Trail Blazer Desirale Clemons Gets on Track
When she was a young girl, her beloved grandmother became very ill. "I told her, 'Grandma, I want to be the one who takes care of you.'" Thus began Desirale Clemons’ interest in nursing, which now has led her to the Panther Tracks guaranteed transfer program with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Last summer she was recruited for a small pilot project with MATC. If she completed some courses there with good grades, UWM promised to let her in. Little did she know, she was blazing a new path. That little pilot project grew into the full-blown Panther Tracks program.
Panther Tracks allows MATC students to transfer up to 54 credits toward their bachelor’s degrees at UWM. What’s new is that the outcome is guaranteed, if students hold up their end of the bargain. UWM guarantees admission of MATC Panther Tracks students with a GPA of 2.75 or better. Students can either start at MATC or be referred to MATC from UWM. In announcing the agreement, leaders from both colleges hailed it as a breakthrough. Carlos Santiago, UWM chancellor, noted that MATC and UWM have long worked together to increase the number of baccalaureate degree holders in metropolitan Milwaukee. UWM is by far MATC's biggest transfer partner, accepting about 300 MATC students per year. But in the past, students' transition to UWM could be fraught with various hurdles.
	"With this landmark agreement, we are saying to students that your work at MATC will not only count toward a UWM degree but it will also help you to succeed at UWM," "Santiago said. "UWM is committed to providing broad access to our degree programs – and especially for our Milwaukee citizens. Over the years, we have found that MATC students who transfer to UWM come to us with a solid academic foundation." "Panther Tracks could not have happened without the leadership of Dr. Santiago," said MATC President Darnell E. Cole. "It means, from a student perspective, that these two
great institutions now are one in many ways. For their benefit, MATC is thrilled to strengthen ties to the leading public university in southeastern Wisconsin." Desirale Clemons is grateful to MATC for providing an affordable start to her nursing studies. She views Panther Tracks as a second chance, and she takes it very seriously. In fact, she says, it has changed her whole outlook on life. Graduating from James Madison High School after attending several other schools, she wasn’t always as studious as she should have been. "I didn’t have a great high school experience," Clemons says. "It wasn’t until junior year, senior year, that I started to realize that where you end up with your education determines where you end up in life." Now, she does her homework religiously and asks questions in class aggressively. In between she works a cash register at a local K mart and is an active member of her congregation, Greater Little Hill Church of God in Christ. Three Ways to Get on the Path • MATC referral – Students not initially eligible to enter UWM as freshmen go to MATC for their first courses, working with counselors and instructors from both colleges. If they earn good grades, admission to UWM is guaranteed. • Guaranteed transfer – Students complete up to 54 liberal arts and sciences credits at MATC, with a GPA of 2.75 or better, while satisfying UWM’s general education requirements. They must declare for Panther Tracks before completing their first 30 credits. Satisfying those requirements likewise guarantees admission at UWM. • UWM College Connection – Students enrolled in MATC’s Liberal Arts and Sciences program can earn bachelor's degrees in their choice of three majors from UWM without needing to attend the UWM campus. MATC students remain welcome and eligible to apply to UWM through the traditional credit transfer process. For more information about MATC credit transfer, contact Barbara Cannell, (414) 297-6836, cannellb@matc.edu, or visit “Credit Transfer” at www.matc.edu. Your UWM contact is Darlene Bergman, (414) 229-2871, dbergman@uwm.edu. Printer-friendly version