Texarkana College
Texarkana College's top priorities are improving student success and persistence, as well as instigating institutional changes supported by data.
With Achieving the Dream, the college will:
- Increase developmental and gateway mathematics completion with the implementation of Modular Developmental Math, Integrated Intermediate and College Algebra, and Math Boot Camp
- Improve and expand student success courses, including the redesign of a mentoring program
- Implement collaborative and active learning to improve critical thinking and
- Develop a culture of success on campus and in the community
The college recently established a community Planning Council and a Diversity Advisory Committee to work collaboratively on student success. In 2009, external stakeholders were called together with stakeholders from the college to re-write the Strategic Plan with an emphasis on student success. TC has also started several other committees to gather faculty and staff input on an array of issues.
Texarkana College (TC), founded as a junior college in 1927, is located in the city of Texarkana, which is about half way between Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas and Little Rock, Arkansas. Texarkana is a twin city, with about 35,000 people on the Texas side, and 30,000 on the Arkansas side. In 1971, the college joined forces with East Texas State University, now Texas A&M University/Texarkana (TAMU-T), in a uniquely cooperative venture that allows North East Texas residents greater access to higher education. TC’s 90-acre campus includes a small nature reserve and a 360-acre educational farm. In Fall 2009, TC had a record enrollment of 5,020 students; 24% were students of color. The college is quickly growing to keep up with the rapid growth the surrounding area has seen and meet the demands of a rapidly changing population. TC’s enrollment has increased by 21% over the past five years, with students from all over the “Ark-la-tex” and thirteen foreign countries.
Nearly 20% of the residents of Texarkana live in poverty. More than half of the college’s Fall 2009 Achieving the Dream cohort placed into at least one developmental course. Since 2004, TC has offered Rising Star Scholarships to encourage low-income and under-represented populations to enroll at the college. The scholarship covers full tuition and fees for academic or vocational classes for up to 2 years. Recent high school graduates from any city, state, or country who have a family taxable income of $75,000 or less are eligible for it. The scholarship is fueling enrollment growth among African American and Hispanic students.
The Achieving the Dream Model
Achieving the Dream community colleges commit to our Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. Based on four principles, the model frames the overall work of helping more students, particularly low- income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree.
Each college approaches the work differently, but Achieving the Dream’s five-step process provides practical guidelines for keeping the focus where it belongs and building momentum over time. Throughout the process, Achieving the Dream coaches offer customized support and help each college’s core team implement data-informed programs and policies that build long-term, institution-wide commitment to student success.
