TEXAS COLLEGE NEWS & UPDATES | |
Charting the Course for a Great Fall 2023 | |
President Dwight J. Fennell makes remarks at the Fall 2023 Opening School Convocation, introducing the 2023-2023 theme, "Charting the Course: Moving from Good to Great."
Texas College was pleased to officially begin the Fall 2023 academic term on Wednesday, August 23. To formally commemorate the beginning of the 2023-2024 academic year, Texas College hosted the annual Opening School Convocation on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, in the Gus F. Taylor Gymnasium.
With faculty and staff adorned in academic regalia, the ceremony traditionally serves as a platform to formally welcome and embrace the new entering class of students, as well as those students who have returned to continue their educational trek toward degree attainment. The formal academic activity is also a time where the College receives new faculty and staff, as well as introduces the strategic direction and purpose of the College for the academic year.
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Dr. Jennifer Wimbish, President Emeritus of the Dallas College System, served as the Fall 2023 Opening School Convocation Speaker. Dr. Wimbish delivered a powerful convocation address, challenging students, faculty, staff, and alumni to strive for greatness in all that they do throughout the new year. Her message of encouragement was fitting, as the 2023-2024 theme "Charting the Course: Moving from Good to Great" was introduced during convocation and echoed throughout other's remarks.
Filled with prayer, words of encouragement, music from both the Texas College Band and the Texas College Choir, as well as special remarks from Trustee Orenthia Mason and other Texas College administrators, the Fall 2023 Opening School Convocation was an event that undoubtedly energized the Texas College Family for the new academic year.
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Dr. Jennifer Wimbish, President Emeritus of the Dallas College System, receives a plaque in recognition of her service as speaker for the Fall 2023 Opening School Convocation from President Dwight J. Fennell.
To view a gallery of photographs from the Fall 2023 Opening School Convocation, click the button below. Additionally provided below is the convocation address by Dr. Wimbish.
| | Convocation Address by Dr. Wimbish | |
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Homecoming Fundraiser Contributors | |
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UTTSM Partnership Creates Pathway to Medicine |  | |
Texas College has recently collaborated with The University of Texas at Tyler School of Medicine (UTTSM) to create the Pathways to Medicine initiative. This early assurance program affords the opportunity for four Texas College students to engage in high-caliber preparation for medical school, as well as the admission process. The curriculum includes experiential learning, professional development, panel discussions, standardized test preparation, including Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) preparation, volunteer opportunities, clinical exposure, and physician shadowing. Of these four students within the program, one is guaranteed admission to the UT Tyler School of Medicine, upon their degree completion from Texas College. To qualify for the Pathways to Medicine program, Texas College students must be a biology major and classified as either a junior or senior, as well as have a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) or higher.
The Pathways to Medicine program is a collaboration alongside seven other local colleges and universities. The eight partnering institutions include:
- East Texas Baptist University;
- Jarvis Christian University;
- LeTourneau University;
- Stephen F. Austin State University;
- Texas College;
- Texas A&M University – Texarkana;
- The University of Texas at Tyler; and
- Wiley College.
“The Pathways to Medicine initiative enhances the growth and viability of career options for our students with hands-on exposure,” commented President Dwight J. Fennell. “For Texas College, the opportunity for students to enter pathways creates a more realistic exposure through collaboration. Further, it is epic for eight institutions to work towards a common purpose and strategic direction for the benefit of those we educate.”
For Texas College students interested in the Pathways to Medicine program, please contact:
- Dr. Mamta Gupta | mgupta@texascollege.edu | (903) 593-8311, ext. 2247
- Ms. Linda Johnson | lljohnson@texascollege.edu | (903) 593-8311, ext. 2360
- Ms. Dewanna Turner | dturner@texascollege.edu | (903) 593-8311, ext. 2704
- Dr. Jan Duncan | jduncan@texascollege.edu | (903) 593-8311, ext. 2335
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JAMP Provides Preparation & Support
for Admission to Medical School
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Texas College continues to offer opportunities and pathways for students interested in medicine and careers in healthcare. In this regard, the College is pleased to continue its 18-year membership with the Joint Admission Medical Program (JAMP).
JAMP is a uniquely Texan pipeline for students interested in becoming physicians. The program is designed to minimize challenges for highly qualified, socioeconomically disadvantaged Texas resident students by providing the financial support and mentoring necessary for success. Specifically, the program helps students achieve their dream of becoming a physician through:
Additionally, the JAMP Partner Advisors will:
- Assist the school in recruiting eligible undergraduate students for admission to the program;
- Establish an application process for admitting eligible undergraduate students to the program;
- Award summer stipends to eligible participants to attend summer internship programs following the student's sophomore and junior years;
- Match each eligible participant and program alternate student to a participating medical school for an undergraduate mentoring program;
- Match each eligible participant to a summer internship offered by participating medical schools during the summers following the student's sophomore and junior years;
- Assist in developing services to support and encourage the pursuit of a medical education by participating students; and
- Comply with all Texas and federal privacy and confidentiality laws, including Texas Government Code Section 552.114, that are applicable to any information collected from or on behalf of participate or applicants for participation, including information collected from the school.
Students who wish to apply for admission to JAMP must meet the following qualifications:
- Be enrolled as a full-time student in a Texas institution of higher education not later than the first fall semester following graduation from high school or a home-schooled program.
- Apply for Federal Financial Aid by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) and have an Expected Family Contribution (EFC) up to $8,000.
- Complete at least 27 hours of undergraduate credit.
- Earn a 3.25 grade point average (GPA) or higher, as well as a 3.25 GPA in Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math courses.
- Meet with the JAMP Faculty Director (JFD) at the school they are attending who will provide academic advising and assistance in applying to JAMP.
- Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident and be a Texas Resident.
For Texas College students interested in JAMP, please contact:
- Dr. Mamta Gupta | mgupta@texascollege.edu | (903) 593-8311, ext. 2247
- Ms. Linda Johnson | lljohnson@texascollege.edu | (903) 593-8311, ext. 2360
- Ms. Dewanna Turner | dturner@texascollege.edu | (903) 593-8311, ext. 2704
- Dr. Jan Duncan | jduncan@texascollege.edu | (903) 593-8311, ext. 2335
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Texas College Closes the Gap
Through Access to Technology
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Texas College students utilize their portable second screen for their laptops, provided by the CMC grant, while engaged in technology training.
Texas College has been awarded a $2 million Connecting Minority Communities (CMC) Grant, also referred to as the Communities Connected Project, from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in partnership with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) initiative Internet for All. The significance of the program garners a major impact not only on the Texas College campus, but throughout the broader community as well.
As the technological landscape continues to rapidly evolve and engrain itself into everyday life, there are still many technologically underserved populations, especially in terms of internet access and technology literacy. Due to a variety factors, such as broadband internet infrastructure limitations in certain locations, cost of service, and lack of skills or knowledge to use it, individuals forego internet access and mainstream tech devices, despite their increasing value as essential utilities in the modern era. Congruently, these "tech savvy" traits and internet access are also vital components necessary to equip students for the modern world of work. This grant, which spans over a two-year period, will directly address the aforementioned concerns and make an indelible mark by providing internet at broadband speeds, as well as useful equipment, to underserved communities and to Texas College students.
The foundation of Texas College's Communities Connected Project is to strengthen access to the bandwidth needed by the College and its students, as well as the surrounding community, so that Texas College may successfully convert the potential liability of technological stagnation into a formidable asset.
Texas College's fulfillment of the aforementioned is already underway. Faculty in the disciplines of education, science, technology, social science, and social work, as well as administrative staff, have assumed a pivotal role by providing training to the campus community and beyond. With outreach to residential areas of Tyler, as well as throughout Smith County, Texas College has been able to host a variety of workshops for a multitude of populations, inclusive of:
- The C.M.E. Leadership Institute;
- Summer Transition Enrichment Program (STEP) students;
- Leadership Auxiliaries;
- Texas College faculty and staff; and
- Multiple community groups.
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Dr. Jan Duncan, Vice President for Academic Affairs, provides hands-on technology guidance to a student in class during the first week of the Fall 2023 semester.
Throughout these workshops, individuals have received training, digital badges, digital devices, software subscriptions, and digital hotspots, which are provided through the CMC grant funding. In this regard, Texas College has and will continue to provide internet access to community partners through the provision of hot-spots for a two-year subscription service, as well as beneficial AI training to enhance the use of software and useful applications.
Texas College's goal for this project remains to expand access to bandwidth, the very foundation for the achievement of educational accessibility in a world that is rapidly transitioning from manual/in-person approaches to electronic tools for teaching and learning. The College has a keen interest to serve high schools, small businesses, healthcare entities, and other unfunded/underfunded partners that can provide needed support to both Texas College students, as well as the community.
The Texas College campus at-large will see improved internet speed. The campus' access to broadband internet will increase from six gigabytes per second (Gbps) to 10 Gbps through the installation of Cat6 cable inside the existing Cat5 raceways throughout the campus. The work to increase speed will begin after the request for review from the Texas Historical Preservation Office (THPO).
