Partnerships lay groundwork for growth of online turfgrass program

Stacie Bird Al Turgeon is lead faculty for the award-winning online turfgrass program.

Agreements between institutions allow students to apply credits towards award-winning turfgrass bachelor's degree

University Park, Pa. — Penn State announced that an articulation agreement will give more students the opportunity to apply credits toward a bachelor’s degree in Penn State’s award-winning online turfgrass program.

Catawba Valley Community College and Sandhills Community College recently signed agreements with Penn State that facilitates access to Penn State's online bachelor's degree in turfgrass science. With an online program, students can begin their careers immediately while working toward a bachelor's degree in turfgrass management.

According to Al Turgeon, lead faculty for the online turfgrass management program, the turfgrass program also benefits by attracting pre-qualified, motivated students to the program. Turgeon added that this partnership shows how institutions can cooperate to help students. "These articulation agreements are wonderful examples of how academic institutions can work together to extend the reach and enhance the effectiveness of our respective programs and better serve our students," Turgeon said.

Established in 1929, Penn State's turfgrass program is one of the first in the nation. It is widely recognized for its research and development of improved turfgrass varieties and other products used worldwide.

Penn State World Campus specializes in adult online education, delivering 62 of Penn State's most highly regarded graduate, undergraduate and professional education programs through convenient online formats. Founded in 1998, Penn State World Campus is the University's 25th campus serving more than 7,000 students in all 50 states, in 42 countries, and across six continents. For more information, visit the World Campus online at http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/. Penn State World Campus is a part of Penn State Outreach, the largest unified outreach organization in American higher education. Penn State Outreach serves more than 5 million people each year, delivering more than 2,000 programs to people in all 67 Pennsylvania counties, all 50 states and 80 countries worldwide.