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SFA, Kilgore College team up to streamline transfer process

University Marketing Communications
•
May 16, 2025
Dr. Kent Willis, Dr. Neal Weaver, Dr. Brenda Kays and Dr. Tracy Skopek are pictured together at a table during the the Lumberjack Transfer Alliance agreement signing

Stephen F. Austin State University and Kilgore College officials signed the Lumberjack Transfer Alliance agreement during SFA Day at Kilgore College May 15. KC’s membership in the alliance provides its students who are ready to transfer to a four-year university with guaranteed admission, scholarships and enhanced services at SFA. Pictured, from left, are Dr. Kent Willis, senior vice president for enrollment and student engagement at SFA; Dr. Neal Weaver, SFA president; Dr. Brenda Kays, KC president; and Dr. Tracy Skopek, vice president of student engagement, learning and student success as well as chief academic officer at KC.


NACOGDOCHES, Texas –– Stephen F. Austin State University has added a fourth partner — Kilgore College — to its recently launched Lumberjack Transfer Alliance. Because of this alliance, Kilgore College students who are ready to transfer to a four-year university will benefit from guaranteed admission, scholarships and enhanced services at SFA.

“We’re excited and we’re thankful to be partners,” said Dr. Neal Weaver, SFA president, during SFA Day at Kilgore College May 15. “We hope that many students will take advantage of this opportunity. We know it will be good for SFA and Kilgore College, and we are absolutely sure it will be good for East Texas.”

Dr. Brenda Kays, Kilgore College president, said the partnership is built on “a spirit of cooperation and mutual recognition” that the schools have for each other as quality institutions of higher learning.

“The commitment to excellence and focus on student success that our two institutions share make us natural partners,” she said. “Due to this transfer alliance, we will be able to provide students cost-effective, educational opportunities that are close to home.”

The Lumberjack Transfer Alliance will provide Kilgore College students with the following:

  • Automatic consideration for SFA's Purple Promise program, which covers 100% of tuition and mandatory fees for incoming first-year and transfer students as long as they maintain their eligibility
  • Increase from 60 to 90 transferable hours
  • Increased likelihood of seamless transfers and on-time graduations from both institutions
  • Opportunities to meet with SFA advisors while completing requirements at Kilgore College
  • Invitations each semester to tour SFA and attend recruitment events
  • A one-time $500 stipend in addition to SFA's Lumberjack Transfer Scholarship for students who meet SFA’s eligibility criteria and have completed an associate of Arts or an Associate of Science from Kilgore College
  • Opportunities to connect with other students transferring to SFA
  • Opportunities to attend SFA events, such as athletics and fine arts events

“From today forward, KC will work hand in hand with SFA to serve East Texas students in the most streamlined version of education and student support,” Kays said.

Weaver added, “There is no successful East Texas if our two schools can’t cooperate and can’t create the pathways for students to get what they need to be successful in their careers and in their lives.”

This event is part of a series SFA is hosting to announce its community college partners. Angelina College in Lufkin joined the alliance in February, and Panola College in Carthage and Tyler Junior College joined in April. For more information, visit sfasu.edu/transfer/alliance.