Given that Texas College's 129-year old campus maintains multiple historical landmarks listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), the THPO review is necessary to accommodate the NTIA’s request that efforts to increase broadband access, and/or additional wiring, has the assurance that construction will not deface or compromise the historical architecture of campus buildings. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), the proposed Gbps speed upgrade is under evaluation for its potential effects to districts, sites, buildings, structures, or objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering, or culture, that are listed or potentially eligible for listing in the NRHP. Texas College has requested the Texas Historical Commission to review and comment on the proposed project to ensure any potential adverse effects would be avoided, minimized, and/or mitigated. No ground disturbance is anticipated since the devices will utilize existing raceways to install the Cat6 cabling; no new conduit is proposed.
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D.R. Glass Library Officially Opens to
Ensure Equity and Access for All Students
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The newly renovated D.R. Glass Library
Following the completion of an extensive $2.1 million renovation of The D.R. Glass Library, constructed in 1948, the campus staple has officially reopened to continue fostering student success. In its latest state, the library makes rich academic resources available, delivers the tools to find the resources, offers information literacy instruction, and assists students in their efforts to turn newfound knowledge into scholarly coursework. The structure is features ergonomic furnishings, four classrooms equipped with technological access via portable large interactive screens, as well as small study carousels throughout the building for individual access and study. The D.R. Glass Library provides reliable internet and computer access, which will be further enhanced after the installation of the Cat 6 wiring provided through the CMC Grant funding.
Students studying at a distance, as well as those engaged in "face-to- face" learning participate in interactive training with the librarian through introductory courses, which have expanded to provide research information utilizing Texas College's subscription-based databases. Faculty are also engaged with training to learn professional search techniques and skills, as well as how to use specific databases.
Textbook access is also being expanded this fall through an agreement with Redshelf, an electronic textbook provider experienced in the swift and effortless transition from traditional print to more affordable, efficient, and engaging digital course materials. The RedShelf platform for Texas College will provide e-textbooks, or ebooks, seamlessly on the JICS Portal at no cost to students this academic year. The RedShelf platform is equipped to provide equity to students through the following features:
- Highlight, take notes, and share with classmates;
- Define unfamiliar words;
- Create Flashcards;
- Build study guides for individual review and test preparation;
- Generate citations in APA, MLA and Chicago for research writing;
- Have text read aloud;
- Provide a select section of pages to be printed; and
- Availability on any device.
The texts are currently being programmed through the JICS Learning Management System, and use of the ebooks through the portal are proposed to begin within the next month.
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Promoting Wellness for Fall 2023 |  | |
A Texas College student receives his care package from Texas College in the McKinney Hall Connector.
As the Fall 2023 semester began, Texas College emphasized wellness as a priority for the entire campus. As part of a two-phase project to support and promote the wellness of students, faculty, and staff, the College provided students with care packages from the Freshman Fun Box, a unique modernized care package service for college students that specifically highlights the culture of HBCUs. The care packages included:
- Multiple snacks;
- An affirmation book;
- A purple and gold "I’m HBCU" t-shirts;
- A notebook;
- Hand sanitizer;
- Laundry detergent;
- Lifestyle/college life inserts; and
- Informational resources to help have a successful semester.
The second facet of the wellness initiative catered to faculty and staff, who received wellness kits to foster a sense of well-being for the new academic term. The kits included items such as a diffuser, a journal, a selection of herbal teas, hand sanitizer, immune system support supplements, among other helpful essentials.
These curated wellness gifts illustrated the College's genuine care for each individual of the Texas College Family, which fostered a sentiment of gratitude from students, faculty, and staff, further engraining the familial atmosphere that the College is known for. As the semester progresses, Texas College emphasizes the importance of individual's wellness and health throughout the term.
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Retool Your School Project Progresses |  | |
Overhead view of a virtual rendering of the renovated President's Living Room Kitchen in the Willie Lee Glass Building
Texas College's 2023 Retool Your School project is the renovation of the President's Living Room Kitchen in the Willie Lee Glass Building. The renovated kitchen will serve as an undoubtedly beneficial campus enhancement when the space is transformed into an operable food preparation and service station with commercial functionality. Given the kitchen's location, directly connected to the President's Living Room and the President's Living Room Patio, the updated kitchen will be able to adequately accommodate both areas simultaneously for a multitude of activities catered toward student, faculty, and staff use, as well as alumni, and other key stakeholders and external populations, when applicable and appropriate. The renovation project adds a much-needed dimension to the collective space to provide services beneficial to the College's constituents.
