PHS Students Earn Ivy Tech STGEC Certificate

PHS Students Earn Ivy Tech STGEC Certificate

Plymouth High School Students Earn Ivy Tech STGEC Certificate

By: Plymouth High School Caleb Koss

On May 11, at the University of Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion, 13 Plymouth High School seniors will be able to walk in the Ivy Tech commencement ceremony wearing a graduation cap and gown. All 13 PHS seniors qualified to receive an Ivy Tech STGEC certificate. The acronym stands for Statewide Transfer General Education Core certificate and is designed to prepare students for successful transfer to the baccalaureate-degree granting institution of their choice.

The STGEC is an agreed upon framework of competencies that fulfill general education requirements at Indiana state schools. Weidner School of Inquiry @ PHS Co-Director Jennifer Felke said, “This is the first year PHS students have had an opportunity to earn this, and in the future, many more of our PHS students will be able to earn the STGEC for completing the minimum credits required in each of the competencies.” She went on to say, “This certificate transfers as an Ivy Tech block of 30 credit hours. So students can transfer these college credits to any in-state public school, and based on courses, some private schools as well.”

Principal Jim Condon said, “Ivy Tech’s STGEC certificate opens up doorways to the future for our students and provides them with post high school opportunities that may not have existed.”  Felke said that is exactly true, “One of our 13 students who received the STGEC had no intention of pursuing higher education, but now after finding out the first year of college is completely paid for through Ivy Tech, this student is now going to college with goals of completing a degree.”

The STGEC represents a minimum of 30 college credits in six different competencies. “Ivy Tech puts a value on this certificate of close to $25,000, that’s a freshmen year of tuition, room and board at a public institution. We are so proud to be able to partner with Ivy Tech and offer this option to our students who can complete the required components of the STGEC,” said Felke.

PHS students that have earned STGEC certificates from Ivy Tech.