The Tulsa Community College (TCC) Foundation is offering financial assistance to upcoming students attending College Park, the partnership between TCC and Oklahoma State University-Tulsa (OSU-Tulsa).
University Transfer Specialist at TCC, Zachary Grant said College Park was launched in April and is a partnership between TCC and OSU-Tulsa. The experience will create a public four-year university which will utilize both TCC’s and OSU-Tulsa’s backgrounds in quality education. The result will be a student experience in one location.
According to the Tulsa Community College Foundation press release, the foundation is providing $10,000 in textbook vouchers for students selected for the first cohort or group. Each student at College Park will receive a $250 textbook voucher. Students earning an associate in science in business administration can have several options in College Park, including general business, marketing, management, and finance.
“The TCC Foundation recognizes College Park is an innovative student experience utilizing best practices such as a cohort, or group learning experience,” commented Kari Shults, vice president for advancement and president of the TCC Foundation.
Prospective College Park students will be able to participate in student organizations at both TCC and OSU-Tulsa. They may also take advantage of student resources available at both institutions.
When it comes to scholarships, incoming freshmen who live in the Tulsa area and have a GPA of 2.0, can apply for Tulsa Achieves, a program offering free partial or full tuition for the first two years for the completion of an associate degree. All students are still recommended to complete a Federal Student Aid or FAFSA application for federal and state financial aid.
Grant stated that the TCC Foundation is giving $10,000 worth of textbook vouchers for students selected for the first cohort. “It is too early to announce whether the textbook vouchers will continue for future cohorts of College Park, especially as we look to expand the numbers in College Park. However, with the goal to increase the number of bachelor’s in the Tulsa area, TCC and OSU-Tulsa are focused on removing barriers to student success including the financial barriers,” Grant said.
Shults says the goal of the project is to increase the number of bachelor’s degrees in the Tulsa area and provide a seamless college experience for local students. The partnership between TCC and OSU-Tulsa is a nationally recognized partnership taught by TCC and OSU-Tulsa faculty. The students can earn an associate degree from TCC and receive their bachelor’s degree from OSU-Tulsa.
Students attending College Park will attend classes at the OSU –Tulsa campus. There are two options for students; full-time where students will be on campus Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m.-2:20 p.m. and part-time where students will attend Monday and Wednesdays from 5:30-8:20 p.m.
“We are extremely happy with the response from the community and the number of individuals who showed an interest/or applied to College Park,” said Grant. “We plan to launch College Park with 40 students-24 in the full-time cohort and 16 in the part-time cohort – supported by resources from TCC and OSU-Tulsa. Currently, College Park is in the process of notifying individuals who have been accepted or are on the waitlist for the start of classes on Aug. 16,”Grant explained.
Prospective students need to apply at www.collegeparktulsa.com. Applications will be placed on a waitlist and reviewed as space allows. College Park hosted its New Student Orientation on July 29. Classes began on Aug. 16.