New Grant Pairs LCC and TAMIU for Improved Student Transfer

A $3,875,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to improve academic achievement at Laredo Community College (LCC) and Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) and aimed at enhancing the transfer-student process and increasing faculty development, was announced this week by Congressman Henry Cuellar (’82).

“This 5-year grant will allow for coordination between LCC and TAMIU so that students can make the transition from their associate’s degree to bachelor’s degree swiftly and with more confidence.  I thank LCC and TAMIU for their commitment to a project dedicated to the betterment of our Laredo students, which is crucial to increasing student success, retention and graduation in our community, ” Cong. Cuellar said.

Through the Title V Cooperative Agreement Development grant, dubbed “Focusing on Student Success,” LCC and TAMIU receive funding directed at improving student success.  The grant coordinates linkages and faculty development between both institutions, as well as enhanced community programs in service learning.

It also assists with improved collection, analysis and use of data tracking for each student, and a strengthened transfer process between high school to college and college to the University, including specialized orientation for students entering TAMIU from LCC and tutoring opportunities for transfer students.

“Laredo Community College is extremely grateful to Cong. Cuellar for his continued support in advocating for us in Washington on behalf of the Title V grant.  We also are grateful for the dedication of Dr. Nora Garza and Gabriel Lozano, who worked tirelessly to secure this grant.  This will be a great opportunity for LCC to work collaboratively with TAMIU to ensure students succeed in the areas of reading and writing, as well as mentoring.  We look forward to a successful administration of this grant and the many positive student success stories that will follow,” said LCC president Dr. Juan L. Maldonado.

TAMIU provost and vice president for academic affairs, Dr. Pablo Arenaz,  concurred.

“This is a remarkable example of our institutions’ shared values and mutual desire to advance our community together.  Innovative programs like ‘Focusing on Student Success’ improve the ease and transparency of transfer between LCC and the University and help students maintain a laser-focus on degree attainment.  We are certain this program will dramatically increase the number of students who secure four-year degrees.  We are deeply appreciative of the leadership and partnership provided by Congressman Cuellar in securing this critical funding,” said Dr. Arenaz.

One of the grant’s integral goals is the promotion of the fiscal stability of both LCC and TAMIU.  Dr. Ruth Lopez Turley, an independent external evaluator for the project, will help determine the linkage between proposed activities and successful outcomes.

The project will ensure it is successfully working toward its goals by monitoring factors such as the percentage change over the five-year grant period of the number of full-time degree-seeking undergraduates, percentage of students who continue to the second year of college, percentage of students from LCC graduating within three years of enrollment, percentage of LCC transfer students retained and graduating with a bachelor’s degree within four years of enrollment at TAMIU, and the reduction of cost for undergraduate degrees at LCC and TAMIU.

The new federally funded project is scheduled to start in October. 

For more information about the project, contact TAMIU associate vice president for Academic Affairs Mary Trevino, project co-investigator, at 956.327.2275 or email maryt@tamiu.edu.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu