Texas universities want to make it easier to transfer from community colleges

Transcription

1 OCTOBER 9, :00 PM EDUCATION Texas universities want to make it easier to transfer from community colleges At Tarrant County College, many students are now basically automatically admitted at University of Texas at Arlington after two years. Rodger Mallison Star-Telegram By Matthew Watkins The Texas Tribune The path has been open for decades to students who want a bachelor s degree: If a student doesn t have the tuition money or isn t ready to leave home, community college is a good place to start. But financial, logistical and psychological barriers often get in the way. More than three-quarters of first-time college students who enroll in community colleges don t transfer to a four-year school within six years. Lately, universities across the state have teamed up with community colleges to try to change that. Many have formed new partnerships designed to make the transition from one school to the other seamless. The deals reflect a growing commitment in the state and nationwide to promote two-year colleges as a cost-effective way to begin working toward a four-year degree. Programs like these are an ideal way to steer around all the pitfalls, said David Fonken, a dean at Austin Community College. Perhaps no Texas university has made a bigger effort in recent years than Texas A&M University. Officials there have made a priority of meeting the state s workforce needs and have set a goal of having 25,000 engineering students by 2025, compared to 15,000 in School officials hope to find more diversity, given that 78 percent of its current engineering undergraduates are men and 70 percent are white or Asian.

2 Community colleges are one of the key places they are looking. The colleges often attract poor and minority students that major universities have a hard time recruiting. That s in part because the price is so low and students can enroll while still living at home. The average tuition and fees at a two-year public college in Texas is $2,446, compared to $8,347 at four-year universities, according to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Over the past 18 months, A&M has announced the opening of five engineering academies on community college campuses across the state. At those academies, students can apply to co-enroll at A&M. They take their non-engineering classes from the local school and take engineering classes taught by A&M professors who visit their campus. Then, if they keep their GPAs up, they can transfer to A&M s College Station campus for the last two years of school. For students like Shams Al Bayati, the programs can be life-changing. After graduating from Memorial High School in Houston, she wanted a four-year degree in engineering but chose a community college to save money. Last year, she enrolled in the A&M engineering academy on campus and began taking classes from A&M professors. Her enrollment in the program also took her on field trips to the College Station campus for football games, career fairs and student orientations. By the time she was done at HCC, she felt ready to move on to A&M and study petroleum engineering. While many community college students feel hesitant about the academic rigor or unfamiliar culture of their new school, she said she had no problem adjusting. I don t feel like I am a new student, said Al Bayati, who is now a junior at A&M. I have already been exposed to the programs and how I should study and what kind of paths I should take. A&M academies have already opened at community college campuses in Dallas El Centro College and Houston Community College. Others are in the works in Austin, Brownsville and Brenham. The university hopes to have 500 students enrolled by the start of next school year and may grow the program from there. We thought of it as a program where we can reach out to excellent students across the state no matter what the circumstance, said Katherine Banks, dean of engineering at A&M. At Tarrant County College, meanwhile, many students are now basically automatically admitted in nearby University of Texas at Arlington after two years. Any student who ever expresses an interest in UT Arlington is signed up for the two schools early transfer identification program, or E-TIP, which pre-admits students who meet certain GPA requirements. The two schools share data on students progress. And as soon as students enter the program, their tuition at UT Arlington is frozen, so they won t be charged more if UT Arlington raises its prices before they officially enroll. The goal, UT Arlington President Vistasp Karbhari said, is to eliminate nonacademic barriers to reaching a four-year college. If there are obstacles, it should be studying hard. It should not be filling out a form, he said. Similar programs are popping up across the state. Austin Community College also has co-enrollment deals with the University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University. And Lone Star College in Houston announced deals with Prairie View A&M University and Texas Southern University to provide fee waivers or discounts and scholarship opportunities for students looking to transfer from the community college.

