Fayette, Mo. — Officials at Central Methodist University and State Fair Community College will soon pen a unique agreement that will offer students an easier path to achieving their goals. On Friday, February 4, the two schools will enter into an agreement to complete the creation of a 2+1+2 articulation program for the Master of Science in Athletic Training (MSAT).
The program will be a revised version of the 3+2 MSAT program currently offered to CMU students on the Fayette campus, according to Dr. Wade Welton, director of the athletic training program. The new transfer program will allow State Fair students to transfer seamlessly to Central and graduate in the same number of years as their Fayette counterparts.
“Typically, without the necessary prerequisites, transfer students have a hard time getting into the athletic training program and staying on course,” Welton said. “This agreement will help SFCC transfer students enter the program on the right track.”
The Master’s program is essentially a two-year, dual-track program, the fastest and most efficient being the 3+2, in which students take general education and physical education courses for the first three years and then apply for the Master’s program at the end of the third year. If accepted, their fourth year at Central will be the first of the master’s program while also completing their bachelor’s degree in human movement. After the fifth year they also completed the Masters in Athletic Training.
For students on the new 2+1+2 path, the results are similar. Students spend two years at SFCC taking general education and supplemental physical education courses. After moving to Central, they will take additional compulsory courses and then apply for the master’s degree.
The agreement between the schools is a long time coming, according to Welton, who worked closely with SFCC athletic director and athletic department chair Darren Pannier – a 1991 graduate of Central – to get the project off the ground.
“We are delighted with the agreement. I think it can open doors for students, and that’s the most important thing,” Welton said. “The biggest benefit of doing this is that students can transition seamlessly from the State Fair to here with one plan. If they can stay on that path, it’s a high-quality, cost-effective program.”
Aside from the benefits for students, Pannier says the agreement promises to have a positive impact on both institutions.
“I believe this will be a big factor and a win-win situation for both sides,” he said. “I am a true graduate of Central Methodist University and am trying to get as many students into this institution as possible. . . And as we continue to build sports programs [at SFCC]we need more and more athletic training assistants and this program will definitely help.
“It’s been a long time coming, and I’m just glad it’s happening before I retire,” Pannier concluded.
A signing ceremony for the agreement, followed by a press conference, will be held on Friday, February 4 at 10:00 am on the State Fair campus. School officials who will be on hand for the signing include CMU Vice President for Enrollment Management Joe Parisi, Provost Rita Gulstad and Dean Deborah DeGan-Dixon, and SFCC President Joanna Anderson, Vice President Brent Bates, Dean James Cunningham and Pannier.
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