TEXARKANA, Texas -- Texarkana College was announced as the winner of the 2021 Texas Pathways Excellence in Implementation and Scaling award this past week at the Texas Success Center in Dallas.
The annual award recognizes the Texas community college demonstrating the most progress overall in implementing strategies leading to student success and completion, according to a dispatch from TC released late Friday.
Dr. Donna McDaniel, vice president of Instruction, said Texarkana College is honored to receive this award.
"Texarkana College has participated in the Texas Pathways project since 2016 and faculty and staff representatives have attended every session offered by the Center since that time," said McDaniel. "Our success is a result of a college-wide commitment to pathway initiatives."
Texas Success Center had this to say about the achievement: "Texarkana College has a strong institutional commitment to Guided Pathways and is an exemplar college in helping students accumulate meaningful higher education credits toward a credential."
McDaniel said faculty involvement with the development of program learning outcomes and a student's participation in the Learning Frameworks course is what sets Texarkana College apart.
"Learning outcomes are embedded into program maps and we utilize faculty expertise to design course sequences to ensure prerequisites are planned appropriately," said McDaniel. "In a student's first semester, all first-time-in-college students, including dual credit students, complete a Learning Framework course that includes a career project and the identification of a major or career area of interest."
Dr. McDaniel said in addition to course design, Texarkana College's advising model provides a road map to connect students to college and community resources.
"Students come to Texarkana College for various reasons and at every stage of life, and we have the resources to help them succeed," she said. "No matter where a student starts ... students benefit from the pathway strategies we implement to help them identify and complete their goals."
McDaniel said the Texas Success Center's Guided Pathway model has been Texarkana College's catalyst for continuous improvement through the years.
(Find more information about the Texas Success Center online at tacc.org/tsc. To learn more about Texarkana College, visit texarkanacollege.edu online. Registration is now open for the Spring semester.)