ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Roanoke College is expanding its Rapid Maroons program, which aims to make it easier for students to transfer from community colleges. Roanoke College president Frank Shushock and the president of the New River Community College (NRCC) signed the agreement, creating that partnership this week.
Rapid Maroons was created in 2024 to establish a pipeline for students who chose to start at a community college and give them a streamlined application process. Students who choose to join will be encouraged to finish their associate degree at NRCC and then declare a program to study at Roanoke College.
“That’s what we get up every morning for New River Community College to make sure our students achieve their dreams, and so this agreement in this partnership will help them do that,” said Dr. Robert Brandon, the president of NRCC.
To ensure a smooth transition between the schools, NRCC students will get counseling at Roanoke College as well.
“A lot of people will opt out of a four-year degree because they think that they can’t afford it. But when you do it this way, it makes it very economical and efficient to be able to achieve this. And we need more bachelor’s degree graduates right here in the Roanoke and the new river valleys,” said Frank Shushock, the president at Roanoke College.
NRCC students in the program will have the same access to activities like performances, sporting events, using the fitness center, joining clubs, and intramural sports at Roanoke College.
“Learning is still largely about building relationships with their faculty, their staff, and the other students. So when we bring our two institutions together, we double the resources that our students have,” said Brandon.
“Their number one priority is student success. And so when the student is the goal and their success is the goal, it’s really easy to work out partnerships,” said Shushock.
Students who complete their transferable associate’s degree at NRCC and have a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 Will be eligible to directly enroll at Roanoke College.
You can learn more about the program here.