Texas Southmost College is an institution that has taken its time to craft processes that make progress possible. The college’s “institutional effectiveness” mantra consists of two arms, which are strategic planning and operational planning.
This coupled with its Vision 2024 shows that the institution is a serious-minded one. The college is just doing the best it can to get the best out of itself. (Tramadol)
This strive for excellence is not new to Texans or anyone who can relate, as George W. Bush once remarked “Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called ‘walking’.”
This article discusses the Texas Southmost College, its admission terms, programs, tuition, ranking, scholarships, and all the other things you should know.
Texas Southmost College
Texas Southmost College is an institution that aims to engage in continuous quality improvement.
The institution achieves this through a process the college calls its “Institutional effectiveness process” that integrates institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation activities which includes a review of programs and services.
All these in a bid to make make the college effective and thus achieve its mission.
Texas Southmost College makes it open to anyone who visits the institution and its website that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, religion, gender, disability, age, or military status in its programs and activities and provides equal access to services and other programs at the College.
The highest degree offered at Texas Southmost College is an associate degree. The school has an open admissions policy and offers credit for life experiences.
Where is Texas Southmost College?
The Texas Southmost College is located at number 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, Texas, which it has maintained since 1948 when the U.S Government converted from a military post to what it is now. The college can be reached at 956-295-3600.
Accreditation
Texas Southmost College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award certificates and associate degrees.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges – SACSCOC is recognized as a regional body that provides accreditation of degree-granting higher education institutions in the Southern states.
An institution must encounter broad-based, foundational, and basic core requirements to be accredited by the commission on college.
These requirements begin the verge of the progress of an institution looking for initial or continued accreditation by a commission and replicate the basic expectations of the commission.
History of Texas Southmost College
Texas Southmost College was initially created in 1926 as The Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley.
Originally created as an extension of the local independent school district in Brownsville, Texas, its first classes were held in the fall of 1926 in the local high school building.
In 1927, the school district issued bonds for the construction of a new building to house the high school and the junior college. In 1931, the college name was changed to Brownsville Junior College.
In 1948, the U.S. Government converted Fort Brown, the first military post established by the U.S. Government in Texas, to the College, where the main campus is today.
Voters approved the creation of the Southmost Union Junior College District (empowered to levy ad valorem taxes), as well as a Board of Trustees, at an election held on November 15, 1949, to operate a junior college to be known as Texas Southmost College.
The Southmost Union Junior College District Board of Trustees changed the name of the District to Texas Southmost College in 2004.
During the 82nd Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, SB 1909, included language changing the college district’s name from the Southmost Union College District to Texas Southmost College District.
The 1950’s
While originally established as an academic program institution, after World War II, and throughout the 1950s, the college began to add and expand vocational and occupational program offerings.
In 1973, Texas Southmost College offered space on its campus so that a local four-year extension program through Pan American University could be established.
The new entity, which was named Pan American University, Brownsville, began classes in fall 1973.
In the late 1980s, Pan American University joined The University of Texas System, and its institution in Brownsville became known as The University of Texas-Pan American-Brownsville.
In December 1995, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) approved the consolidation of UTB and TSC to form the new entity, the University of Texas at Brownsville Texas Southmost College Agreement.
In December 2008, UTB-TSC was granted reaffirmation by SACSCOC. Texas Southmost College became independently operational in fall 2013 and began to serve the communities of Cameron and Willacy counties.
Recent history
In August 2015, the SACSCOC On-Site Visiting Committee visited Texas Southmost College to complete its review of the institution’s compliance with all accreditation requirements.
In fall 2015, Texas Southmost College was selected as a Bright Spot by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
On April 3, 2017, Texas Southmost College, in collaboration with consultant Dr. Byron McClenney, launched a national search for a new president.
After the national search and a series of open forums were conducted, the TSC Board of Trustees announced on July 20, 2017, that Dr. Jesus Roberto Rodriguez was selected as the new TSC President.
In August 2018, Texas Southmost College implemented the 2018-2024 Strategic Plan that identified five goals that will provide the college its strategic direction for the next five years.
Under the leadership of the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees and Dr. Rodriguez, TSC continues to experience growth and to establish relationships with the communities that it serves, to create new partnerships with local, regional, and state educational institutions, business, and industry, and to be an engine of economic development and workforce training in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. Read more.
What is Texas Southmost College’s Vision 2024?
In fall 2017, Texas Southmost College identified and contracted a consultant to expedite the extensive strategic planning process.
The process of developing a strategic plan embraced transparency and sought to build consensus by including feedback from faculty, administration, staff, students, alumni and community leaders.
Texas Southmost College’s strategic planning was launched in October 2017 with a workshop for the college’s Board of Trustees. A framework for constituent conversations was presented and guiding questions were prepared for a series of focus sessions.
All-inclusive sessions were held for students, faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, and community leaders. These focus group sessions were held on November 14, 2017, with faculty, administrators, staff, students, alumni, and community leaders.
