Connecting Future Artists Before They Transfer
Driven by curiosity and built on purpose, we are expanding how our community colleges and four-year universities collaborate! The NC AFA Association is launching coordinated regional field trips to transfer institutions, bringing together students and faculty from multiple nearby community colleges for joint campus visits.
Regional Transfer Field Trips & Joint Campus Visits
These joint visits offer significant advantages for both students and participating institutions
Beyond touring studio spaces, meeting department faculty, and reviewing portfolio requirements, students get to build a peer community before they ever step foot on a university campus. Connecting with fellow transfer-bound fine arts students across neighboring colleges creates built-in support networks, reduces transfer anxiety, and fosters collaborative artistic relationships early.
“Hearing about how supportive the school and educators are towards students exploring and progressing in their specific medium is amazing.”
Together, we’re making the transfer pathway more accessible, connected, and supportive for North Carolina’s visual and performing arts students
Host universities can engage with larger, highly motivated pools of prospective fine arts transfers in a single event, maximizing outreach efficiency and strengthening regional transfer pipelines. Participating community colleges gain an enriched, high-impact experiential learning opportunity that boosts student retention and simplifies the transition to a four-year degree.
Thank you to everyone who attended or supported our joint regional campus visit! The ECU School of Art and Design welcomed community college partners and prospective transfer students for an immersive day on campus.
This collaborative trip gave students a firsthand look at university life while connecting them with peers from neighboring community colleges before they transfer.
Why Campus Caravans Matter for Transfer Students
Based on feedback from student participants in the Campus Caravan program, this joint regional campus visit to East Carolina University (ECU) played a vital role in supporting fine arts transfer students. The data highlighted several key areas where the programming made a powerful impact:
Eliminating Transfer Anxiety & Fostering Community: Connecting and traveling with peers from neighboring community colleges helps students build a sense of community and reduces the stress associated with transferring.
Clarifying the Transfer Timeline: The visits and faculty presentations provide much-needed clarity on what transferring to a four-year fine arts program will actually look like. Every single surveyed student noted that the trip made them somewhat more likely or significantly more likely to move forward with their transfer timeline.
Showcasing Specialized Facilities: For many students, seeing dedicated spaces built specifically for artists—such as the painting, printmaking, animation, game programming, and sculpture studios, alongside the galleries—is "mind blowing" and emotionally inspiring.
Direct Access to Faculty: Meeting approachable, professional faculty in person allows students to hear firsthand about how supportive the program and educators are toward student progression in specific mediums.
Previous Caravans:
East Carolina University (ECU) School of Art & Design
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Facilitator: Dr. Tony J. Jackson (Lenoir Community College)
4.7 / 5 Stars: The average student rating for the overall experience, with participants calling it a truly memorable and engaging journey.
Host a Regional Campus Visit: Partner with Us!
Expand transfer opportunities for fine arts students in your region!
Are you a faculty member or administrator at a North Carolina community college or four-year university interested in bringing your students together? The NC AFA Association is actively looking for partner institutions to host future Campus Caravans.
Whether you want to showcase your studio facilities as a transfer destination or organize a regional group of community college students to visit a university, we provide the framework and coordination support to make it happen.
For Host Universities: Connect with a larger, highly motivated pool of prospective fine arts transfer students in a single, high-impact visit.
For Community Colleges: Boost student engagement, reduce transfer anxiety, and build cross-institutional peer networks before graduation.