South Piedmont Community College and Mars Hill University on Monday celebrated the signing of the Mountain Lion Promise, a program that creates new opportunities for South Piedmont students.

Mountain Lion Promise: A Direct-Entry Admissions Program guarantees qualified South Piedmont graduates will be admitted to Mars Hill University.

“We often say at South Piedmont that our students can start here and go anywhere — and this agreement has given our graduates a wonderful opportunity to make ‘anywhere’ Mars Hill University,” said SouthPiedmont President Dr. Maria Pharr. 

Added Mars Hill President Tony Floyd:

“The Mountain Lion Promise Program is an exciting step forward in welcoming students of Anson and Union counties to Mars Hill, with a clear pathway for graduates of South Piedmont Community College to earn their bachelor’s degrees.”

Students wishing to take advantage of Mountain Lion Promise must meet certain criteria, including:

• Students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 at South Piedmont.
• Students must earn an associate degree from South Piedmont in a college transfer program or in an applied program with an existing articulation agreement.
• Students must enroll at Mars Hill within one academic year of graduating from South Piedmont.

Presidents Pharr and Floyd, along with representatives from both institutions, gathered at South Piedmont’s Old Charlotte Highway campus on Monday, Oct. 23, to officially sign the Mountain Lion Promise agreement.

Also at the signing event, Presidents Pharr and Floyd signed a separate articulation agreement that guarantees graduates of South Piedmont’s Human Services program admission to Mars Hill’s Bachelor of Social Work program.

“We are very excited to have this opportunity to partner with South Piedmont and their Human Services program. South Piedmont Human Services students will bring skills and a strong foundation to the BSW program at Mars Hill,” said Dr. Beth Vogler, chair of Mars Hill’s Department of Social Work.

South Piedmont has numerous agreements guaranteeing graduates admission to four-year institutions. Learn more about South Piedmont’s transfer opportunities here: https://spcc.edu/areas-of-study/university-transfer-programs/

Mars Hill University is a private, four-year liberal arts institution located in the mountains of western North Carolina. Founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region, it is the oldest institution of higher learning in western North Carolina on its original site.