Wilkes University has signed an agreement with the Maricopa County Community Colleges in Arizona, the largest community college system in the United States. President Patrick F. Leahy and Maria Harper-Marinick, interim chancellor of the Maricopa County Community Colleges, signed the agreement at an April 1 meeting in Tempe, Ariz., pledging to deepen the relationship Wilkes and MCCC has established over the past several years.
The agreement paves the way for community college students to easily transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree in business at Wilkes in Arizona. Ten campuses comprise the Maricopa County Community College system, enrolling more than 265,000 students annually.
Leahy and University Provost Anne Skleder met with the interim chancellor and officials from Maricopa. The signing was part of a visit to the greater Phoenix area that included meetings with Mesa Mayor John Giles, economic development officials and a community dialogue and reception with partners and community leaders. The meetings reaffirmed Wilkes’ commitment to it center in Arizona.
“Wilkes is the only independent, private non-for-profit university in the greater Phoenix area, offering community college students a unique transfer opportunity to complete a four-year degree,” Leahy said. “This agreement allows Wilkes to continue its tradition of providing educational opportunities to students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college. As our Arizona students graduate and begin their careers, they will be able to leverage the educational quality that led The Economist to rank us 25th in the nation for value.”
Wilkes offers undergraduate degrees in business with majors in accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, management, marketing and sports management. The University also has an accelerated bachelor of business administration program and an on-site MBA. A new bachelor’s degree program in hospitality management is being developed with introduction slated for fall 2017.Wilkes offers classes at the Mesa Center for Higher Education, 245 W. Second Street in Mesa.
Wilkes is offering scholarships for qualified students transferring to the University in Arizona. These include the Founders Scholarship, which are $5,000 scholarship awards given to transfer students who are accepted and enroll in its business bachelor’s degree programs. In addition, Wilkes recently announced scholarships for eligible students who are members of Phi Theta Kappa, an international honors society for community college.s and for students who for members of the Achieving a College Education Program (ACE). A nationally recognized program, ACE supports students with their transition from high school to community college.
