East Catholic, USJ Announce Partnership

MANCHESTER, CT — East Catholic High School has announced a partnership with the University of Saint Joseph on a "concurrent enrollment program."

The alignment in academics will begin with one science course and one mathematics course and
provide students enrolled in those courses at ECHS the opportunity to simultaneously enroll
through USJ for course credit.

In April, representatives from both USJ and ECHS met to finalize plans for this dual enrollment
program. In the 2024-2025 school year, ECHS faculty will be teaching Anatomy I and Statistics,
with approval of the course syllabus and curriculum by USJ faculty.

ECHS faculty members who are approved to teach the concurrent enrollment courses will be recognized as a USJ Faculty Fellow.

Students participating in the program will reap "significant benefits," officials said. They will receive USJ credit under the designated USJ course number and title, along with a transcript and certificate upon successful completion of each course. Additionally, enrolled students will be issued a USJ ID card, granting them access to the university's network and library resources.

"Through the collaboration of high school and university partnerships, we can challenge the potential of every student," says Gina Burby, Dean of Academics for East Catholic High School. "Building these connections early on can open doors to future academic and career opportunities setting the stage for lifelong learning and collaboration."

This partnership will be mutually beneficial for both ECHS and USJ, as well as the enrolled
students.

"At USJ we continue to build educational pathways to support student transition from
high school to college," USJ President Rhona Free said. "Through our concurrent enrollment
program with ECHS, students will experience the unique rigors of college courses while earning
USJ credit. We hope that some students in these classes will decide to come to USJ, but
wherever they go, with these credits they will be able to move right into the next level of courses
when they enroll in college."