In its current state, the kitchen maintains the original equipment, appliances, and cabinetry from when it was constructed in 1956. However, these outdated and inoperable appliances, as well as a lack of other appropriate accommodations, render the space unusable, which inhibits full functionality of the two directly connected spaces it serves.
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Virtual rendering of a portion of the renovated President's Living Room Kitchen
Although the physical renovation of the kitchen is forthcoming, the project is well underway. Following a multitude of ongoing collaborative meetings with The Home Depot in Tyler, final measurements and safety tests were completed at the end of September and the project nears the demolition and installation stage.
The renovation of the President's Living Room Kitchen will transform the space from its current outdated and inoperable capacity into a modernized commercially designed operable food preparation and service station that will afford comprehensive functionality. To achieve this, the kitchen renovation includes:
- New commercial-grade kitchen appliances and equipment;
- New commercial-grade sinks;
- New cabinetry and countertops;
- New shelving and storage;
- New flooring; and
- New paint.
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Students Celebrate
National Voter Registration Day
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Miss Asia Brown, Texas College student and 2023-2023 Miss UNCF, receives guidance from a community volunteer as she registers to vote.
Texas College celebrated National Voter Registration Day with a student voter registration drive on the campus. Spearheaded by student leaders, the group partnered with the Smith County Elections Office, the League of Women Voters Tyler/Smith County, the Gamma Omicron Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Tyler Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. to host the event. Aside from the reminder of their civic duty to vote, the activity registered a multitude of students to vote, as well as provide information for the upcoming ballots.
“This upcoming election will be a constitutional amendment election, where we’re actually making changes to the Texas Constitution,” said JoAnn Hampton, community activist, former Smith County commissioner, and Texas College alumna. “It’s important to get our young people involved and registered to vote,” Hampton said. “They are our future. They need to understand that voting is a right and we need to try to maintain that right. In order to do that, we have to educate them on the issues that have been out there and how they impact their lives. We’re explaining to them what they need to do and what’s on there,” Hampton noted. “It’s important for them to know each one of those and how they will be impacted by it.”
“We’re not in high school anymore,” said Roosevelt Williams, National Pan-Hellenic Council President for Texas College. “We don’t have our parents to advocate for us; we have to advocate for ourselves. If you don’t know the law or know what has changed, you’re going to be lost. We have a social responsibility to be engaged in the democratic process by voting.”
“It is my job as a campus student ambassador, and as a young person and a peer to the students, to bring the awareness of voting responsibility on campus,” Williams said. “As a leader, I take it as a big responsibility to know what’s going on and advocate for us."
Tashira Johnson, Texas College’s Student Government Association President, registered to vote for the first time on Tuesday. “I never thought about the importance of voting until I registered to vote,” she said. “It felt good to register and know that I can make my voice heard on election day.”
Johnson feels many of her peers are at the age that it is important to be involved and informed politically. "This is our chance to stand up in a way, to be able to do something and be part of something,” noted Johnson.
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Fall Athletics & Auxiliaries
"Hour-A-Thon" Exceeds Fundraising Goals
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Mr. Randy Butler, Director of Athletics, poses for a photograph with the Hour-A-Thon equipment setup box.
The Texas College Athletic Department recently conducted a successful "Hour-A-Thon" fundraiser with the fall athletic teams and auxiliaries to generate revenue for their respective programs. The initiative included:
- Band;
- Cheer;
- Football;
- Men's Soccer;
- Women's Soccer; and
- Volleyball.
In partnership with "Hour-A-Thon," a company specialized in technological fundraising for athletic departments, every student from each of the aforementioned programs identified and contacted 20 individuals through phone calls and text messages for one full hour, soliciting donations for their respective organization. Their collective hour-long efforts proved successful, as the initiative exceeded the set fundraising goals overall, as well as for each program.
Athletic Director Butler expressed a sentiment of gratitude for the fundraiser's success. "Thank you to each individual for your support of the 'Hour-A-Thon.' Your selfless financial gifts are greatly appreciated and will provide essential items necessary for each program to represent Texas College well," commented Butler. "We look forward to your continued support of Texas College throughout this year as we move from good to great!"
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Texas College Welcomes New Faculty & Staff | |
The College excitedly welcomes a host of new faculty and staff to the Texas College Family! While some are brand new to the campus, others have taken on new assignments and roles to best serve Texas College and deliver the mission. | |
Fall 2023 Athletics Schedule | |
Individual Athletic Schedules | |
The INSIDER Magazine - Spring/Summer 2023 | |
2022-2023 President's Annual Report | |
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