Academics

Penn State Berks and RACC sign articulation agreement

Penn State Berks officials signed an articulation agreement with RACC officials. Pictured, left to right, are Paul Esqueda, senior associate dean for academic affairs, and Chancellor R. Keith Hillkirk, both from Penn State Berks; with Anna Weitz, president of RACC, and Susan Looney, senior vice president of academic affairs/provost, RACC. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

READING, Pa. — Penn State Berks and Reading Area Community College (RACC) have joined forces to make the road to earning a baccalaureate degree more accessible. Officials from both institutions signed an articulation agreement on April 13.

The articulation agreement provides academic pathways to seven baccalaureate degree programs. College academic pathways serve both institutions’ goals of increasing student retention and completion. This new agreement outlines a seamless transfer for RACC’s associate degree programs to Penn State’s baccalaureate degree programs. Programs included are: 

  •  Associate of Arts in Business Administration to Bachelor of Science in Business
  •  Associate of Arts in Communication to Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing
  •  Associate of Arts in Creative Writing to Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing
  •  Associate of Arts and Science in Criminal Justice to Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
  •  Associate of Arts in Psychology to Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology
  •  Associate of Science in Science Transfer to Bachelor of Science in Science, Life Science Option
  •  Associate of Arts in Addiction Studies/Human Services to Bachelor of Arts in Rehabilitative Health and Human Services

Anna Weitz, RACC president, is excited about this partnership. “The articulation agreement will help create a seamless transition for students who meet agree-upon academic and admission guidelines to attend Penn State Berks after completing their associate degree at RACC. We’re dedicated to preparing our students to be successful at some of the best institutions in the area.”

“Transfer students from Reading Area Community College have embraced what Penn State Berks offers and have become valuable assets to the Penn State Berks community,” says Keith Hillkirk, chancellor of Penn State Berks. “We’re excited about expanding our partnership with RACC and continuing to extend the Penn State Berks experience to its students who share a passion for higher education.”

Robyn Philactos, a graduate of RACC who is currently a senior communication arts and sciences (CAS) major at Penn State Berks, also spoke briefly at the ceremony. She stated that the educational foundation she built at RACC has helped her to continue her academic success at Penn State Berks. She will receive the Penn State Berks Outstanding Service Award, which is presented to a graduating senior in CAS who has demonstrated dedication and commitment to the field and to the CAS program at Penn State Berks, and who has a minimum 3.0 GPA.

For more information, contact Jodi Corbett, director of academic partnerships, at 610-607-6219, or jcorbett@racc.edu.

R. Keith Hillkirk, chancellor of Penn State Berks, and Anna Weitz, RACC president, shake hands on the articulation agreement. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated May 13, 2020