Galveston College joins Houston Guided Pathways to Success
Galveston College and Alvin Community College are the latest institutions to join the Houston Guided Pathways to Success (Houston GPS) consortium, a regional collaboration of colleges and universities established in 2015 to increase college completion rates and streamline student transfer between two- and four-year institutions. The initiative helps students makes informed choices by providing academic maps, default course pathways, meta-majors, intrusive advising and more.
“I am thrilled that so many institutions see the value in partnering together to achieve student success,” said Paula Myrick Short, UHS senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and UH senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “I think that Houston GPS has really transformed the way we think about how students approach college, and what is the best fit for them. With each new institution that joins our ranks, there are new opportunities to learn from each other, and truly work together to tailor experiences and pathways that will work for today’s students.”
Just 40 miles south of Houston, Galveston College opened its doors in 1967 as a comprehensive community college. It currently serves approximately 2,300 students each semester in credit programs and almost 1,300 students annually in continuing education programs. It offers over 21 associate degrees and 17 certificate programs, as well as non-credit courses in English, reading, mathematics and study skills to prepare a wide discipline of students. Myles Shelton, president of Galveston College, focused on the benefits to the region.
“The necessity of more individuals holding appropriate degrees or certificates is an absolute for the well-being of our regional economy. Houston GPS provides a means for achieving long-term economic health of our region,” he said. “Our primary goal for Galveston College is to help students achieve their goal of earning a degree or certificate with successful career placement or transfer to a university to complete a bachelor’s degree. This is about helping every student succeed. Houston GPS is an outstanding and efficient tool to help students reach their goals and succeed.”
Alvin Community College was established as part of the Alvin Independent School District in 1948, and remained under that jurisdiction until 1971, when it became the Alvin Junior College District. In 2016, the college was named a Hispanic Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education, and during the same year, was one of 67 in the U.S. named as part of the Second Chance Pell program, which offers scholarship assistance for incarcerated students. Its enrollment has grown from 134 students in 1949 to almost 6,000, and currently offers over 40 associate degrees, with three fully online degrees and numerous certificate programs.
“The partnership with Houston GPS has the potential to be the community college – university transfer blueprint for the state, making this region the gold standard for transfer partnerships. In addition, this partnership will help ensure that our region meets its 60×30 target goals,” said Christal M. Albrecht, president of Alvin Community College (ACC). “This partnership will provide the foundational work that ACC has accomplished in terms of transferability of courses and assure students that ACC course work will always transfer. It’s a partnership that helps to build trust between the institutions and the students.”
With the addition of these two community colleges, thirteen institutions encompassing more than 300,000 students make up the Houston GPS consortium: Alvin Community College, College of the Mainland, Galveston College, Houston Community College System, Lone Star College System, San Jacinto College District, Texas Southern University, University of Houston, University of Houston-Clear Lake, University of Houston-Downtown, University of Houston-Victoria, Victoria College, and Wharton County Junior College.
TRIO Upward Bound students visit Boston
Students in the Galveston College Upward Bound program recently visited Boston, Massachusetts, to participate in a variety of cultural and educational enrichment field trips and college tours.
While in Boston, the students toured the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University, the New England Aquarium and the Boston Museum of Science.
They also attended a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, participated in an educational and historical harbor tour, learned the Boston subway, ate at Wahlburgers and more.
Galveston College Upward Bound, a TRIO program funded through the U.S. Department of Education, is a college preparatory program designed to serve 60 ninth through 12th grade students at Ball High School.
The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rates at which participants enroll in and graduate from institutions of postsecondary education by increasing the academic performance and motivation of participants.
For more information on the TRIO Upward Bound program at Galveston College, call (409) 944-1253.
Above: Galveston College Upward Bound program students and staff members tour the Massachusetts Institute of Technology campus during a recent cultural and educational enrichment field trip to Boston. For more photo highlights of the trip, click here.
Galveston College Regent Armin Cantini elected to Community College Association of Texas Trustees Board of Directors
Armin Cantini was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Community College Association of Texas Trustees (CCATT) at its annual conference in Austin, Texas.
CCATT is a premier source of community college trustee development that provides professional education programs and governance training through regional meetings, webinars and an annual conference. The organization focuses on delivering the latest information and research on exemplary community college practices and programs.
Regent Cantini currently serves as a member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Community College Leadership Council. He is also a past chair of the Galveston Community College District Board of Regents where he is now serving a second six-year term.
He was a founding member of the Galveston College Foundation and its Universal Access Community Endowment almost two decades ago. In addition, Regent Cantini and his wife Gail have been ardent supporters of the Galveston College Nursing program and have endowed the Lynn Levin Cantini Nursing Assistance Fund.
In his remarks at the CCATT annual conference, Regent Cantini said he has followed the progression of the organization and is proud that working in concert with the Texas Association of Community Colleges, the Texas Community College Teachers Association, the Association of Community College Trustees and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board everyone has come together to speak with one voice regarding community college issues in Austin and in Washington.
TRIO Upward Bound honors students, grads at 2019 Showcase and Awards Ceremony
The Galveston College TRIO Upward Bound program celebrated its 2019 Showcase and Awards Ceremony July 11 in the Abe and Annie Seibel Foundation Wing.
Priselda P. Perez, Upward Bound director, and Dr. Myles Shelton, president, welcomed the audience to campus and recognized guests and alumni.
Following a dinner and slideshow presentation, Upward Bound alumna Limesha Hill Solomon gave a keynote presentation. Students also presented an American Sign Language presentation and a computer science presentation. Julianna Salinas, Class of 2019 graduate, also gave an inspirational presentation.
