Kuchina, Lannon Part of ODU Transfer Program

Thomas Nelson has articulation agreements with many four-year institutions in Virginia. Those agreements can be complicated and difficult to understand, leaving students and faculty frustrated.

Now, one of those four-year state institutions, Old Dominion University, has created a program designed to help with this issue. It is called the ODU Tech Talent Faculty/Advisor Fellows program, and is aimed at those in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields. Representing Thomas Nelson this year are physics professor and department head Elena Kuchina, and STEM academic adviser David Lannon.

Lannon joined the College in June 2019 as a part-time academic adviser and became a STEM adviser July 2021.

"I found that this program has many benefits," he said after attending orientation. "It provides an easier and better pipeline of communication between the VCCS and ODU. It makes it easier knowing who to contact at ODU, provides enhanced opportunities for the students, (and is a) great way to engage with students."

The goal for both sides is to make transferring from Thomas Nelson to ODU, or any other institution, smoother. Some students, Lannon said, wait until graduating from Thomas Nelson before starting the transfer process. That makes it more difficult than it needs to be.

"If we have the resources right there as I'm working with students, I can say, 'Don't wait until you graduate. We've got the information right here. You want to go to ODU, so this is what I can give you,'" he said.

Lannon's hope is the information he learns about ODU and others can be passed directly to his students.

"I'll be able to share that with the students right then and there, giving them more information," he said, adding when they do eventually contact ODU, they will have better questions to ask. "It's definitely going to benefit our students."

It won't help just students in the STEM division. Among the goals cited in the fellowship paperwork: "Transfer experts will work with faculty fellows in areas such as increasing institutional knowledge about transfer, transfer student experience, and transfer pathways. Community college faculty and faculty administrators will learn how to better work with their transfer student population and be able to provide feedback about what can be done to streamline transfer agreements."

Lannon said he knows a lot of students are interested in ODU, and not all of them are in STEM.

"We'll be able to update our transfer page, and really share that information with colleagues across the board so that we can create this partnership to help students be successful," he said.

Valerie Burge-Hall, interim director of advising, agreed.

"There are going to be those general principles that can be applied," she said. "It doesn't matter if you're in STEM or not."

Kuchina, who has a master's degree and a doctorate from ODU, has been with Thomas Nelson since 2011.

"My dream is that our students will have one foot in the door at a four-year college or at a career place as they graduate Thomas Nelson," she said.

In addition to learning the specifics of transferring to ODU, Kuchina wants to create a network with ODU professors that extends beyond the fellow. That will allow her to continue helping students long after her involvement in the fellow ends.

"If I see someone who is promising, I want to direct them in the right direction, connect them to the right faculty," she said. "I hope that will open many doors for me and my students."

Lannon is looking to be a liaison between Thomas Nelson and ODU, creating a pipeline and a seamless transfer.

"It will be great for the whole community, and it will be great for both schools," he said. "I think everybody can definitely benefit from it."

Kuchina, too, came away impressed after orientation.

"I am very optimistic about outcomes," she said. "I've been in only one meeting. I'm already excited."