMMITMENT?

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This is a one-year pilot (2026-27 academic year). Participating teams will be asked to:

Attend one virtual convening in Fall 2026.
Conduct monthly team meetings throughout the 2026-27 school year.
Partner with students to identify key priority areas.
Analyze data to pinpoint specific transfer process barriers.
Develop an evidence-based action plan with student input.
Execute continuous improvement activities using data and feedback.
Present progress and insights during periodic virtual webinars.
Communicate partnership experiences to institutional and state stakeholders.
Draft a sustainability plan to ensure long-term project continuity.

Each team should include 3-5 members per institution (6-10 total), with a mix of faculty, staff (such as advisors, transfer specialists, and institutional researchers), and one student representative per institution. Administrator involvement (e.g., a dean or chair) is encouraged and leadership approval is required

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HOW TO APPLY

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The application period is currently open until June 15th. Please share this email broadly, and encourage interested colleagues to reach out to our team a ccri@uw.edu with questions or simply begin an application:

Click the link to a Word document with the application questions; we encourage applicants to download a copy of this file to create a Google Sheet copy in which to collaborate. There is also a Canva poster for a visual summary of this email.
To apply: Enter final responses into this Google Form and submit by June 15th: http://tinyurl.com/WATransferExpansion.
Selection will be determined by the Student Success Center at SBCTC and CCRI by June 30th.

Thank you for everything you do to support low-income transfer students across Washington State. We hope this expansion will deepen and broaden positive change for students by advancing transfer equity.

Washington State Transfer Pathways Study: Share Your Story

Your Experience Matters

The Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) at the University of Washington, in partnership with the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), is seeking student participants for a research study on transfer pathways. Our goal is to understand the real-world experiences of students to help improve the transfer process for everyone in Washington state.

Who are we looking for? We want to hear from students with diverse perspectives, including those who:

Are currently at a 2-year college and planning to transfer.
Have already successfully transitioned to a 4-year institution.
Started the transfer process but ended up not transferring by the time they intended or who changed their plans.

What to Expect: If you are selected to participate, the study involves:

A Conversation: A 45-60 minute interview via Zoom or phone to talk about your journey.
A Follow-up: A brief check-in to ensure we captured your story accurately.
Compensation: You will receive a $100 gift card as a thank-you for your time and expertise.

Interested in being considered to participate? [Button: Click Here to Complete our Interest Form]

Questions? Please contact ccri@uw.edu for more information about the study.

This research is conducted under the oversight of the University of Washington Institutional Review Board (IRB). For questions regarding your rights as a participant, please find out more here.

Expanding Change Teams Without Losing Momentum: Lessons from the STEM Transfer Partnership

STEM Transfer Partnerships, Data Note 7

Scaling organizational change in higher education is hard. Scaling it across institutions while staying focused on equity, student outcomes, and shared purpose is even harder.

That challenge sits at the heart of the STEM Transfer Partnership (STP), a multi-year, research-informed initiative led by Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) at the University of Washington. STP brings together faculty, staff, administrators, and undergraduate transfer students from community colleges and universities across Washington State to improve STEM transfer and degree completion for students from low-income backgrounds.

As STP entered a new phase known as STP 2.0, teams were asked to do something ambitious: expand. Institutions added new partners, disciplines, departments, and, critically, undergraduate transfer students as full team members. With growth came opportunity, but also real questions:

How do teams expand without losing clarity or momentum?
What structures and practices help new members engage meaningfully?
How can student voices be centered in this process?
And what does it take to sustain collaboration as complexity increases?

Our newest data note, Expanding Organizational Change Teams: Insights from the STEM Transfer Partnership, explores these questions using survey data collected from STP community of practice members during the early stages of STP 2.0.

Why this data note matters

Research on organizational change often emphasizes the difficulty of moving beyond small pilot teams. Yet many initiatives stall not because the ideas are flawed, but because growth isn’t intentionally designed. This data note offers practice-grounded insight into what team expansion actually feels like from the inside across 19 institutions and an approximately 160-member community of practice.

Rather than focusing on outcomes alone, the data note examines the conditions that support (or complicate) expansion, surfacing lessons that are relevant well beyond STP for anyone engaged in cross-institutional partnerships, transfer reform, or equity-centered change work.

