Edinboro looks to assist former ITT Tech students

This past September, after 50 years of business, ITT Technical Institute closed its doors nationwide. This closure has displaced around 40,000 students and 8,000 employees across the country.

According to the ITT Tech website, in August, the U.S. Department of Education imposed a series of new requirements and conditions on ITT Tech, leading to the eventual closing of all the campuses. Campuses closed nationwide Sept. 12, which would have been the start of the new quarter. It also said students who started online classes in July are on schedule to finish the current term, which ends Oct. 16.

This led the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) to reach out to Edinboro University and all 14 PASSHE schools in Pennsylvania.

“We received an email from the state system, reaching out to all 14 PASSHE schools, to see who was interested in helping these students.... Pretty much everybody did (was interested). Our purpose is to help them finish their degree as soon as possible," said Sheila McCarthy, coordinator of articulation and transfer admissions.

Edinboro University held ITT Tech info sessions with McCarthy to assist possible transfer students. They were held on Monday, Sept. 26 in Academy Hall on Edinboro's main campus and Tuesday, Sept. 27 at Porreco.

“We are here to provide service if anyone is thinking about transferring. We’re going to be ultra generous in our transfer credits so they can finish as quickly as possible. I’ll work with them regardless of where they’re from or how many credits they have,” McCarthy said.

Since ITT Tech was a technical school, many students interested in transferring to Edinboro may be interested in looking into the math, science or technology departments.

“We thought that two obvious programs would be applied technology, in the physics department, and also something in computer science. Students might have been in those programs, and want to finish that. It might be the closest match that we have, unless they are totally interested in changing their career. Then, obviously, we have a lot of programs that could help them. We are here and available if anyone needs us,” McCarthy said.

“[If] they would like to contact me, and I would sit down with them and go over the credits they’ve taken at ITT. I might need to consult with the dean depending on what they’d be interested in. I would talk to them about how their credits would transfer, and what they would need to complete that with the degrees that we offer," McCarthy continued, talking about ITT Tech students.

If someone displaced by ITT Tech is interested in transferring to Edinboro University, they can contact Sheila McCarthy at (814) 732-2420 or at smccarthy@edinboro.edu. 

Anna Ashcraft is a Managing Editor of Arts for The Spectator.