Clarkson College creates articulation agreements, partnership letters of agreement, and memorandums of understanding according to College enrollment and academic programming strategic initiatives.

• An articulation agreement is an officially signed document between Clarkson College and another accredited institution of higher education. The purpose of the articulation agreement is to better serve the educational growth of students and the economic development of the community through cooperative educational planning and optimal utilization of other post-secondary resources. It includes such things as: at least 60 credit hours of transfer credit, cooperative marketing, guaranteed admissions into online programs pending the requirements of admissions, priority admission points for on-campus programs, advising guides, etc.
• A partnership letter of agreement (PLA) is an officially signed document between Clarkson College and outside constituents that expresses an agreed course of action and conditions under which Clarkson College will accept students, employees, spouses, or dependents for matriculation. The partnership letter of agreement outlines the expectations of Clarkson College and the other entity, including co-branded events and requirements, a minimum annual student enrollment, a tuition savings percentage, partnership verification forms, etc.
• A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is a signed agreement between Clarkson College and another entity that outlines shared goals, intentions, and responsibilities for the purposes of assisting student education.

Procedure:

Articulation Agreement Procedure:

1. Articulation agreements are formed as requested through the Registrar’s Office and housed in the Academic Compliance Office. The template must be requested from the Academic Compliance Office.
2. The College can support no more than 10-15 formal articulation agreements at any one time. The Registrar’s Office will verify that another agreement can be formed through the Academic Compliance Office and that the institution of interest is accredited.
3. Proposing a new agreement must demonstrate evidence that the institution can matriculate students into health professions and must be approved at Leadership Council.
4. Once approved, the Registrar’s Office will work to finalize the agreement and send it for signature through the Academic Compliance Office using Docusign.
5. Articulation agreements will be reviewed annually in March at Leadership Council. Key stakeholders for critical review prior to Leadership Council review are the Enrollment and Advising Department, Communications and Development Department, Academic Program Directors, Academic Compliance Office, and the Registrar’s Office to update or discontinue the agreement per agreement parameters.  
   • Annual updates include advising guides with any new curricular changes or programming, communication plans, and outreach opportunities for the next academic year. Updates will be reviewed at Leadership Council in March, and all items will also be updated in the academic catalog during its review cycle.   
   • Discontinuation parameters include but are not limited to unmet enrollment, breach of marketing and outreach directives, etc., and should be brought forward at the time of discovery to Leadership Council.  
6. Higher education institutions with a formal articulation agreement with the College can be found on Clarkson College’s website. They will be reviewed and updated annually in conjunction with the academic catalog. 

Partnership Letter of Agreement Procedure:

1. A partnership letter of agreement (PLA) is formed as requested through the President’s Office and housed in the Academic Compliance Office. The template must be requested from the Academic Compliance Office.
2. The College can support no more than 10-12 formal partnership letter agreements at any one time. The Academic Compliance Office will verify that another agreement can be formed.
3. Proposing a new agreement includes but is not limited to the following justification standards and is approved at Leadership Council:
   • Must align with the College’s mission, vision, and values.
   • Willingness to be established for 5-year increments with reassessment annually.
   • Will commit to a minimum enrollment.
   • Must co-brand to support each other.
   • Must support strategic roadmap.
   • Organizations with >500 employees and multi-state footprint preferred.
4. Once approved, the President’s Office will work to finalize the agreement and send it for signature through the Academic Compliance Office using Docusign.
5. PLAs are reviewed annually in February at Leadership Council. Key stakeholders for critical review prior to Leadership Council review are the Enrollment and Advising Department, Communications and Development Department, Student Accounts, Vice President of College Finance/CFO, President’s Office, and Academic Compliance Office to update or discontinue the agreement per agreement parameters.
   • Annual updates include sharing of any new or discontinued programming, communication plans, and outreach opportunities for the next academic year will be reviewed at Leadership Council in February during the budget review cycle.
   • Discontinuation parameters include but are not limited to unmet enrollment, breach of marketing and outreach directives, etc., must be brought forward at the time of discovery to Leadership Council.
6. Higher education institutions with a formal partnership letter agreement (PLA) with the College can be found on Clarkson College’s website. 

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Procedure:

1. An MOU for student education with another institution is created based on resource need and submitted by the appropriate administrator (i.e., Academic Program Directors, Student Affairs Directors, etc.). The template must be requested from the Academic Compliance Office.
2. The agreements are short-term and should be reviewed and approved by Leadership Council at the time of need.
3. The MOUs will be housed in the Academic Compliance Office and will be reviewed annually at Leadership Council in February during the budget review cycle to track expired agreements and any proposed renewals.

Supporting Department(s):

Grants and Contracts Administrator, Academic Compliance Office, Enrollment and Advising Department, Communications and Development Department, Academic Program Directors, Student Accounts, and Vice President of College Finance/CFO.