St. Louis Community College–Wildwood opened in the fall of 2007 with the latest technology, an environmentally friendly building and an exclusive partnership with the University of Missouri–St. Louis. That partnership allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree in three disciplines without leaving the campus in Wildwood, Mo. By all accounts, the new campus and the partnership have been successful.
“When we opened, we had 1,200 students, and 49 of them were pursuing degrees from UMSL,” said Brenda Cabrera, site coordinator for UMSL on the Wildwood campus. “Today, enrollment is nearly 2,100 students, and 189 of them are UMSL students.”
UMSL, the only four-year institution at STLCC–Wildwood, offers courses leading toward a bachelor’s degree in business administration, elementary education and liberal studies. Classes are taught by UMSL faculty on site, online or a hybrid of the two. UMSL personnel, including academic advisers, are on site five days a week to help all prospective UMSL students – those interested in staying on the Wildwood campus and those who plan to attend on the main campus.
Students can be admitted to both UMSL and STLCC–Wildwood at the same time through the Dual Admission Program. The two-plus-two degree completion program in elementary education was launched in 2008, and the first class graduated May 15. According to administrators, location is just part of the attraction for this growing program.
“Our connection with STLCC at Wildwood allows these students to gain a degree from the largest university in the St. Louis area, and at a fraction of the cost of other area universities, all while staying connected to their community,” said Melissa Hattman, director of community college relations at UMSL.
Cabrera added that as an added incentive, a President’s Scholarship is awarded each fall and spring semester for study at UMSL. Students must complete requirements for an associate’s degree, have a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale and must be admitted to UMSL. The scholarship pays for up to 15 credit hours per semester and is awarded jointly by STLCC and UMSL.
More information:
http://umslce.org/index.php/off-campus-sites/115-welcome
