Longtime partners Fox Valley Technical College and Lakeland University have entered into two new agreements that will solidify their decades-long relationship and bring the two institutions together under one roof.

Lakeland will relocate its Fox Cities Center to Fox Valley Technical College’s Appleton campus. The transition will occur this summer in time for classes this fall.

Lakeland and FVTC have also signed an agreement that creates a pathway for students who earn an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree in Liberal Arts at FVTC to transfer to Lakeland with junior standing and apply all their credits toward a Lakeland bachelor’s degree.

The pathway agreement was signed Wednesday (May 18) by FVTC President Chris Matheny, Ph.D., and Lakeland Vice President for Academic Affairs Joshua Kutney, D.B.A., at FVTC’s Appleton campus.

Lakeland’s space at FVTC, located just inside Entrance 15, will also include an office presence and access to several other classrooms during the spring, fall and summer semesters.

Over the past 2.5 years, a total of 633 students have taken classes through Lakeland’s Fox Cities Center at its current location, 2320 Industrial Drive in Neenah, Wis. That total includes 227 students who graduated from FVTC.

“Fox Valley Technical College is our top transfer partner, which is one of many reasons why this move makes sense,” said Lakeland University President Beth Borgen, noting that Lakeland has offered classes in the Fox Cities since 1982. “For many of our students, they’ll be able to continue on the pathway to a bachelor’s degree at a campus that already feels like home.”

Matheny pointed out that the shared space agreement is a natural extension of articulation agreements already in place between the two colleges.

“Having a trusted partner like Lakeland on our campus provides the opportunity for a student to start here and then seamlessly transition to a bachelor’s degree and beyond in a place they know and are comfortable with,” Matheny said.

“FVTC students will be able to connect with and explore baccalaureate degree completion options without leaving our Appleton campus. They will have convenient access to both their FVTC advisors and future Lakeland faculty and staff who can help coordinate the educational journey that best fits that student and their career interests.”

New degree partnership

FVTC received approval from the UW Board of Regents on April 7 to offer the two-year liberal arts associate of science (A.S.) and associate of arts (A.A.) degrees. Final approval by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) to offer the degrees is pending.

With HLC's approval, ideally granted yet this year, these degrees will allow students to easily transfer to Lakeland with junior standing and apply all their credits toward a Lakeland bachelor's degree. This HLC-pending option is an extension of numerous 2+2 articulation agreements already in place with Lakeland.

“FVTC and Lakeland have a long history of providing innovative educational opportunities to students in our region,” Matheny said. “Our graduates have long been welcomed with open arms at Lakeland; so much so, we decided to explore how to make it even easier for our graduates to continue their education.

“For many years, FVTC and Lakeland have shared a vision for a more educated New North region and a passion for creating easier access for students to achieve their educational goals. We are happy to further our partnership by welcoming them to our campus and creating a home for both Lakeland and FVTC students right here.”

Borgen said the HLC-pending associate degrees position FVTC to further enhance the educational options provided to the community, including pathways that allow students to earn credit for workplace learning through Lakeland’s award-winning Cooperative Education program.

It's exciting to see private and public institutions working together for a common good -- helping our students achieve their educational goals while aligning with regional workforce development needs," Borgen said. "This new level of access benefits students and their families, local schools, and Wisconsin communities.

Lakeland offers more than a dozen bachelor’s degree programs and four master’s degree programs in the Fox Cities. Many degrees and classes are available online or through Lakeland’s popular and innovative BlendEd® format, which allows students to decide week-to-week if they want to attend class in person or online.