Amarillo College will play a role in transforming the way Texas students move from public education to community colleges or transfer to four-year institutions as they ultimately work toward careers.

AC is among a dozen community colleges across the state selected by the Texas Success Center to participate in the Texas Pathways Project, a mission designed to create logical pathways to student success and to benefit not only participating colleges but others statewide.

“We are honored by this award because it acknowledges the great work we are doing for our students and places Amarillo College as a leader for the rest of the state,” said Amarillo College President Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart.

The Texas Success Center received competitive applications for the project from community colleges across the state, center Executive Director Dr. Cynthia Ferrell said. 
“We were very impressed by Amarillo College’s application and the efforts made to date to address the way students experience higher education in Texas,” Ferrell said.
The Texas Pathways Project is geared toward transforming the way students transition from public education into community colleges on their way to certification, or transfer into four-year institutions leading towards meaningful careers.

The Greater Texas Foundation provided seed funding for the Texas Pathways Project. Based in Bryan, the foundation serves the residents and educational institutions of Texas by supporting initiatives that increase rates of post-secondary enrollment and completion for all Texas students, with a particular focus on students who may encounter barriers to post-secondary success.
“Texas Pathways could not be more aligned with Greater Texas Foundation’s mission to ensure all Texas students are prepared for, have access to, persist in, and complete a postsecondary credential,” said Wynn Rosser, foundation president and CEO. “We are proud to support this work.”

Amarillo College has done “very significant work to establish a guided pathways approach to the curriculum that is intended to foster student success,” said Dr. Deborah Vess, AC vice president of academic affairs. “We are excited to be selected for this statewide project and to be able to further develop our approach through collaboration with this exciting and prestigious cohort of community colleges in Texas.”

Other colleges chosen to participate in the Texas Pathways Project are: Austin Community College, Brazosport College, Dallas County Community College District, Grayson College, Houston Community College System, Lone Star College District, McLennan Community College, Midland College, South Texas College, Southwest Texas Junior College and Temple College.
Selected colleges will participate in biannual institutes designed to help participants implement these structured student pathways. The first institute will take place Nov. 2-4, 2016, in Bastrop, Texas, at the Hyatt Lost Pines. 

The 12 colleges will be joined by teams from Alamo Community College, El Paso Community College, Paris Junior College, and San Jacinto College. These four colleges were selected to participate in the American Association of Community Colleges’ Pathways Project, a national project designed to institute pathways at scale.

“We’re looking forward to assisting these dedicated and innovative colleges achieve their goals, and help create meaningful futures for Texas students,” Ferrell said.

July 7, 2016