3 Meanwhile, state lawmakers are also working to ease the transition statewide. The higher-education committees in the state House and Senate are studying the issue this year. And last year, the Legislature required all community colleges to adopt an interdisciplinary-studies degree that was designed for students looking to transfer into universities. The efforts are young, and it will take time to figure out their full impact, officials say. But their creators say they are hopeful they will help the state achieve its goal of raising the number of young people who earn college degrees. Fonken, who oversees math and science education at ACC, said: They give students security in an insecure world.

4 TCC police chief in Washington, D.C. for briefing Posted: Wednesday, September 28, :16 pm Updated: 2:33 am, Thu Sep 29, TCC police chief in Washington, D.C. for briefing By A. Lee Graham 0 comments Tarrant County College Police Chief Shaun Williams is among several law enforcement leaders in Washington, D.C. this week for a briefing by the President s Task Force on 21st Century Policing at the White House. The 11-member panel was established by President Barak Obama through a 2014 executive order to identify best practices and offering recommendations on how policing practices can promote effective crime reduction while building public trust, according to the order. Serving as co-chairs were Charles Ramsey, commissioner of the Philadelphia Police Department; and Laurie Robinson, professor at George Mason University. Recommendations, released in a final report May 18, 2015, focus on six primary topics: building trust and legitimacy, policy and oversight, technology and social media, community policing and crime reduction, officer training and education, and officer safety and wellness. Pointing to training and education as his primary focus at TCC, Williams said he will take advantage of sessions providing more insight in that area. Recommendations for that focus include support from the federal government for development of partnerships with training facilities across the country to promote consistent standards for high quality training and establish training innovation hubs involving universities and police academies. Williams was named TCC s chief of police in A retired Arlington police officer and former operations lieutenant at Cedar Valley College, he has served in numerous policing roles including patrol officer, narcotics-organized crime detective, school resource officer and internal affairs division sergeant. Williams graduated from Texas Christian University in 2000, receiving a master s degree in liberal arts, after earning a bachelor of applied and science degree from Dallas Baptist University in He holds a master peace officer certification and was named the 2012 Outstanding Administrator by the Texas Association of College and University Police Administrators.

5 TCC re-certified as Leader College Posted: Thursday, September 15, :34 pm Updated: 4:36 pm, Thu Sep 15, TCC re-certified as Leader College 0 comments Tarrant County College is one of only 17 colleges re-certified as an Achieving the Dream Leader College, according to school officials. ATD Leader College designation is a national honor awarded to institutions in the Achieving the Dream (ATD) National Network that have continued to show steady improvement in outcomes that measure student success beyond an initial three-year period. Leader College status represents a sustained, successful effort to build a student-centered culture, said ATD president-ceo Karen A. Stout, Ed.D., commenting in a news release. Colleges that stay focused on the hard work of transformation deserve to be recognized when they make measurable progress. ATD honored TCC for making strides in Hispanic students completion rates in entry-level college English courses to 76.5 percent in fall 2012, up by 2.4 percent from 74.1 in fall Additionally, the district has shown a steady and consistent increase in credential attainment among Hispanic students during the last four years to 12.4 percent, up from 10.6 percent, with noteworthy gains of 10.8 percent and 11 percent in the second and third years. As an Achieving the Dream Leader College, TCC continues to excel in helping our students achieve their visions for success, said TCC Chancellor Eugene Giovannini, Ed.D. The myriad interventions the College has implemented since first joining the Achieving the Dream network clearly have worked for our students, and I credit the ongoing commitment of our faculty and staff for achieving Leader College recertification. Giovannini explained that TCC s interventions included supplementary instruction, campus writing labs and early intervention by instructors. TCC s results also were augmented by its Graduation Outreach Program, case management advising professionals and professional development and awareness workshops. Leader Colleges are eligible to compete for all grant-funded learning initiatives offered by ATD and are encouraged to provide leadership and support to other colleges in the ATD network, disseminate lessons learned, support state and national efforts to advance the student success agenda, and continue to improve student outcomes. Achieving the Dream grants Leader College designation for three-year cycles. After three years, institutions must undergo a recertification process to maintain Leader College status.

