Western Illinois University Dual Enrollment Program: A Head Start on College Career
MACOMB/Moline, IL – Many high school students are anxious to earn college credits while they’re still in high school to get a head start on their college career, and Western Illinois University’s dual enrollment program provides high school juniors and seniors that opportunity to get a jump on earning college credits.
To assist students with their transition from high school to college — and to reduce the cost of college — Western offers several possibilities for area students from select high schools to take University courses on-site, online and on WIU-Macomb and -Quad Cities campuses. The
WIU Accountancy Professor Amy Ford assists a West Central student with accountancy homework {Note: This photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic}
program has grown in enrollment to 121 students, compared to 47 last spring.
“For the past five years, we’ve had the privilege of working with our area high school superintendents, principals, and school counselors to offer college-level courses for their students’ college and career aspirations,” said Kristi Mindrup, assistant vice president for academic affairs and interim administrator in charge, WIU-QC. “We work with the participating school districts to ensure that the course time and format fit within their students’ schedules and activities.”
WIU Dual Enrollment virtual information sessions will be held Wednesdays at 3:30 p.m. April 14 and May 5; and at 6 p.m. on March 31, April 28 and May 12. Register at bit.ly/WIUDualEnrollmentSession. Students interested in taking a dual enrollment class can find course lists for Summer 2021 and Fall 2021at wiu.edu/highschool.
Cambridge High School (CHS) in Henry County has offered two general education courses on-site in Cambridge each fall and spring since the WIU dual enrollment program began. WIU Associate Professor of English Jose Fernandez is teaching college-level English courses at CHS, taking over from Associate Provost Mark Mossman who taught the first dual enrollment course at CHS in 2017. Fernandez began teaching English 180 in Fall 2020 and this semester, he’s teaching English 280 for the students of Cambridge High.
“Dual enrollment courses are an extraordinary opportunity for high school students to experience and get a sense of the type of academic work and expectations at the college level. These are highly talented students and some of them are currently considering whether to attend college,” Fernandez said. “During our course, I seek to incite their curiosity about academic writing and subjects and to demonstrate that a college education is worth pursuing. I also try to show them how their previous academic and writing experiences have already prepared them to succeed.”
WIU has had a Quad-Cities presence since 1912, and before moving to River Drive in Moline, was at 60th Street off John Deere Road.
The dual enrollment program gave Macomb High School graduate and current WIU freshman music major Madeline Weiss the opportunity to take an American government class during her senior year at Macomb High.
“My professor was Keith Boeckelman and I really enjoyed taking the class,” Weiss said. “I appreciated that I was able to get ahead of my course schedule and I love that Western provided this.”
Since Fall 2017, students from Cambridge High School, Illini West High School in Carthage (IL), Macomb High School, West Prairie High School, Bushnell Prairie City High School, VIT High School, Rushville-Industry High School, Southeastern High School, Unity High School (Mendon, IL), West Central High School, Galva High School, Cuba High School, Hamilton High School and Rowva High School have had the opportunity to take online and on-campus coursework.
“There are so many terrific benefits for students who participate in this program, from getting ahead on University coursework to scholarship opportunities and locking in Western’s Cost Guarantee to connecting with faculty mentors to gaining valuable in and out of class experiences that prepare them for college,” added Katy Gorsuch, admissions counselor and dual enrollment coordinator.
Students interested in WIU dual enrollment opportunities can contact Gorsuch at kl-gorsuch@wiu.edu. High school administrators interested in creating dual enrollment opportunities as an in-person or online class can contact Mindrup at ks-mindrup@wiu.edu.
