(Left to Right) Reginald Gerlica, vice president for academic affairs for arts and sciences and Gail Mee, president at Henry Ford Community College and Irvin D. Reid, president and Nancy Barrett, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Wayne State University recently formalized an agreement through the WayneDirect partnership that extends to students at Henry Ford Community College certain benefits usually reserved for students formally admitted to Wayne State.

WayneDirect is an early admission partnership between Henry Ford Community College and Wayne State University. It is designed for current HFCC students who have designated Wayne State as the university where they will receive their bachelor’s degree. Those students will be admitted to WSU at the same time they are admitted to or enrolled at HFCC.

“Wayne State’s mission is to equip Michigan’s future workforce with a four-year undergraduate degree, a baseline requirement for individuals to compete successfully in today’s global marketplace,” said Howard Shapiro, associate vice president for undergraduate programs. “The WayneDirect partnership between WSU and HFCC is a vehicle for increasing the number of college students who ultimately complete four-year degrees in the state.”

The partnership between HFCC and Wayne State is an expansion of WayneDirect which is an example of the call for more collaboration between state funded community colleges and universities throughout Michigan. WayneDirect was launched in Oct. 2006 when Wayne County Community College and Wayne State University entered into the early admission partnership. In the future WayneDirect will be implemented in all of the Michigan community colleges that provide a substantial number of transfer students to Wayne State.

Under the program, HFCC students also will be provided with access to special services and opportunities that will ease their eventual transition to Wayne State while increasing their likelihood for success.

Anyone admitted to Henry Ford Community College is eligible for WayneDirect, and may access the following benefits:

Admissions Office WayneDirect (313) 577-4903

• HFCC students are placed in direct contact with advisors, faculty and staff during special “Bridge” sessions. Students receive the information they need to make their transition to WSU as smooth as possible, including career and internship information.

• WSU library privileges are available to HFCC students assisting them in conducting research, preparing term papers or addressing other library needs while attending HFCC.

• HFCC students receive a special WSU OneCard, a multi-purpose identification and debit card, used for parking, library services, copying and printing services, as well as food and bookstore purchases at WSU and its neighboring partners.

• HFCC students have an opportunity to participate in Wayne State’s Honors Program and become actively involved in many of the activities offered by the program. Competitive scholarships will also be available for HFCC Honors students.

• WayneDirect students have access to theatre and sporting events, lectures and numerous other activities.

HFCC students interested in participating in WayneDirect can receive the application from either school. The WayneDirect application is the only application the student will need to complete to enroll at WSU.

At the time of matriculation to Wayne State, students must meet the current transfer admission requirement of a cumulative 2.0 grade point average before enrolling in classes.

Students in WayneDirect must earn at least 50 credit hours or an associate degree at HFCC before transferring to WSU. Students transferring with fewer than 50 hours must apply through the regular admission process at WSU.

Those students wishing to concurrently enroll at both institutions should contact the Undergraduate Admissions office at Wayne State at (313) 577-3577.

Wayne State University is a premier institution of higher education offering more than 350 academic programs through 11 schools and colleges to nearly 33,000 students.