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October 4, 2016
Vol. 3, Issue 33
Board of Trustees

Chairman of the Board
Dr. Yvonne Katz
District 7

Vice Chair
Marcelo Casillas
District 4

Secretary
Dr. Gene Sprague
District 6

Asst. Secretary
Denver McClendon
District 2

Joe Alderete, Jr.
District 1

Anna U. Bustamante
District 3

Roberto Zarate
District 5

Clint Kingsbery
District 8

James Rindfuss
District 9

Emmanuel Nyong
Student Trustee

Chancellor

Dr. Bruce Leslie
Alamo Colleges
Alamo Colleges - Palo Alto College and San Antonio College Awarded 
Multi-Million Dollar STEM Grants
PAC and SAC have been awarded nearly $4 million in grants
to promote initiatives to increase the number of Hispanic
and low-income students who attain degrees in STEM fields.

Two of the Alamo Colleges have received significant grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The grants, $3.8 million to Alamo Colleges - San Antonio College (SAC) and $3.87 million to Alamo Colleges - Palo Alto College (PAC), are offered to Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) to promote new initiatives in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The funds will be administered over a five-year period.

At SAC, the grant will fund the "Tenances: Staying the Course" project, with a goal of increasing the number of Hispanic and low-income students in San Antonio who attain degrees in STEM fields. The project components include:

* Tutoring in accelerated remedial math and college algebra with supplemental instruction.
* Establishing a 3-D technology certificate/degree program.
* Developing new STEM curricula.
* Developing academic pathways for students to transfer to four-year institutions.

In addition, the grant will fund a coordinator position for the BioSpot/ChemSpot/GeoSpot centers - resource areas for students to study, receive mentoring and tutoring, access computers, and locate research materials. The centers plan to add speaker series, employer showcases, and other special activities with help from the grant. 

At PAC, the college will receive $775,000 annually to serve approximately 1,000 students in STEM-concentrated programs. With the new grant, the college plans to create a fully-staffed STEM one-stop office to centralize various STEM resources, including a new STEM peer mentor program and a hands-on "maker space" where students can learn and create.

The grant will also support continued expansion of initiatives that began with previous grants, such as professional development for STEM faculty, hands-on STEM summer camps for middle and high school students, STEM scholarships, and events.


Senator Menendez Hosts Community Leaders
at Westside Education and Training Center
State Senator Jose Menendez spoke with a group of community members to hear their concerns and gather suggestions for legislative actions that would address them.


On Friday, September 30, State Senator Jose Menendez hosted a gathering of community leaders to gather input on how actions taken during the upcoming legislative session could benefit their neighborhoods. Menendez was welcomed to the event, held at the Alamo Colleges' Westside Education and Training Center (WETC), by Alamo Colleges' Chancellor Dr. Bruce Leslie. Alamo Colleges' Vice Chancellor for Economic and Workforce Development Dr. Federico Zaragoza presented information to the community leaders on the many successful programs at the WETC.

Menendez was responsible for procuring $300,000 to make  improvements at the WETC which will allow it to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, improving access to the facility for veterans and disabled community members. The WETC funding was part of $8.9 million which Menendez secured that will fund veterans' centers at Alamo Colleges - San Antonio College and St. Philip's College. 

Students who formerly attended ITT Technical Institute may be
able to continue their education at one of the Alamo Colleges.

Alamo Colleges - St.Philip's College Hosts Admission Fairs for ITT Students

In response to the recent closing of ITT Technical Institutes campuses in San Antonio, Alamo Colleges - St. Philip's College (SPC) is hosting admission fairs for former ITT students, with all five Alamo Colleges participating. The events will be held October 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. and November 5 and December 3 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Former ITT students may be eligible to complete their program at one of the Alamo Colleges.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, students were previously enrolled at ITT may be eligible to have their federal student loans for their program at ITT discharged. 

Let us hear from you! Send your comments on our newsletter to   [email protected]. 

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.