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11 News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TCC Announces Fall Fine Arts and Visual Arts Events FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 11, 2016) In keeping with its commitment to excellence in the arts, Tarrant County College offers opportunities to enjoy and learn from artists in dance, drama and music as well as visual art exhibits across the District this fall. The Water Engine opens Oct. 12 and runs through Oct. 15 at the C.A. Roberson Theatre at the Southeast Campus, 2100 Southeast Parkway, Arlington. The drama tells the story of Charles Lang, a press operator who develops an engine that runs on water, and the challenges he faces while attempting to patent his invention. TCC students, faculty and staff attend free of charge, non-tcc students and senior adults, $3 and general admission, $6. Show times are 7:30 p.m. nightly and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday. The Northwest Campus, 4801 Marine Creek Parkway, invests in younger students when Mosaic Dance Project hosts several area high schools Oct. 26 through Oct. 28. Dance master classes will be taught daily and include Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Modern and Swing/Musical Theater styles. Students also will attend dress rehearsals for Mosaic in Motion, which features eclectic works performed by Mosaic Dance Project. Performances on Oct. 29 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Theater Northwest are available. TCC students, faculty and staff attend free of charge, non-tcc students and senior adults, $3 and general admission, $6. For more information, contact Lacreacia Sanders at lacreacia.sanders@tccd.edu or TCC s commitment to the community continues at the Northeast Campus, 828 Harwood Road, Hurst, when the NE Music Department and the Mid-Cities and Fort Worth Music Teacher Association team up on Nov. 11 and 12 for the first Chamber Ensemble Festival. The festival promotes chamber music for students of all ages. Performances include strings, piano and mixed ensembles. Audiences will see firsthand how students improve their musicianship under the master guidance of clinicians. The events are free of charge. For more information, contact Hsinyi Wang at hsinyi.wang@tccd.edu or Additionally, the Northeast Campus has a variety of musical events this fall, including concerts and recitals. Please refer to the events listing for details. Chekhov Tonight! will be performed at the Joe B. Rushing Center for the Performing Arts at the South Campus, 5301 Campus Drive, Nov. 17 through Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. nightly. The drama performance features scenes written by Anton Chekhov and narrated by Richie Harratine. TCC students, faculty and staff attend free of charge, non-tcc students and senior adults, $3 and general admission, $6. Art exhibits include Ecuador and Galapagos, currently available at the Northeast Campus in the Center Corner. The photography exhibit, which is a result of a collaboration between multiple departments, is in observance of Hispanic Heritage Month, and will run through October. Admission is free. Starting Nov. 16, the Northwest Campus will offer The Fab Four, a student art exhibit. The unique, juried exhibition, gives four student artists each an entire wall to create a large-scale, site-specific work in the gallery with a budget of $100. The exhibition will be available through mid-december. Admission is free.

12 News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TCC Ranked Among Top 10 Online Colleges in Texas FORT WORTH, Texas (Oct. 5, 2016) Data from the most recent report from the National Center for Education Statistics Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System ranks Tarrant County College 10 th in Texas among 173 colleges and universities offering online classes. The organization evaluated data from the 2,868 colleges and universities offering online classes throughout the nation. The ranking is based on 11 criteria using 2014 data. Criteria include: Number of programs offered via distance education Percentage of students participating in distance education classes Average in-state tuition for undergraduate and, if applicable, graduate students Total electronic library collections, including digital books, databases and media Offers advanced placement (AP) credit Offers credit for military training Online learning is another example of TCC s commitment to educating people in ways that meet their needs conveniently, affordably and responsively, said Joy Gates Black, Ph.D., TCC s vice chancellor for Academics and Student Success. Even with this expanded use of technology, our primary focus continues to be on students and their success. TCC works to ensure all students have the greatest possible access to education. TCC began offering courses online in Currently, the TCC Connect Campus offers 18 fully online programs and grants five associate degrees and 13 certificate programs online. With an online course inventory of more than 350 online courses, more than 1,100 classes are offered. Current online enrollment is 19,400. The popularity of online education continues to increase. The elearning courses and programs provided by this campus offer the flexibility today s college students demand, said Carlos Morales, Ph.D., president of TCC Connect Campus. With a committed and certified faculty that fosters student success, we are affording learning opportunities to nontraditional students. ###

