South Texas College has been awarded a $1.6M Carl Perkins grant for the 2006/2007 school year to fund the improvement of its career and technology education programs and to enhance its services to students enrolled in those programs. The college received the third largest grant amount out of 57 total eligible community and technical colleges located around the state of Texas. The grant is awarded to the college through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

“STC is very committed to serving our region as the cornerstone for economic vitality,” said Juan E. Mejia, vice president for instructional services. “As an institution, we are very grateful to receive this large award and recognize that the state of Texas has been a leader in placing value and importance on vocational and technical programs. There is a direct relation between workforce education and economic development and the college capitalizes on these funds every year by acquiring equipment that students need to develop new skills. Staying current on emerging new technologies and being exposed to innovative resources are of direct benefit to the local region.”

The college will use this money to fund needs for its associate of applied science and eligible certificate programs. Due to the magnitude of the grant and the multiple uses across the college’s infrastructure, STC has a full time compliance officer to ensure that funds are being used appropriately.

“At STC we believe strongly in accountability and are committed to ensuring that this money, provided by our government, is being used appropriately to benefit target audiences and garner maximum results for student success,” said Luzelma Canales, director of grant development, accountability and management services for STC. “Although this is not a unique idea, we are one of the few community colleges that I am aware of that has an officer totally devoted to Carl Perkins grant compliance. We are dedicated to making a best effort to accomplishing all of the goals we outlined in the grant. Tax payers can be sure that we are spending these monies very wisely.”

The new funds will be used to purchase instructional material needs including classroom tools; major machinery; fund student textbooks and child care assistance; offer additional guidance and counseling services; services for special populations; provide tutoring; offer job placement services; and offer professional development opportunities for instructors to receive added relevant industry training and knowledge.

“We have some exciting uses for the funds this year,” said Elibariki Nguma, STC’s compliance officer for the Carl Perkins Program. “We will be purchasing an ambulance simulator for the EMT Program so that students can get a feel for how to operate the systems in a classroom environment. We will also be purchasing capital items for the Pharmacy Technology Program to assist students in learning to operate the latest drug delivery systems. The grant will fund a job placement specialist to help students in qualifying programs receive support in finding work in their chosen career path upon completion of their degree or certificate plan. This is very exciting because these funds allow us to improve our technical/vocational programs and help our technical/vocational students stay in school, learn the latest skills, graduate and be employable.” 

South Texas College will also use a portion of the funds to continue offering its Providing Academic Support to Students (P.A.S.S.) Program to assist qualifying students, those pursuing an associate’s of applied science degree or a technical or vocational certificate, with textbooks fees and child care costs. To date STC has assisted more than 5,000 students through this program. Students interested in the textbook assistance portion of the program must apply every semester to qualify and maintain a minimum 2.0 grade point average (GPA). First time applicants must complete an assessment test and provide a financial aid report in addition to the required application. Students who qualify must be enrolled in a minimum of one class. In order to qualify for childcare assistance portion of the program, students must apply every semester and maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA. In addition, students must be enrolled in a minimum of four classes.

For additional information about the Carl Perkins Program, please visit http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/OS/Grants/Perkins/. For more information about South Texas College, please visit www.southtexascollege.edu.