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Background
South Texas College (STC) serves Starr and Hidalgo counties, which straddle the U.S.-Mexico border in southeastern Texas . Approximately half of the residents of Starr County and one-third of the residents of Hidalgo County live in poverty.
STC’s student population is 96 percent Hispanic; it is designated as a Hispanic-serving institution by the U.S. Department of Education. More than 87 percent of the students speak Spanish at home. Half of the students are considered low-income, nearly 40 percent are first-generation college students, and 71 percent receive financial aid.
Achieving the Dream Goals
The college has identified four priorities which it will address simultaneously: retention, progression from developmental courses to credit courses, gatekeeper courses, and degree completion. College leaders embrace transformational, systemic changes to make learning a shared responsibility of faculty, staff and students. They seek to
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Retain more students from semester to semester, and fall to fall;
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Improve students’ progression from developmental to credit-bearing courses;
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Increase passage rates in gatekeeper courses;
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Raise certificate and degree completion rates.
STC will use its new Model for Student Success for strategic plans throughout the college. Within the model are three distinct but overlapping initiatives the college is calling “models.” The Shared Accountability for Student Learning Model will encourage faculty, staff and students to work collaboratively toward high expectations for student learning. The Student Assessment, Placement, and Matriculation Model will improve placement tests and enhance developmental courses. The Comprehensive Student Advising Model will integrate high-quality educational information and planning services.
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