13 News Release NEWS ADVISORY AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES TCC Southeast Campus to Host Acclaimed Prairie View A&M University Marching Storm Band FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 28, 2016) WHAT: Members of the award-winning Prairie View Marching Storm Band will be at TCC Southeast, at 12 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, as a part of a special Transfer Connect event hosted by the campus. Sponsored by the Division of Liberal Arts, this event provides an opportunity for neighborhood residents, current and prospective students to learn about the music programs at TCC Southeast as well enrollment, scholarship and transfer information for Prairie View University. The community is encouraged to attend this free event. Prairie View s marching band is in North Texas to perform at Saturday s State Fair Classic in Dallas. WHEN: Friday, Sept :00 p.m. WHERE: Tarrant County College Southeast Parking Lot A (west parking lot) 2100 Southeast Parkway Arlington, TX ###

14 News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TCC Names Iconic Waterfall for Philanthropist Allan Saxe FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 28, 2016) Philanthropist Allan Saxe, Ph.D., recently applauded Tarrant County College for its service to the community during a ceremony that preceded the unveiling of the Trinity River Campus waterfall named in his honor. This is an amazing institution. Tarrant County College is a gateway to the world for many, many students, Saxe said. They teach people they give them jobs and they do things. Saxe s contributions to the TCC Foundation will help fund the development and implementation of new programs to benefit TCC students and the Tarrant County community. These are my children waterfalls, endowments, scholarships those are my children, said Saxe, who has no biological children. I take a great, great pride in that. I try and reach out to big institutions that will allow me to do things. Saxe, an associate professor of political science at The University of Texas at Arlington since 1965 and an adjunct at TCC s Southeast Campus since 2004, has a history of supporting Trinity River Campus. He also has also donated two replicas of historic ships, the Santa Marie and Hannah. The ships are on permanent display in the Tahita Fulkerson Library. In addition, he has funded several Little Free Libraries in various locations around the Campus. Saxe is also an accomplished author and lecturer and his opinions are sought after for newspapers, magazine articles and radio talk shows. Saxe also has been honored at Parkland Hospital and John Peter Smith Hospital.

15 NEWS ADVISORY AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITY Waterfall Naming Honors Allan Saxe, Ph.D. Funding to provide flexibility to seize innovative opportunities to enhance student learning FORT WORTH, Texas (Sept. 21, 2016) WHAT: Tarrant County College will recognize the significant contributions Allan Saxe, Ph.D., has made to the Tarrant County College Foundation at a ceremony during which the iconic waterfall at the Trinity River Campus will be named in his honor. Thanks to his contributions to the TCC Foundation, the College will be able to develop and implement additional programs that benefit TCC students as well as the Tarrant County community. Saxe has served as an associate professor of political science at The University of Texas at Arlington since 1965 and as an adjunct at TCC s Southeast Campus since An accomplished author, lecturer and highly noted philanthropist, Saxe s views and opinions are often sought for magazine/newspaper articles and radio talk shows. WHEN: Wednesday, Sept p.m. WHERE:Tarrant County College Trinity River Campus (Front waterfall facing Belknap Street) 300 Trinity Campus Circle Fort Worth, TX ###

