FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 11, 2003
CONTACT: Kay Hendricks, ACCD Coordinator of Communication
210.208.8006
ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT RECEIVES TWO TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION STAR AWARDS
At an awards ceremony in Austin last night, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) recognized the Alamo Community College District’s (ACCD) Community Education Centers and the Strategies for Success program at San Antonio College with the Texas Higher Education Star Award. The ACCD received two out of the three awards presented to Texas community colleges.
"We are pleased to have these outstanding programs and services recognized at the statewide level,
" said ACCD Chancellor Dr. J. Terence Kelly.
"Our Community Education Centers and Strategies for Success program are innovative and successful efforts that provide critical services to help more people in our community attend college and succeed in college,
" he added.
The ACCD Community Education Centers are one-stop outreach centers established in areas of San Antonio with low college-attending rates in an effort to make college more accessible to minority and other populations that have been overlooked in the past. The four centers, located at a high school, a college facility, a parent education center and a church, provide personalized, step-by-step assistance with admissions applications and financial aid forms and assessment services for individuals interested in attending one of the ACCD colleges. A total of 77% of the centers’ clients enroll at an ACCD college. Clients served by the centers accounted for 23%, or 3,057 students, of the ACCD’s enrollment increase between 1999 and 2001. As of fall 2003, the centers have been responsible for the enrollment of 6,123 students. A total of 78% of students enrolled through the centers are first-time-in-college students; 88% are minority.
The San Antonio College Strategies for Success program helps students who are struggling academically to improve their grades and remain in college. The program provides 18 clock-hours of intensive, counseling-based classroom instruction on critical thinking and research skills, learning styles, motivation and concentration, career exploration and skills to manage personal issues, to students who have been placed on scholastic probation. Participants also attend at least two counseling sessions. Students who completed the program between fall 2000 and fall 2002 increased their grade point averages from 1.45 to 1.80 on average from the beginning to the end of the semester, and 62% of them continued on to the next semester.
The Star Awards, established in 2001, honor higher education institutions, organizations, groups and individuals for their exceptional contributions toward one or more of the goals of Closing the Gaps by 2015, the Texas higher education plan. To win
the award, the recipient must demonstrate: an outstanding contribution to achieving the goals and targets established in Closing the Gaps; at least two years of successful outcomes, with benchmarks that allow progress to be monitored and evaluated; and a history of excellence in academic instruction, in student support services, and/or in partnerships that clearly contribute to achieving the goals and targets established in Closing the Gaps. For 2003, award applicants competed in three categories: two-year colleges; universities and health-related institutions; and partnerships.