Guilfoyle to offer college degree
High school partnering with Mount Aloysius
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Following the model of high school-university partnerships in other regions of the country, Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School and Mount Aloysius College will offer high school students an opportunity to earn a college degree at the same time as earning their high school diploma.
"The problem we are working on here is that the path to college can be too complicated and too expensive. We want to make it simpler," Bishop Guilfoyle President Joe Adams said during a press conference on Friday.
"This is a major step forward to help our students accelerate success in college."
Beginning in September, Bishop Guilfoyle ninth-grade students may begin a prescribed program that sets them on track to graduate from high school with an associate degree in liberal arts.
Essentially, students can graduate from high school with two years of a four-year college degree completed. Adams said that can save families tens of thousands of dollars on college tuition, room and board.
"College costs vary widely, but two years of college tuition and fees might cost about $27,000. It can go much higher. Add in room and board, and the cost of two years can be easily over $60,000."
The additional cost for the "College in High School" program, which is conducted in Bishop Guilfoyle classrooms and partially online, is $9,600 spread over four years above Bishop Guilfoyle's usual tuition, Adams said.
"Compare $60,000 to under $10,000, and even my math tells me families could save $50,000. That could mean fewer student loans and more freedom to pursue collegiate and career dreams," he said.
Her child is currently in eighth grade in the Altoona-Johnstown diocese's Holy Trinity School.
"I'm excited about the program. I think it's a great opportunity for our students coming into Bishop Guilfoyle," she said.
Delaware Valley College and the University of Alabama are two examples of institutions offering the same program, said Mount Aloysius College Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs Steve Pugliese.
Students currently are able to earn some college credit through dual enrollment programs, and the "College in high school" program builds on that, he said.
Mount Aloysius College already vets the Bishop Guilfoyle dual enrollment curriculum to meet college standards. Given that as a starting point, the college was able to align a curriculum that is both Mount Aloysius' and Bishop Guilfoyle's, he said.
For the College in High School program, they added more classes, including some online, Pugliese said.
The program could soon expand to include more high schools.
"We are in conversations with other high schools," Pugliese said.
Mirror Staff Writer Russ O'Reilly is at 946-7435.
Nicole McCloskey attended the press conference as an interested parent.