16 News Release NEWS ADVISORY AND PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES TCC South Campus to Host Education Fair for ITT Students, Faculty FORT WORTH, Texas (September 20, 2016) WHAT: Tarrant County College (TCC) is hosting an education fair on Wednesday, Sept. 21, for former ITT Technical Institute students to help them explore what path to take next whether they can transfer credits or finish a degree and learn more about financial aid options. TCC staff will work on a case-by-case basis with former ITT students hoping to transfer the credits they had earned while enrolled at the now-defunct ITT Technical Institute. Students will receive free transcript reviews and advising appointments. TCC offers more than 60 Career and Technical certificate- and degree programs, many similar to what ITT had offered, but at a fraction of the cost just $59 per credit hour. ITT faculty are also encouraged to attend the education fair to learn about teaching opportunities at TCC. WHEN: Wednesday, September a.m. to 7 p.m. WHERE: Tarrant County College South Center of Excellence for Energy Technology - Fusion Auditorium 5301 Campus Drive Fort Worth, TX ###

17 News Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: TCC Connects Students, Community to Area Job Opportunities with Fall Career Fairs Wednesday, Sept. 21; 9 a.m. 2 p.m. Southeast Campus (2100 Southeast Pkwy., Arlington) Wednesday, Sept. 28; 10 a.m. 1 p.m. Northwest Campus (4801 Marine Creek Pkwy., Fort Worth) Wednesday, Sept. 28; 1:30-4 p.m. South Campus (5301 Campus Dr., Fort Worth) Wednesday, Oct. 5; 9 a.m. noon Trinity River Campus (300 Trinity Campus Circle, Fort Worth) Wednesday, Oct. 26; 10 a.m. 2 p.m. Northeast Campus (828 W. Harwood Rd., Hurst) Thursday, Nov. 17; 2:30-5:30 p.m. Erma C. Johnson Hadley Northwest Center of Excellence for Aviation, Transportation & Logistics at Alliance Airport (2301 Horizon Dr., Fort Worth) FORT WORTH, Texas (September 21, 2016) Tarrant County College is partnering with local employers to present career fairs at campuses throughout the area this fall. Events are free and open to the community. Southeast Campus (2100 Southeast Pkwy., Arlington) will host a job fair Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The fair will take place in the Commons, in the main hallway near the information desk, and feature companies offering full-time, part-time, and temporary positions. For more information, contact Southeast Campus Career Services at The following week, Northwest Campus (4801 Marine Creek Pkwy., Fort Worth) invites job seekers to an Employers on Campus event. Participating companies include Clayton Child Care Inc., Dillard s, FedEx Ground, Lineage Logistics, Randstad temporary staffing and permanent placement service, Tarrant County Sheriff s Office, UPS and Northwest YMCA. The fair will take place Wednesday, Sept. 28, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., in the WSTU hallway. Northwest Campus Career Services encourages job seekers to bring resumes and dress professionally. Employers have full-

18 time and part-time positions available. For additional details, contact Northwest Campus Career Services at A job fair focused on part-time and seasonal positions is set for Wednesday, Sept. 28, at South Campus (5301 Campus Dr., Fort Worth). The event will take place 1:30 to 4 p.m. in the SSTU dining hall and connect job seekers to 18 companies, including Six Flags Over Texas and GM Financial. Attendees should dress professionally and have copies of their résumé. Contact South Campus Career Services at with questions. Career events continue next month at Trinity River Campus (300 Trinity Campus Circle, Fort Worth). On Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 9 a.m. to noon, check out the job fair along the campus s Main Street hallway. The event allows prospective applicants to meet with employers in an informal setting and learn about job and internship opportunities. Those not ready to apply can network with recruiters and find out about requirements and upcoming openings. More information is available through Trinity River Career Services at Fall Fest at Northeast Campus (828 W. Harwood Rd., Hurst) will include a casual, outdoor recruitment fair. The event will take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, on the lawn near the NSTU Building. Approximately 10 employers and four branches of the military will be on hand. For more information, contact Northeast Campus Career Services at Individuals pursuing in a career in the fields of aviation, transportation and logistics are invited to attend a specialty job fair 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17. The Erma C. Johnson Hadley Northwest Center of Excellence for Aviation, Transportation and Logistics at Alliance Airport (2301 Horizon Dr., Fort Worth) expects up to two dozen employers, with full-time, part-time and seasonal positions available. Aviation, transportation and logistics employers are invited to participate. The event will take place in Room 1201 at the Hadley Center of Excellence; organizers encourage job seekers to dress professionally and bring copies of their résumé. Need résumé help? Northwest Campus Career Services will hold a résumé writing workshop before the job fair. It is set for 3 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 10, at the Hadley Center of Excellence s Learning Resource Center (OWTL 1104). The workshop is open to all. Employers and job seekers may contact Carmen Wise with the Hadley Center of Excellence at or carmen.wise@tccd.edu for more information. ###

