Universities showcase degrees to be offered at UC

HARLINGEN — Eight universities promoted bachelor, master and doctoral programs they will offer this fall semester in the University Center at Harlingen during two information sessions Wednesday.

Besides two universities from the Rio Grande Valley — the University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas-Pan American — universities that are part of the South Texas Educational Partnership with Texas State Technical College Harlingen include LeTourneau University, Our Lady of the Lake University, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Wayland Baptist University and the University of Houston.

The University Center is located on Loop 499 in the middle of TSTC.

Hundreds of TSTC students, faculty and local residents met one-on-one with university admission officials in the Student Center and Cultural Arts Center at TSTC to discuss credit transfer and degree options.

“The event today was the first joint effort to promote the many university opportunities coming to Harlingen. It was amazing to see the student interest, the motivation of the partners, and the support of the TSTC faculty and staff,” said Lisa Cavazos, University Center executive director for TSTC.

Cledia Hernandez, Off Campus University program director for UTB, said her university will continue its efforts to serve community needs. Spokesmen for several STEP members said they plan to continually assess higher education demands and add to or modify the University Center programs.

“One of the major benefits from the UC will be the elimination of drive time and travel costs for UTB for students from the Harlingen and the Mid-Valley,” Hernandez said.

She invited prospective UC students to contact individual universities about transfer credits, online courses and degree options. “We have a UTB advisor at TSTC every Thursday and I welcome direct inquiries because I can provide fast responses to specific questions,” she said.

UTB provides upper-level college courses on the TSTC campus and OLLU teaches a doctoral program in leadership studies at TSTC.

Robert D. Bisking, dean of the School of Business and Leadership for OLLU, said 72 people have earned a doctorate degree through the program at TSTC and an estimated 20 students will enter the program in August.

“Because of the name recognition we’re really excited about bringing bachelor and master courses to the University Center,” he said.

He cited two OLLU programs that should be popular: Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration, which is designed for community college graduates, and Bachelor of Applied Studies in Computer Information Systems & Security.

“The BAS in CISS will accept about 60 credits from TSTC and require about 70 credits from OLLU. Our program is among about 100 of its kind in the United States certified by the National Security Agency,” he said.

Dr. Lonnie Howard, executive director of University Outreach for the University of Houston, said that the University Center at Harlingen will add jobs and education opportunities to the region in a cost-effective manner.

Jerry Pyka, assistant dean of Outreach for the University of Houston, said that potential UC students should consult admission officials about the articulation agreements between TSTC and the universities, and the ability of existing college graduates to apply earned credits toward higher degrees.

“Each student has a different set of experiences and a unique goal in mind. They will get a more accurate focus on their situation by meeting face to face with us,” he said.

Pyka said UH expects a promising demand for Associate of Applied Science graduates from TSTC to enter the bachelor program in Organizational Leadership and Supervision.

The master’s of science degree in Project Management also has many applications for majors related to energy and manufacturing businesses, he said.

For details about STEP and the University Center at Harlingen go online to www.harlingen.tstc.edu/uc.