Over the past year, building strong relationships with advisers and students at Southeast Community College has been a priority for the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. These connections are essential to ensuring a seamless transition for students transferring from SCC to UNL and helping them feel prepared to engage both inside and outside the classroom from day one.
Beginning with the Co-Creating the SCC-UNL Transfer Future event last July and the Building Futures retreat in December, working groups continue to focus on shared academic advising and professional development, alignment of curricular pathways and dual credit opportunities, enhanced marketing and communications, and the development of data sharing agreements.
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Highlights of successful, transfer student strategies and outreach were fueled by this initiative during the academic year.
UNL academic advisers visit SCC weekly to build relationships with faculty and staff and to meet with prospective students. Colleges rotate representatives to ensure prospective transfer students have opportunities to explore all UNL's academic options.
"These meetings provide students the opportunity to see how their current coursework aligns with intended majors at UNL and to begin forming connections with advisers before they arrive," said Joey Lynch, director of University Advising and the Explore Center. "The early interactions will help students feel confident and supported with a familiar point of contact already in place."
Additionally, UNL leaders are continuing to collaborate on a comprehensive transfer guide for all UNL colleges. The guide will equip SCC advisers with key insights needed to effectively support students through the transfer process and navigate the nuances that UNL programs may have.
Both institutions have established a regular presence in each other's advising staff meetings, creating space to share updates, strengthen collaboration, and elevate questions or concerns from the transfer community.
In March, the Center for Academic Success and Transition held focus groups with transfer students to learn how they search, and what barriers they face, while looking for information. The findings will be used to improve websites, communications and processes.
"Transfer students told us they found great support once they connected with the right people, especially academic advisers," said Jordan Heim, assistant director of the center. "Their insight is helping us encourage units to rethink how we guide them from the moment they are admitted through their first semester and beyond."
"Within CAST, we are also focusing on how we can provide clearer communication, earlier outreach, and more intentional ways to connect students to transfer resources, as well as academic success coaches and peer mentors who support their success," he said.
UNL has relaunched the Tau Sigma National Honor Society after a brief hiatus. Originally established at Nebraska in 2003, the organization recognizes the outstanding academic achievement of transfer students while fostering leadership and community as they adapt to campus life. Twenty-three students were inducted on April 7.
To complement National Transfer Student Week activities in the fall, offices across campus celebrated Transfer Appreciation Day on April 8 with snacks and giveaways. This increased visibility to celebrate transfer students provides a connection point to impactful resources available to them and helps the campus community recognize the various pathways students take to become a Husker.
The Transfer Connection newsletter provides outreach and resources specific to transfer students' unique needs. After an initial pilot in early 2025, analytics indicated students appreciated the outreach and value provided by this communication and it was expanded to monthly distribution during the 2025-26 academic year.
In February, SCC and UNL hosted two webinars for Lincoln Public Schools guidance counselors and families about dual credit and advanced placement credit opportunities for high school students. More than 50 people attended to learn the differences between the two types of credit, the credit transfer process, and how to maximize the impact of credits as students begin their pathways to SCC and UNL.
"The idea for these webinars came from discussions at our December retreat and address a need that associate deans for undergraduate programs have raised in UNL's Academic Solutions Council," said Amy Goodburn, senior associate vice chancellor and dean of undergraduate education. "I'm thrilled to see such immediate and positive impacts from the focused collaboration between our institutions."