19 TCC Recertified as a Leader College by Achieving the Dream TCC continues distinction initially achieved during first year of eligibility Fort Worth, Texas (Sept. 15, 2016) Tarrant County College recently learned it is one of only 17 colleges recertified as an Achieving the Dream Leader College. ATD Leader College designation is a national honor awarded to institutions in the Achieving the Dream (ATD) National Network that have continued to show steady improvement in outcomes that measure student success beyond an initial three-year period. Leader College status represents a sustained, successful effort to build a student-centered culture, said ATD President and CEO Karen A. Stout, Ed.D. Colleges that stay focused on the hard work of transformation deserve to be recognized when they make measurable progress. ATD honored TCC for making strides in Hispanic students completion rates in entry-level college English courses to 76.5 percent in fall 2012, up by 2.4 percent from 74.1 in fall Additionally, the District has shown a steady and consistent increase in credential attainment among Hispanic students during the last four years to 12.4 percent, up from 10.6 percent, with noteworthy gains of 10.8 percent and 11 percent in the second and third years. As an Achieving the Dream Leader College, TCC continues to excel in helping our students achieve their visions for success, said TCC Chancellor Eugene Giovannini, Ed.D. The myriad interventions the College has implemented since first joining the Achieving the Dream network clearly have worked for our students, and I credit the ongoing commitment of our faculty and staff for achieving Leader College recertification.

20 He explained that TCC s interventions included supplementary instruction, campus writing labs and early intervention by instructors. TCC s results also were augmented by its Graduation Outreach Program, case management advising professionals and professional development and awareness workshops. Leader Colleges are eligible to compete for all grant-funded learning initiatives offered by ATD and are encouraged to provide leadership and support to other colleges in the ATD network, disseminate lessons learned, support state and national efforts to advance the student success agenda, and continue to improve student outcomes. Achieving the Dream grants Leader College designation for three-year cycles. After three years, institutions must undergo a recertification process to maintain Leader College status. Tarrant County College Serving more than 100,000 students each year, Tarrant County College is one of the 20 largest higher education institutions in the United States. The twoyear college offers a wide range of opportunities for learners of all ages and backgrounds, including traditional programs, such as Associate of Arts degrees, Community & Industry Education courses, workshops and customized training programs. The College has six campuses throughout Tarrant County, including TCC Connect that provides flexibility with e- Learning and Weekend College. TCC also assists employers in training their workforces with its TCC Opportunity Center. TCC earned the distinction as an Achieving the Dream Leader College during its first year of eligibility and was recertified in Achieving the Dream, Inc. is a national nonprofit that is dedicated to helping more community college students, particularly low-income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree. Conceived as an initiative in 2004 by Lumina Foundation and seven founding partner organizations, Achieving the Dream today leads a student success network made up of over 200 institutions, more than 100 coaches and advisors, and 15 state policy teams - working throughout 35 states and the District of Columbia. The Achieving the Dream National Reform Network helps more than 4 million community college students have a better chance of realizing greater economic opportunity and achieving their dreams. ###