PEW Roundtable discusses TCC’s achievements, projects
by Ines Salomon, reporter

    Administrators, faculty, staff and students met last week to discuss TCC’s recent accomplishments and future projects.

    The PEW Roundtable’s first meeting of the semester began with Dr. Leonardo de la Garza, chancellor, explaining how each member of the group was selected and how the Roundtable operates.

    Eddie Sandoval, NE Campus director of counseling, said that each individual plays an important role.

    “Everyone on the Roundtable is on the same level,” he said. “We go on a first-name basis; no titles are used during these meetings.”

    Sandoval pointed out that communication is an important key in the success of these meetings.

    The Chancellor implemented the TCC Roundtable in 1997.

    Every year the Chancellor selects a board member, college administrators, staff members, students, full-time faculty and adjunct faculty, representing all four campuses and the district office, to serve on the committee.

    Roundtable meetings generate ideas to improve the college and better serve students. The chancellor told the group that the Roundtable has been instrumental in bringing change to the college.

    Some changes that have occurred because of the Roundtable include the name change from TCJC to TCC and the name badges that faculty and administrators wear.

    De la Garza spoke briefly about the UTA Express dual enrollment program, which guarantees any TCC student admission to UTA upon receiving an associate’s degree.

    The program waives the enrollment fee for those students and opens doors to more scholarship opportunities.

    Students must first meet the general admission requirements at the time of transferring to UTA.

    Requirements state that transfer students will receive academic credit for college level coursework that has been completed with a grade of C or better.

    A GPA of at least 2.0 must be obtained to allow the transfer of 30 credit hours.

    De la Garza and Dr. Bill Lace, executive assistant to the chancellor, discussed several bills proposed in Austin that directly concern two-year colleges.

    Bill 47 would guarantee admission for two-year college students to any state college or university if a degree or certificate is obtained with at least 30 credit hours and a 3.0 GPA.

    Bill 324 would allow for the exemption of sales tax on textbooks.
    Bill 1359 would provide a set of procedures to determine what classes would transfer to a four-year institution, thus providing a smoother transfer for students.

    Dr. Rick Heyser, assistant director of instructional support services, updated the Roundtable on the acquisition of library software.

    The project began in April 1999 when the chancellor appointed a committee to find library software.

    After gathering information, evaluating software and analyzing their findings, the committee selected Voyager for use throughout the district.

    Heyser said the selected software would provide faster and quicker access with more availability to information.

    The group plans to have the cataloging process up and running by May 2001.

    Heyser said this software should enhance student learning and provide a more structured way to find information.

    The committee hopes to have the system ready for students by fall 2001.