As a result of those focus sessions, reports were generated by the consultant. The results of the discussions were presented at a college-wide event on January 8, 2018, which included information about the service region, workforce issues, current and prospective students.
Vision 2024 is the outcome of those collaborative sessions and it will serve as the guide for the work that will impact how the Institution plans and budgets for the next five-year period.
5 strategic goals
Vision 2024 outlines 5 Strategic Goals which encompass 43 Strategic Priorities. On May 16th, the new 5-year strategic plan, Vision 2024, was approved unanimously by the Board of Trustees as the College’s second strategic plan.
As a result, Vision 2024 now serves as the foundation for the College’s allocation of resources for activities, programs, and personnel.
As part of the strategic plan, Texas Southmost College maintained its unique Vision Statement, Mission Statement, Role and Scope, and Values that will continue to serve as a guide for the institution over the next five years.
The Texas Southmost College Strategic Plan, Vision 2024 is designed to define and support how the college accomplishes its mission.
This new Plan consists of five distinct institutional goals and their corresponding strategic directions.
The five primary goals of Texas Southmost College’s Vision 2024 Strategic Plan include:
Texas Southmost College Admission
Admission into Texas Southmost College is not difficult in any way, as it has a straightforward process.
Along with the admission form, the students have to deposit a non-refundable fee to complete the application process.
To improve one’s chances of securing admission, a person must score high on a standardized test like SAT or ACT.
This may not really matter as the college does not lay any emphasis on the need. As expected, the candidates can complete the process either online or by visiting the school’s office at 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, Texas 78520.
Admission Requirements
Texas Southmost College has an open admission policy (non-competitive). The only requirement is a certificate of attendance or a high school diploma or a General Educational Development certificate. This means it’s free to apply for undergraduates.
Acceptance rates
Texas Southmost College has a full-time retention rate of 69%, a part-time retention rate of 58%, and a graduation rate of 23%.
Texas Southmost College statistics
With a total enrollment of 7,130, the student-faculty ratio is 19-to-1. The school has an academic staff of 431 who teach various courses to the students.
The college has a total number of 1,666 full-time students and 5,464 part-time students with males occupying 44% of that and females 56%.
Texas Southmost College Website
The college runs a website where it interacts with its prospective students, current students, international students, and all those who would like to make inquiries about the many activities and the programs of the college. Check here.
Texas Southmost Programs
The college offers a total of 76 programs which comprises both residential and online courses. In addition to Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), and Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) degrees, Texas Southmost College offers Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees, Level One Certificates, and Level Two certificates.
Texas Southmost Tuition
The Texas Southmost College tuition and fees are an estimate based on a student taking a certain number of hours of classes usually not exceeding 15 semester credit hours. The college charges no application fees.
The tuition and fees are irrespective of what stage you are subject to change by the Texas Southmost College Board of Trustees.
The college charges in-district students $287 and $1925 for 1 and 15 semester credit hours respectively, charges out-district students $312 and $2300 for 1 and 15 semester credit hours respectively, charges non-resident students $362 and $3050 for 1 and 15 semester credit hours respectively and then charges international students $362 and $3050 for 1 and 15 semester credit hours respectively.
The college also has a number of fees that it charges students for quite a number of other things with prices ranging from $5 to $75.
Texas Southmost College has modalities for the refund of tuition that has already been paid. This tuition refund schedule is one that the student who needs a refund would have to familiarise themselves with. Read more.
Ranking
Edurank, an education institution ranking website ranks the Texas Southmost College number 1 in Brownsville, 3017 in the United States, and 10037 on the world stage.
The Texas Southmost College does not feature in the list of top colleges of other reputable publications.
Texas Southmost Aid
The Texas Southmost College has a financial aid office whose purpose is to provide students and their parents’ information regarding federal, state, institutional, and other sources of financial aid.
The Financial Aid Office serves as the administrator for these varied funds, which involves personnel in diverse activities such as consumer awareness and application services, program awarding, certification and eligibility monitoring, fund requests, reconciliation and reporting, and continuing with post-attendance services dealing with default prevention and management.
Ultimately, the Financial Aid Office provides aid to eligible students who, without such aid, would be unable to attend college.
The awarding and delivery of such funds are managed in a fair and equitable manner. Read more here.
Conclusion
Texas Southmost College is an institution that aims towards expanding the knowledge base of students who successfully find their way into their somewhat open arms.
The college has stated that its job is to ensure that those who graduate from the school leave with a greater skill set than they came in with.
References
Texas Southmost College is an institution that aims to engage in continuous quality improvement. The institution achieves this through a process the college calls its “Institutional effectiveness process” that integrates institution-wide research-based planning and evaluation activities which includes a review of programs and services.
Yes, Texas Southmost College is a good school. Though it does not appear specifically on some international school rankings, it is a good school.
The Texas Southmost College is located at number 80 Fort Brown, Brownsville, Texas, which it has maintained since 1948 when the U.S Government converted from a military post to what it is now. The college can be reached on 956-295-3600.
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