Key insights from STP 2.0

Across four surveys administered in 2025, several consistent themes emerged:

Start with relationships. Expansion was smoothest when teams built on existing professional relationships. New partnerships were possible, but required more intentional structure and relationship-building.
Use data to anchor shared purpose. Shared data helped teams align priorities, move beyond anecdote, and focus conversations, especially as new institutions and disciplines joined the work.
Document direction through action planning. Clear, written action plans were essential for helping new members understand goals, roles, and how their contributions fit into the larger effort.
Collaborative culture matters as much as tools. Trust, mutual respect, and inclusive decision-making allowed teams to use data and planning tools productively, even as teams grew.
Communication infrastructure is not optional. Shared documents, centralized repositories, and tools like AI-supported meeting notes helped teams stay connected across schedules and institutions.
Onboarding is essential infrastructure. Informal onboarding quickly breaks down at scale. Teams benefited from written materials, timelines, and documented decisions to reduce confusion and reliance on institutional memory.
Smaller subgroups support engagement and sustainability. Creating working groups with clear leads and co-leads helped distribute leadership and prevent burnout.
Student voice requires intentional role design. Undergraduate transfer students were widely viewed as a strength of STP 2.0, but teams needed clearer structures to support meaningful participation.
Flexibility supports equity. Offering multiple ways to participate—synchronous, asynchronous, large-group, and task-based—made engagement more feasible amid heavy workloads and with existing incentive systems.

Together, these findings reinforce a core takeaway: expanding change teams isn’t just about adding people. It’s about designing the conditions that allow growth to strengthen collective capacity for change.

Join the conversation

The full data note goes deeper into each of these insights, drawing directly from participant voices and connecting them to broader research on organizational change.

If you’re working to expand a cross-institutional partnership, integrate student voices, or sustain momentum in complex change efforts, we invite you to read the full data note and reflect on how these lessons resonate with your own context.

👉 Read the full data note: Expanding Organizational Change Teams: Insights from the STEM Transfer Partnership

We also invite you to continue the conversation:

Which of these lessons feels most relevant to your work right now?
Where has expansion strengthened your efforts, and where has it created new challenges?

Change at scale is a design challenge. We hope these insights help inform how you design for growth, collaboration, and equity in your own initiatives.

Unlocking STEM Potential: How Partnerships are Bridging the Transfer Gap

Imagine a future where talented science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students from low-income backgrounds have a clear and supported pathway from their community college to a 4-year university to complete their bachelor’s degree in their chosen major. This vision is becoming a reality thanks to innovative partnerships between 2-year and 4-year institutions.

The STEM Transfer Partnership began with nine teams composed of 2-year and 4-year institutional partners. These teams have been working collaboratively to increase access to and bachelor’s degree completion for STEM transfer students from low-income backgrounds. These partnerships were formed towards the end of the COVID pandemic, as institutions were readjusting to a new normal and returning to campus with fewer students and, thus, fewer resources. During this challenging time, faculty, staff and administrators faced many demands on their time and attention. We are grateful these teams chose to focus on improving their transfer students’ experiences by growing their partnerships, building relationships, and creating solutions.

Data Note 5 from the STEM Transfer Partnerships (STP) initiative unveils the power of collaboration by sharing case studies of nine dedicated teams. The teams who collectively comprise the STP community of practice are composed of faculty, staff, and administrators working together to break down the barriers that often hinder the transfer and completion rates of STEM students from low-income backgrounds.

Discover how these partnerships are:

Improving advising: Streamlining guidance, fostering personalized support, and creating clear pathways to success.
Enhancing recruitment and enrollment: Inspiring student interest, increasing access to opportunities, and simplifying the transfer process.
Strengthening faculty and curriculum: Improving gateway course outcomes, promoting research experiences, and providing courses to be major ready to transfer.

This Data Note showcases examples from this community of practice’s partnerships. Some of the exciting things you will see in these case studies are the myriad ways teams changed practices and processes to improve transfer student experiences. All teams utilized student input in their change process.

Key takeaways from across these case studies highlight the importance to:

- Build relationships
- Center transfer student input in the process
- Use data to monitor and improve outcomes
- Tie efforts to other institutional resources with similar goals
- Get leadership involved

This publication, co-created with our team leads, provides valuable insights for educators, administrators, and policymakers seeking to improve STEM transfer rates and empower the next generation of scientists and innovators.

Read the full brief to learn more about the strategies and successes of these impactful partnerships.

