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New agreement eases admissions process

BLOOMSBURG — Ninth-graders in Central Columbia High School, near Bloomsburg, have one more incentive to do well in their classes — guaranteed admission to Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania after they graduate.

An agreement signed late last month between officials from BU and Central Columbia School District guarantees admission to a BU bachelor's degree program for Central Columbia graduates who:

• Achieve a minimum 500 verbal and 500 math scores on the SAT, with a combined score of at least 1100 on the verbal and math portions.
• Earn a minimum of 90 percent cumulative grade point average.
• Apply to BU by Dec. 15 of their senior year for admission the following fall. The deadline is Nov. 15 for students planning to major in nursing, medical imaging, speech pathology, biology or allied health.
• Satisfy all other BU application requirements to the major.

The agreement begins with this year's ninth graders for admission to BU in fall 2013.

"We have many academically talented high school students living in the region surrounding our campus," said BU President David Soltz. "Some already choose to enroll in Bloomsburg's outstanding degree programs and remain close to their homes and jobs. This agreement assures Central Columbia students that working hard in high school will guarantee admission to Bloomsburg University."

Harry Mathias Jr., superintendent of the Central Columbia School District, credited Soltz, Jonathan Lincoln, BU's assistant vice president for academic affairs, and Chris Keller, BU's admissions director, with formulating an agreement that reinforces a culture of lifelong learning, from kindergarten through college.

"I'm very proud to enter into this partnership with Bloomsburg University," Mathias said. "There are some families in our district for whom college attendance is only a dream. With this agreement, we are saying to all of our students, 'If you do these things, you can go to Bloomsburg University.'" According to Keller, about 30 Central Columbia High School graduates currently enter BU as new freshmen each year. "This agreement further solidifies the great working relationship we have with our local school districts, including Central Columbia. When they come here for a visit, local students realize they have a great college, a great resource, in their backyard."

BU is currently working to establish similar agreements with other area school districts, Keller added.

Bloomsburg University is one of 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. The university serves approximately 8,000 students, offering comprehensive programs of study in the colleges of Education, Business, Liberal Arts and Science and Technology.

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