St. Bonaventure University Professor Dr. Doug Cashing works with Warren Area High School senior John Page on a statistics assignment at the SBU Dual Enrollment campus in Pine Grove Township.

Higher education has taken a hit from COVID-19.

So has St. Bonaventure’s Dual Enrollment program. That loss is a loss to students and families in Warren County, according to officials.

They are hoping students will again recognize the benefits of their program and numbers will return to pre-pandemic – or higher – levels.

“St. Bonaventure University and the Warren County School District have a partnership, which began in August of 2009, to offer high school students college credit and a college experience,” Executive Director Sandra Wilks said. “Since its inception, close to 200 WCSD students have taken this opportunity to jumpstart their college careers. Several students use this program to complete general study courses required at the college level allowing them to graduate early, double major, or study abroad.”

“Graduating seniors taking part in this program have headed off to college sometimes entering as second semester freshman or even sophomore status based on the credits they earned through the SBU program,” Wilks said.

“Financially there is quite a savings for families,” Wilks added. “In the 2021-2022 school year, St. Bonaventure will offer a substantial scholarship for students accepted into the program and the Community Foundation of Warren County provides $100/credit, overall reducing the per credit costs by close to $550. Other scholarship monies may also be available based on income. Classes for the 2021-22 school year will be $495/credit ($1485 for a typical three-credit course). Starting college classes early also saves money as students live at home and commute so there are no extra meal plans, housing, and mandatory university fees to pay.”

“We offer high-level courses with face-to-face instruction by St. Bonaventure instructors,” she said. “The facility is located away from the high school and offers a quiet and structured learning environment. The fact that we are not housed in a high school building has been a reason some universities have accepted a full transfer of credits. The rigor of the classes also makes our credits easily transferable to other colleges and universities.”

She listed the following as some of the schools that accept credits from the program: Penn State, Pitt, Clemson, Chatham, Wooster, Slippery Rock, Edinboro, Clarion, Gannon, and Mercyhurst.

The dual part of the enrollment means students earn high school credit – core or elective – at the same time they are accumulating college credit.

Classes are generally 75 minutes long and held twice a week at the campus on Route 62 in Akeley in the lower level of the Pine Grove Ambulatory Center.

There are eligibility requirements based on class rank, test scores, and GPA

An average of 23 Warren County students – from WCSD, Tidioute Community Charter School, and home schools – have enrolled. This year, there were 21 in the fall and 18 right now. And, applications for 2021-2022 are down.

Wilks attributes the low enrollments not to students’ or families’ beliefs about the program, but rather their lack of knowledge of it.

Recruiters have not had access to the school buildings due to COVID restrictions, she said. The annual Open House was not held, again, due to COVID.

When information about dual enrollment is presented in the schools, there are fewer students there.

The program instituted COVID accommodations, generally aligned with the district’s.

Fall classes start on Aug. 30, 2021 and follow the St Bonaventure schedule.