|
Established in 2021, Transfer Council has begun its fifth year of developing recommendations to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) on new transfer and credit policies and agreements. This builds on decades of work dedicated to streamlining transfer pathways in Oregon. For more on this, see the About Oregon’s Statewide Work to Streamline Student Transfer webpage.
October 2025: At the October Transfer Council meeting, two new Council members were introduced: Diana Boro-Boswell (LBCC) and Suzanne Koedoot (PSU). The Council approved waiting to align Statistics 244 until 2027 and then heard a HECC Commission Update on several items including rulemaking for Measures of Success reporting, MTM process change rules, and term limits for Council members. There was a discussion about Tillamook Bay's decision to discontinue several MTMs due to low enrollment. Options for developing audit recommendations for the Commission were discussed and the Council approved a hybrid approach, with HECC staff drafting guiding questions for the audit process which the Council will discuss before charging a subcommittee with the work.
November/December 2025: In November, the Council voted to approve several new courses under Common Course Numbering (CCN), including SP/SPA/SPAN 101Z, 102Z, 103Z; BI/BIO/BIOL 231Z, 232Z, 233Z; and CH/CHE/CHEM 104Z, 124Z, 112Z, and 150Z. All new CCNs will begin appearing in 2026-27 course catalogs. The Council also approved the MTM-CAP in Communication. Courses approved in November are the first group of courses utilizing the Common Course Numbering Articulation Policy (CCNAP), which was approved in October after passage of the CCN Oregon Administrative Rules (OARs). For more on CCN courses, see the Educator Resources–Common Course Numbering webpage.
In December, Commissioner Greg Hamann, HECC Executive Director Ben Cannon, and Transfer Initiatives Director Leigh Graziano shared the HECC Vision Statement for Transfer and a new General Education Charge, which will guide the future of transfer work in Oregon for the next several years. Discussion focused on the need for a multifaceted approach informed by national research. Information was also gathered curing informal discussions with all community colleges and universities in 2025. For more on this, see Gen Ed Complete, below.
January 2026: At the January Transfer Council meeting, Transfer Initiatives Director Graziano discussed the state's move to align with ADA Digital Accessibility standards and also reviewed the Measures of Success Administrative Rules, adopted late last year. Also discussed were next steps for the CCN Articulation Policies (CCNAPs) for the three Communication courses aligned in 2025, which were not approved in December. At that meeting, the Council was unable to agree on whether to approve the courses at 3 or 4 credits. Because the Council did not take action by the deadline outlined in the OARs, responsibility for next steps now shifts to the Commission. Under the CCN OARs, the Commission may determine that there has been a lack of timely progress. The Commission will consider this matter at its February meeting.
In 2025, five CCN subcommittees met to discuss 16 courses for alignment. As a reminder, CCN is working to align the most transferred, highest enrolled lower-division courses taught at public colleges and universities in Oregon. In all, 13 courses were approved by the December 31st deadline, including
- BI/BIO/BIOL 231Z, 232Z, 233Z; Principles of Biology I, II, III
- CH/CHE/CHEM 104Z Introduction to Chemistry
- CH/CHE/CHEM 124Z Introduction to Chemistry Lab
- CH/CHE/CHEM 112Z Chemistry for Health Professions
- CH/CHE/CHEM 150Z Preparatory Chemistry
- HST/HIST 201Z, 202Z, 203Z; United States History I, II, III (approved 6/13/2025)
- SPA/SPN/SPAN 101Z, 102Z, 103Z; First-year Spanish I, II, III
Starting fall 2025, all approved courses utilize the CCNAP, which was approved 9/18/2025. Institutions were notified of 2025 CCN course approvals in early December and courses approved in 2025 will begin appearing in 2026-27 course catalogs.
The CCN Communication Subcommittee aligned three courses in 2025. These courses are scheduled to be approved in 2026. For more on this, see the January 2026 Transfer Council news, above.
At the December Commission meeting, the HECC approved a public-facing Vision Statement for Transfer that will guide the next phase of transfer work in Oregon. The Commission also affirmed their commitment to a seamless student-centered transfer system. In addition to the Vision Statement, the Commission reviewed a proposed four-phase work plan to operationalize their Vision. The most significant focus area is centered on improving statewide alignment, which will require legislative action in 2027 to achieve. The full vision statement can be read here.
Part of this work includes improving transfer student general education. At the December Transfer Council meeting, the Commission charged the Council with helping develop a new general education block that will fulfill all general education requirements for a bachelor’s degree at all public universities in the state. The Transfer Council is discussing the charge and preparing an amended recommendation for Commission consideration.
