Local colleges come together to create pathway to success for students

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – Cultivating connectivity on Delmarva, Presidents of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and Wor-Wic Community College came together to sign a memorandum of understanding.

UMES President, Dr. Heidi Anderson, said this initiative creates a clear path for students to move from a two-year degree to a four year.

“This is a partnership that we have formed to make sure that students that start at Wor-Wic can continue with their second degree, their bachelor’s, degree at UMES,” Dr. Anderson said.

Every student graduating from Wor-Wic looking to continue their higher education at UMES will receive an annual scholarship for up to 6 semesters. Wor-Wic President, Dr. Deborah Casey, said this will alleviate some of the financial stress, while incentivizing students to excel in their academics.

“Partnering with UMES allows students to say, ‘Hey, I’m going to have some of my tuition covered, this is a great institution, I know that the programs here are top notch, and we know that the faculty here are phenomenal,” Dr. Casey said.

And with this new deal, Dr. Casey said both institutions are moving full throttle in contributing to the economic growth of the region.

“90% of our students stay on the lower Eastern Shore, and that’s where we want them to stay,” Dr. Casey said. “We want them to find jobs in our local businesses and industry, so the way that we do that is through these partnerships and say to students, ‘Come to Wor-Wic, finish your degree at Wor-Wic, and it’s so important to finish that degree and then transfer to one of our local 4-year institutions,” Dr. Casey said.