Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) has once again named Texas Lutheran University to its 2021 Transfer Honor Roll in recognition of the dynamic pathways the university has created to support transfer students. Just one of only 150 colleges and universities to receive this recognition, the Transfer Honor Roll recognizes four-year colleges and universities that have developed transfer pathways that lead to excellence and success among community college transfer students.
Colleges were selected based on their Transfer Friendliness Rating, which is determined by the Transfer Profile they create in PTK Connect. TLU was also recognized as an Honor Roll institution in 2020 and 2019.
PTK Connect is Phi Theta Kappa’s online tool that helps students find their best-fit colleges, career pathways, and more. Students can search for colleges by name, scholarship offerings, or cost, and they can use the institutions’ profiles to help evaluate where they’d like to enroll.
TLU Director for Transfer, Graduate, and Veteran Admissions Elliott Powell continues to lead successful efforts in how the university recruits and connects with transfer students.
"Earning a spot on the Phi Theta Kappa’s Transfer Honor Roll for the third consecutive year is a milestone we are thrilled to celebrate, as it reaffirms TLU’s commitment to be a transfer-friendly institution,” said Associate Vice President for Admissions Alecia McCain. “Though all faculty and staff at TLU are focused on supporting transfer students, Elliott Powell provides impressive enrollment support for transfer students. Elliott is dedicated to serving students and assesses their individual needs related to the transferability of courses, scholarship and financial aid opportunities, and application guidance. As TLU continues to develop and implement new programs, which appeal to our transfer student population, Elliott’s knowledge and the support he provides continues to evolve.”
Colleges utilizing PTK Connect can complete a Transfer Profile, which asks questions about admissions practices, cost of attendance, campus life, recruitment practices, and peer reviews. It is meant to reflect what the transfer student experience is like at their colleges, as well as the strategies colleges are taking to support and enroll transfer students.
The profile immediately gives colleges a Transfer Friendliness Rating they can use internally to gauge how friendly their admissions and recruitment strategies are. The top 25 percent highest-rated colleges are named to the Transfer Honor Roll.
“The Transfer Honor Roll reflects the growing importance of recognizing and responding to the needs of transfer students,” Phi Theta Kappa President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner said. “This award is given to four-year colleges and universities with proven outcomes for transfer success. They are the best at providing a supportive and smooth transition from community college — equating to increased rates of bachelor’s degree attainment for transfer students.”
Through a unique partnership with the National Student Clearinghouse, colleges can have data from the Clearinghouse automatically populated into their Transfer Profiles each year. Students can see some of this data on the colleges’ profiles, enabling them to assess what the college does to support transfer students, see the number of transfer students enrolled at that college, and determine whether the school could be a good fit.
The Transfer Profile also serves as a resource that colleges can use when evaluating their admissions and recruitment practices to create new strategies to better support the transfer student population.