UW Community College Research Initiatives awarded $1.7 million grant from Ascendium Education Group to continue STEM Transfer Partnerships program

The University of Washington’s Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) has been awarded a $1.7 million grant from Ascendium Education Group to continue its STEM Transfer Partnerships (STP) program, which aims to increase equity in STEM education for low-income learners across Washington state. This funding extension builds on an earlier $1.17 million grant, continuing the work to improve outcomes for underserved students in STEM fields.

CCRI conducts research to promote equity in higher education, with a focus on the experiences of underserved student populations. Ascendium supports initiatives aimed at helping students from low-income backgrounds achieve postsecondary degree completion. With aligned goals of enhancing access and success for low-income learners, Ascendium is a natural and valuable partner in advancing CCRI’s efforts.

Building on success and expanding opportunities

CCRI will build on the successes of the original initiative, adding key enhancements to further support low-income STEM transfer students in Washington state.

“We are deeply grateful to Ascendium Education Group for continuing to support the STEM Transfer Partnership project. This second grant provides an incredible opportunity to build on our successes and deepen our impact,” says Lia Wetzstein, director of CCRI and principal investigator on the grant.

“Thanks to our teams advancing their work to lower barriers to STEM transfer, together we are creating pathways for more low-income students to achieve living-wage careers and thrive in a rapidly changing economy. With this support, we will further cultivate a community of practice that strengthens transfer partnerships, drives innovation and creates equitable opportunities across institutions.”

The new grant will enable the STEM Transfer Partnerships (STP) project to build on the successes of the original initiative while introducing key enhancements to further support low-income STEM transfer students in Washington state. In the first phase, the project focused on establishing partnerships between 2-year and 4-year institutions, providing $25,000 to each institutional partner. STP 2.0 will continue this funding model, offering $25,000 to each partner, while formalizing critical drivers of success. The new phase will emphasize a more inclusive, student-centered approach, incorporating paid student team members and expanding teams to include additional STEM disciplines. Faculty and staff are also being leveraged as mentors for returning team members. Other key enhancements include the introduction of standardized data reporting to track student-level outcomes and a focus on ensuring leadership buy-in at participating institutions.

Like in the STP 1.0, a critical component of STP 2.0 is the provision of financial and human resources to ensure the sustainability of partnerships. By continuing to address systemic barriers and strengthen transfer pathways, STP 2.0 will expand opportunities for low-income STEM students to achieve their academic and career goals while fostering innovations to improve transfer success and equity for all students across the state.

“CCRI’s impact on the transfer experience begins with deep research and continues with implementation and dissemination of best practices. This latest investment will allow partner institutions to extend and deepen their student success work. At the same time, CCRI and their partners will continue to tackle system barriers, making the transfer pathway smoother for many more students, particularly those who have been historically underserved in higher education,” says Michaelann Jundt, senior associate dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and the UW’s representative to the state’s Joint Transfer Council.

“We are excited to continue leading this work, which holds immense potential to benefit students, institutions, and our state by fostering a culture of collaboration around transfer to elevate transfer student success—starting with STEM and expanding to all programs, “ says Wetzstein. “This work can also serve to empower students, staff and faculty to work together to lead transformative change across institutions while advancing our understanding of partnership strategies that drive measurable improvements in student outcomes.”

About the University of Washington’s Community College Research Initiatives

The University of Washington’s CCRI conducts research to generate actionable knowledge aimed at advancing equity in higher education. A program of Undergraduate Academic Affairs, CCRI focuses on studying the experiences of underserved student groups who enter higher education through community colleges and the role institutions play in supporting equitable educational and employment outcomes. By leveraging research findings, CCRI drives meaningful change in postsecondary education. To learn more, visit the CCRI website.

About Ascendium Education Group

Ascendium Education Group is a nonprofit organization committed to helping individuals achieve their education and career goals. Ascendium focuses on increasing the number of students from low-income backgrounds who complete postsecondary degrees, certificates, and workforce training programs. With a focus on first-generation students, incarcerated adults, rural community members, students of color, and veterans, Ascendium works to identify and scale best practices that drive large-scale change in education systems and promote opportunity for all. For more information, visit the Ascendium website.

For more information or to get involved, contact Lia Wetzstein at ccri@uw.edu.

