GRAYLING — Kirtland Community College is joining a new partnership with Central Michigan University to create more direct pathways for students seeking bachelor’s degrees. The initiative is supported by a $650,000 grant to expand the university’s Central Bound Program into Northern Michigan.
The funding was provided by the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential (MiLEAP). The Central Bound model uses dual-admission and co-enrollment to help community college students transition to the university while accelerating their degree completion.
The expansion of Central Bound into Northern Michigan includes several other institutions. Along with Kirtland Community College, the partnership includes North Central Michigan College, Mid Michigan College, Bay de Noc Community College and Muskegon Community College. These schools will use the model to better prepare their students for continued schooling and university-level coursework.John Thiel serves as the vice president of academic affairs at Kirtland Community College. He explained that the program allows students to feel like university students while they are still completing their initial years at a community college. “If you have an idea what you want to study and if you think CMU is the place for you, then from day one at Kirtland, you are a Kirtland Community College student and you are a Central Michigan University student,” Thiel said. “So you get the benefits of advising and support from both institutions from the beginning of their education and they can take Kirtland courses. They can take CMU courses. They get advising from both schools.”