FAYETTEVILLE – Fayetteville State University Chancellor James Anderson dismisses any suggestion that there’s something wrong with starting out at a community college.

“One of the misperceptions about the relationship between a community college and a four-year institution is that they’re competing,” Anderson says in the accompanying video.  “In actuality, that’s not the case.

“They’re a first stage, often, to transferring to a four-year institution.  They serve a purpose economically, in that they’re often cheaper than many of the four-year institutions.  So people need to start out their college education at a cheaper institution to get a better bargain for their buck.

“That’s fine with us.”

In fact, Fayetteville State leads the University of North Carolina System in transfer students – more than 50% of its students transferred to FSU.

Anderson outlines Fayetteville State’s “2+2” nursing program with Fayetteville Technical Community College, where students go through a single admissions process.

The key to such programs, he says, is that instructors from both institutions get together in advance and agree on the outcomes they want for students.

“So there’s a smooth transition for students as they move from that community college to us,” Anderson says, “and it’s worked tremendously in several areas on our campus.”