National Report on Tracking Transfer

In following the inaugural National Transfer Summit, new reports have described a state-by-state analysis of whether community college students from all varieties of backgrounds transfer to four year institutions and successfully earn their bachelor’s degree. These studies have paved the way for transfer rates and outcome investigations by student demographic subgroup, demonstrating a lack of commitment and dedication to the improving of transfer pathways across higher education institutions.

As Tatiana Velasco, the lead author of these reports and Research Associate of Community College Research Center (CCRC) describes, “Too many students are failed by policies and practices that dictate whether and how effectively students transfer from community colleges to universities, particularly students from historically underserved groups”. The pathways currently presented do not have an effective enough strategy nor are adaptable enough for students to attain bachelors degrees.

Despite the progress that has been made in research and transfer efforts, the improvements over the past several years have been modest, with data indicating a slight raise from 14% to 16% in the transfer and graduation rates of community college students to four-year institutions, it is evident that there is room for improvement. Based on these findings and the accompanying analysis, it becomes apparent that significant changes are necessary. CCRI remains steadfast in its commitment to develop and implement these changes through our research initiatives and the formulation of effective policy measures.

Read the full reports, state-by-state data, findings, and recommendations.

Read the National Release Report

Read the National Release Report Highlights

Narrowing the Education Gap with Lia Wetzstein, CCRI

UW Today shares Undergraduate Academic Affairs’ recent interview with CCRI director Lia Wetzstein to discuss critical details of the importance of transfer. Having recently attended the U.S. Department of Education’s first ever National Summit on Transfer, Lia examines the paramount issues surrounding transfer between two- and four- year institutions and their impacts. Lia also details the work CCRI contributes to building the necessary bridges for students across pathways, centering equity and student support within the processes of transfer for continually building student success.

Photo of attendees of Raise the Bar Summit.

New Data Dashboard from the Transfer Summit

Last week CCRI Lia Wetzstein, joined fellow delegates selected to represent Washington state at the Raise the Bar Transfer Summit where over 200 higher education professionals are gathered.

This summit brings together state, institution, and other leaders in the field and is part of the Raise the Bar: Attaining College Excellence & Equity series: Tackling Transfer to Increase Access, Improve Completion, and Prepare Today’s Workforce.

At the summit, the federal government released new data. Since then, CCRC (Community College Research Center) an East Coast-based research organization, has turned it into a data dashboard and we want to share it with all of you.

https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/easyblog/new-federal-transfer-data-which-colleges-are-serving-community-colleges-transfers-best.html

STEM Transfer Partnership’s Convening 4

We are excited to share the great work being accomplished with this community of practice which is dedicated to improving transfer for STEM students from low-income backgrounds. The STEM Transfer Partnerships program convened for the 4th time last week and we experienced new connections being made for STEM pathways among 2- and 4-year institutions in WA state, sharing ideas on ways to continue growing and sustaining these partnerships, and new team members! We’ll be writing about what we’ve learned from this convening and look forward to sharing it with you. We invite you to read our previous 3 data notes on structuring STEM transfer partnerships, complex networks of community and learning from students.

NTSW: Cultures of Collaboration- Making Transfer Happen

Transfer, whilst an individual’s choice, does not come easy. There are many considerations when approaching the decision to move from one locale of education to another. Just as it is difficult for students, institutions must also work through the difficulties of losing certain students or moving them through different phases of their collegiate careers. At CCRI, we recognize these points as critical and unique experiences of transfer. As such, we centered a “Culture of Collaboration” as the backbone of the CCRI mission for transfer partnerships.

In this culture, we are dedicated to four guiding principles that allow the success of the program to continue well beyond what we can hope for. These principles are as follows: student-centered focus, win-win perspective, equal commitment to the partnership, and web of connections. These principles have allowed countless students to go through the transfer process feeling more confident and supported whilst also supporting the means of connecting institutions to one another in an equity and student-forward framework.

You can learn more about this dynamic framework HERE.

AAAS 2020

Transfer, as a critical component of student life and educational function, deserves increasing recognition and collaborative effort put forth, and we have extended ourselves above and beyond to do just that. Many of our institutions continually fulfill those connections and build up those pathways for our students to succeed. As such, in honor of National Transfer Student Week, we want to recognize our amazing members of the institutions working to continue to support and build these pathways just as much as it is vital to recognize the incredible students who have directed our research into this phenomenon.