The Measures of Success administrative rules were adopted by the HECC Commission at its December 2025 meeting, establishing a new statewide framework for reporting on the effectiveness and implementation of Oregon’s transfer tools.
Beginning in 2026, all public community colleges and universities will submit annual transfer related reports to HECC covering Common Course Numbering, Core Transfer Maps, and Major Transfer Maps. Required measures include graduation rates, credits at graduation, transfer rates, utilization of transfer tools, and student loan participation along with institutional implementation and support practices.
Institutions will submit their first reports under the new rules by September 1, 2026, and HECC will publish the first statewide transfer Measures of Success report by December 15, 2026.
HECC staff are currently developing a clear reporting guide to support institutions in understanding the required measures, definitions, and reporting format. This guidance is expected to be shared in spring 2026.
At the December Commission meeting, the Commission approved an amendment to the MTM modification OAR (715-025-0055). This amendment will allow for a streamlined approval process for non-substantive changes to an approved MTM-Curriculum Articulation Policy (CAP), making it easier for institutions to make minor technical changes that don’t impact the agreement. These types of modifications only require approval from the Transfer Council. This amended rule eliminates the need for the Transfer Council Faculty Technical Changes Subcommittee.
Each year, HECC sends a Report to the Oregon Legislature on statewide transfer progress, including Common Course Numbering (CCN), Major Transfer Maps (MTMs), Core Transfer Maps (CTMs), and key student outcomes such as graduation rates and student debt. The 2025 report highlights expanded CCN alignment, full conversion of MTMs to Curriculum Articulation Policies, continued CTM implementation challenges, and the adoption of the new Measures of Success framework to strengthen statewide accountability and transparency.
The following information provides an update on the work of the Transfer Council subcommittees as of January 2026.
Common Course Numbering Faculty (Curricular) Subcommittees
Starting in 2026, three new curricular CCN subcommittees--Anthropology, Art, and Political Science--will begin meeting to align courses selected by Transfer Council. Additionally, two subcommittees from last year (History and Spanish) will reconvene to align additional courses. Subcommittees will begin meeting in early February after orientation sessions in late January.
Special (Non-curricular) Subcommittees
At the January Transfer Council meeting, there was discussion about updating the charge for the General Education, Outcomes Assessment, and Systems & Operations subcommittees so that they will serve ad hoc, when the Council has work to assign. Council members were asked to consider the change, which will be voted on at a future meeting.
MTM Subcommittees
The Commission is assessing the timeline for launching the next round of MTM development, which is expected to begin later than usual or on a slightly adjusted schedule.
CCNs for 2026
In August, Transfer Council approved the following disciplines for course alignment work in 2026:
- Anthropology
- Art (Studio)
- History*
- Political Science
- Spanish*
Note: Disciplines with an asterisk (*) signify subcommittees returning from 2025 for further alignment work.
MTMs for 2026
In August, the Commission approved three new MTMs for alignment in 2026:
- Mechanical Engineering
- Political Science
- Math Secondary Education
Additionally, the Transfer Council recommended relaunching Criminal Justice to develop an MTM pathway in this previously named area.
Nominations for Serving on Transfer Council Subcommittees
Details about serving on a Transfer Council subcommittee--including a link to the nomination form--are available here.
Each approved Common Course Numbering (CCN) course and Major Transfer Map (MTM) includes a maintenance and review schedule to support continuous improvement. These schedules are approved by the Transfer Council (for CCNs) and by the Commission (for MTMs).
Maintenance and review information is available on the Educator Resources pages:
Before initiating the review process, HECC staff first contact members of the original subcommittees that developed the CCN courses or MTMs. Subcommittees are only reconvened to carry out more substantive reviews. For more information, please contact Jane Denison-Furness at jane.denison-furness@hecc.oregon.gov
HECC’s Transfer Home webpage shares information on statewide efforts to Streamline Student Transfer, Transfer Council, Common Course Numbering, and Major Transfer Maps.
The Tools for Transfer – The Oregon Transfer Compass webpage has information for students planning to transfer, including info for students who know their major or are interested in a transfer degree.
For information on submitting a nomination for a CCN or MTM Subcommittee, see the Nomination Process document, which includes a link to the nominating form, for anyone interested in serving on a Transfer Council subcommittee.
The Transfer Council – Members and Subcommittees webpage contains a list of Transfer Council members, the CCN Handbook, and the MTM Faculty Handbook.
Additional educator resources for creating MTM advising guides for students can be found on the Major Transfer Maps webpage under Communication Tools.
|
