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Nicola Place
Nicola Place, DVC senior academic and student services manager, has been selected to serve on the executive board and as one of the national delegates for the Western Association of College Admission Counselors (WACAC). In this role, she will represent the transfer perspective to the WACAC and to the national organization, the National Association of College Admission Counselors (NACAC).
The WACAC is dedicated to supporting the work of counseling and enrollment professionals as they advance students to postsecondary education. Membership consists primarily of high school counselors, private practice college counselors, and four-year institution admissions personnel. As a member of the executive board, Place represents the interests of California Community College transfer students to the WACAC board and membership, as well as to the national organization.
“These organizations (WACAC and NACAC) are very well known to high schools and four-year colleges and universities, but not to community colleges,” Place explained. “However, families’ and admissions professionals’ concerns about access to the UC and CSU have more people thinking about community colleges as a pathway to these institutions. As a result, WACAC has been working toward greater inclusion of the community college perspective and expertise,” she said. “Last year, the California Community College Transfer Center Directors Association (TCDA) formally joined WACAC, and we have been increasingly represented at the conferences and professional development activities.”
The new affiliation of the Transfer Center Directors (TCDs), Place said, “provides an outstanding platform for community college transfer experts to share essential transfer information with WACAC members who are working with students as they transition from high school to college. The affiliation also provides greater access to professional development resources, and the opportunity to share information with legislators and with decision-makers at the four-year institutions.”
“I hope to expand the knowledge base of high school and four-year personnel about the advantages and benefits of using the California Community College transfer process to attain a bachelor’s degree,” Place said. “It’s important that as many people as possible are aware of the extraordinary opportunity that the California community college transfer system offers.”