Fox Valley Technical College has officially welcomed Lakeland University to campus. The two colleges celebrated this week with an open house and ribbon cutting.

This summer, Lakeland relocated its Fox Cities Center to FVTC’s Appleton campus and will begin classes on Sept. 1. The university is located just inside Entrance 15 and will have office space and access to several classrooms during the spring, fall and summer semesters.

FVTC President Dr. Chris Matheny said Lakeland’s move is the latest chapter in the two schools’ long history of providing innovative educational opportunities to students in the region.

“Our graduates from Fox Valley Tech have long been welcomed with open arms at Lakeland University,” said Dr. Matheny, who presented Lakeland President Beth Borgen with an oversize key made by Jim Kitchen, the department chair of FVTC’s Machine Tool Technology, and some of his students.

“With Lakeland being a top transfer destination, it made sense for us to explore how to make it even easier for our grads to continue their education. FVTC students will now be able to connect with – and explore – baccalaureate degree options without having to leave our Appleton campus.”

  “This move for Lakeland makes so much sense,” said president Borgen, noting that Lakeland has offered classes in the Fox Cities since 1982. “More than a third of the students that Lakeland serves in the Fox Cities are FVTC graduates. And now they’ll be able to continue on the pathway to a bachelor’s degree at a campus that already feels like home.”

 Earlier this year, Lakeland and FVTC 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. FVTC is awaiting approval from the Higher Learning Commission to offer the two-year A.A. and A.S. degrees.

Students who earn one of the two FVTC degrees will be able to transfer to Lakeland with junior standing and apply all their credits toward a Lakeland bachelor’s degree.

“Once approved, this agreement will only make the FVTC to Lakeland University pathway more direct and more manageable to navigate,” Matheny said. “They will have convenient access to their FVTC advisors and Lakeland faculty and staff who can help coordinate an educational journey that fits them best.”

Borgen said students and communities in the region are the big winners when institutions of higher learning form partnerships.

“It’s exciting to see private and public institutions working together for the common good of helping our students achieve their educational goals while aligning with regional workforce development needs,” she said. “This new level of access benefits students and their families, local schools and communities in this region.”

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.

Any FVTC graduate who enrolls in a bachelor's degree program with Lakeland will receive a 20% tuition discount.