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February 18, 2016
Vol. 3, Issue 6
Board of Trustees

Chairman of the Board
Anna U. Bustamante
District 3

Vice Chair
Dr. Yvonne Katz
District 7

Secretary
Joe Alderete, Jr.
District 1

Asst. Secretary
Clint Kingsbery
District 8

Denver McClendon
District 2

Marcelo S. Casillas
District 4

Roberto Zarate
District 5

Dr. Gene Sprague
District 6

James Rindfuss
District 9

Sami C. Adames
Student Trustee

Chancellor

Dr. Bruce Leslie
Alamo Colleges
Najim Donates $1 Million To Fund Alamo Colleges' Scholarships
for Underserved Students
San Antonio philanthropist Harvey E. Najim (second from right) personally donated $1 million to establish the Harvey Najim Pathways Scholarship at Alamo Colleges.


San Antonio philanthropist Harvey E. Najim has personally donated $1 million to the Alamo Colleges Foundation to establish the Harvey Najim Pathways Scholarship for students from local school districts where the majority of students face challenges in pursuing a college education. The scholarships will enable a total of 200 students (50 per year over four years) to begin at the Alamo Colleges and then transfer to one of three local public universities to earn bachelor's degrees that prepare them for jobs in information technology, cybersecurity, nursing and health professions. 

High-achieving students (min. 3.0 GPA) who are college-ready and enrolled in dual credit or advanced placement math, accounting, science and computer technology courses at high schools in Edgewood, Harlandale, Somerset, South San, Southside, Southwest and San Antonio Independent School Districts (ISDs) will be eligible to apply starting Monday, February 22. To apply for the scholarships, eligible students can contact counselors and dual credit instructors at their high school for scholarship applications. They may also contact Alamo Colleges Foundation via Facebook or [email protected]. 

"Too many jobs in technology and the medical field are not being filled with local San Antonio graduates - especially those from low-income families," Najim said. "This low-cost, four-year Pathways Scholarship plan that begins at the Alamo Colleges and concludes at either Texas A&M University-San Antonio, The University of Texas at San Antonio or The University of Texas Health Science Center will create jobs for San Antonio students here at home - which can contribute $10M to $12M each year to our local economy. Plus it will enrich the partnerships between the Alamo Colleges and these universities."

"We applaud Mr. Najim for having the foresight to create a scholarship program that not only ensures that students will be able to complete their education at the Alamo Colleges, but they will build on that foundation by completing a four-year degree as well," said Alamo Colleges Chancellor Dr. Bruce Leslie." This aligns perfectly with our goal of increasing the number of our students who complete a bachelor's or higher degree after transferring from the Alamo Colleges and our commitment to empowering our diverse communities for success. We will assign an advisor to every student in this program to ensure they stay on track for success!" 

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff also expressed his approval of the strategic partnership, saying he is exploring opportunities to help these underserved students get summer internships and jobs upon graduation. 

Najim said he will also underwrite another $1 million for students to enroll in programs at partner universities-Texas A&M University-San Antonio, UTSA and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.


New Partnership Agreement To Enhance Services
at Westside Education and Training Center
Westside community stakeholders joined forces to announce the signing
of a new partnership agreement to enhance services at the Alamo Colleges Westside Education and Training Center.


Alamo Colleges, the Edgewood Independent School District (ISD), the City of San Antonio and the Westside Development Corporation (WDC) recently announced the signing of a first-of-its-kind 10-year memorandum of understanding (MOU) focused on enhancing academic and job training programs at the Alamo Colleges' Westside Education and Training Center (WETC). 

The partnership is a major step forward in increasing the educational opportunities for westside residents, and in turn, spurring job growth and economic development. As part of the MOU, the WDC has relocated its offices to the WETC campus and will work with the collaborative partners to develop a strategy to fund future development at WETC. 

The City of San Antonio has provided more than $970,000 in funding support since 2006, including a $500,000 for facility improvements. Part of the new plan calls for additional capital improvements of the existing facilities to address Americans with Disability Act (ADA) code compliance items. These improvements will be funded by a $500,000 contribution from the City of San Antonio, more than $87,000 from Alamo Colleges, and $300,000 from the State of Texas. 

"The $8.9 million we were able to secure in the state budget for Alamo Colleges was a crucial investment for San Antonio," said Senator José Menéndez. "The WETC will receive $300,000 to make strategic upgrades to their center and make it ADA accessible. This is especially important for our veterans and adults looking for a better job who often find a pathway to employment after taking classes at WETC. I'm proud that we were able to allocate money in the state budget to grow WETC and better serve our community."

Since WETC was established at a former Edgewood elementary school 10 years ago, enrollment has far exceeded expectations, with more than 12,000 students enrolling in occupational and technical training programs provided by Alamo Colleges since 2006.

"The Westside Education and Training Center exemplifies both our mission, 'empowering our diverse communities for success,' and one of our most important values, being community-engaged," said Alamo Colleges Chancellor Dr. Bruce Leslie. "We are gratified to see how the westside community has embraced the center and our efforts to improve lives through the power of education and skill."

At the time capsule sealing ceremony February 17, PAC President
Dr. Mike Flores announced that every third-grade student in the
2015-2016 class at Bob Hope Elementary School will receive
a two-year scholarship to PAC upon graduation from high school.

Alamo Colleges - Palo Alto College Announces Scholarships
at Time Capsule Ceremony

Alamo Colleges - Palo Alto College (PAC) created a time capsule on February 17, 2016, in honor of the college's continued commitment to providing access to higher education in south San Antonio and Bexar County. With the help of the entire third-grade class at Bob Hope Elementary School, the time capsule was sealed and will be on display until it is opened during PAC's 40th anniversary in 2025.

Several guests, including elementary students who will be high school seniors in 2025, placed items in the time capsule, such as essays about future goals, personal mementos, and class memorabilia.

PAC President Dr. Mike Flores announced that every third-grade student in the 2015-2016 class at Bob Hope Elementary School will receive a two-year scholarship to Palo Alto College upon his or her high school graduation. The total scholarship investment is $392,000.

"Palo Alto College has been an integral part of changing the educational landscape of San Antonio for the past 30 years," said Flores. "These students are the future of our community, and we want to continue to be a part of their journey to success."

The scholarship announcement is the most recent in several partnerships between Palo Alto College and Southwest Independent School District (SWISD). In Fall 2015, PAC announced an enhanced dual credit program at Southwest High School, allowing students to graduate from high school while earning up to 42 hours of courses to satisfy the traditional college core requirements.

"SWISD is proud to partner with Palo Alto College on the education of our youth," said Dr. Lloyd Verstuyft, SWISD Superintendent of Schools. "We are thankful and excited that the third-grade class at Bob Hope Elementary was selected to receive scholarships that will help them advance their education beyond high school, opening the door to a lifetime of possibilities."



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The Alamo Colleges mission is: empowering our diverse communities for success. Our vision is: the Alamo Colleges will be the best in the nation in student success and performance excellence. The Alamo Colleges is one district with five community colleges serving more than 90,000 students annually from Bexar County and seven other counties in our service area. We provide an affordable, quality college education that leads to associate degrees, certificates and transfers to four-year universities. Hundreds of thousands of Bexar County residents who have come through the Alamo Colleges education programs are major contributors to the economy and culture of Sa n Antonio.