Academic achievement awards, summer academic achievement course awards, academic year A/B honor roll students and seniors were recognized.
Flavio Ramos, Class of 2019 graduate, gave a motivational presentation. Successful completion awards were presented.
Upward Bound Alumna Makia Golliday presented an inspirational closing poem.
Class of 2019 members and their chosen colleges include Karson Amaro, Anthony Duque, Jennifer Escalante, Noemi Mata, Jaylan Nixon, Citlalli Ramos, Miranda Ramos, Natalia Ramos, Andre Sellers, Madison Smith and Chloe Wilber, all of Galveston College; Brianna Parson and Kyianna Parson, both of University of North Texas; Giovanni Perez, San Jacinto College; Jaqueline Perez, Texas State University; Flavio Ramos, University of Texas at Austin; Devin Reyna, Tyler Junior College; Julianna Salinas, and Stephen F. Austin State University.
For more photo highlights of the ceremony, click here.
Massage Therapy program to start in August
Galveston College will begin the second class of its popular Massage Therapy program next month.
The courses, which are offered through the college’s Continuing Education department, start Aug. 26 and continue through Dec. 11.
Classes are offered Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Charlie Thomas Family Applied Technology Center, 7626 Broadway St., Galveston, Texas.
Fall semester courses include Health and Hygiene, Massage Fundamentals I, Kinesiology, Pathology for Massage, and Reflexology and Chair Massage.
Spring semester courses include Massage Fundamentals II, Anatomy and Physiology for Massage, Therapeutic Modalities, and Business Practices and Ethics.
Students must also enroll in a summer internship program in June or July.
Upon completion of the three-semester program, students will be eligible to take the state board exam.
Download an application for the Massage Therapy program at //gc.edu/massage, or visit the Continuing Education department in the Cheney Student Center on the Galveston College campus.
For more information, call (409) 944-1344 or write to [email protected].
Galveston College sets free Quickstart training programs
Registration is now open for Galveston College’s free Quickstart training programs in Electrical Technology and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC), beginning July 29 and Aug 26.
Register online at https://gc.edu/quickstart-programs.
Funded by a grant from the Texas Workforce Commission, the Quickstart programs are designed to help individuals find entry-level jobs in the fast-growing #HVAC and #electrical industries.
In the eight-week programs, students will be presented with the basics of a trade, including safety procedures, proper tool usage, regulations, codes and more.
In addition to job training, GalvestonCollege offers career counseling and job placement assistance.
Tuition is free for those accepted into the programs. However, students must purchase their own steel-toed boots.
An individual applying to a Quickstart program must
- be age 18 or older. (Proof of age is required such as driver’s license or birth certificate.)
- be a United States citizen or certified to work in the United States. (A Social Security card or original I-9 documentation is required.)
- meet United States Military Selective Service registration requirements, if male. (Student must present Registration Acknowledgment Card at the time of enrollment.)
Following acceptance into the program, the applicant must meet with Galveston College’s job placement navigator and bring required documents.
For more information, please contact Job Placement Navigator Mary Powers at (409) 944-1287 or [email protected]. (Si necesitas ayuda llenando el formulario, llamame a 409-944-1287 y te ayudo con mucho gusto.)
Above: Recent graduates of the Galveston College Quickstart Electrical Helper training program include (standing, left to right) Quency Adams, Jenson Brunner, Collin Sempe, teacher Horace Williams IV, Keilan Navarro, D’Asia Scranton, Zulemie Perez and (kneeling, left to right) Eduardo Vazquez and Jamall Williams. Not pictured is LaMarc Graves.
Title V Pathways project makes student services renovation a reality
Thanks to the Title V Pathways project at Galveston College, key student services spaces on the first floor of Moody Hall are being renovated to improve student success, retention, persistence to graduation and transfer among the college’s student population.
The renovation is just one of several initiatives of the “Pathway Model for Improved Teaching, Advising and Transfer at a Hispanics-serving Community College,” which is funded by the US Department of Education.
The overall goals of the project are to clarify pathways for students, help students get on a guided path, help students stay on a guided path and ensure students are learning in order to increase retention (course completion and fall-to-fall retention), improve course success, increase completion rates of a recognized credential and increase successful transfer to 4-year institutions.
PBK Architects is project architect. TUCON Unbehagen Construction is project contractor.
Dr. Sandra Metoyer is director of the Title V Pathways project.
Above: Architect’s rendering of the new student services area at Galveston College.
Galveston College Community Chorale spring concert is May 19
The Galveston College Community Chorale’s free spring concert, “Songs of Democracy,” is set for Sunday, May 19, at 7 p.m. at Moody Methodist Church, located at 53rd and Avenue U in Galveston, Texas.
In honor of Armed Forces Day and Memorial Day, the Galveston College Community Chorale will perform America’s favorite patriotic songs, including “America” and “God Bless America.”
Under the direction of Michael Gilbert, the concert will feature a presentation of the colors by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 880, a salute to the armed forces with recognition of those in each branch of service, and a special rendition of “Stars and Stripes Forever” by world-renowned organist Ron Wyatt.
The concert is free and open to the public.
Spring Fling
Galveston College will celebrate Spring Fling 2019 on Wednesday, April 3, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the Seibel Wing Lawn on the Galveston College main campus, 4015 Avenue Q.
There will be free popcorn, hotdogs, hamburgers, drinks and chips, as well as a variety of booths, games and DIY crafts.
In the event of rain, Spring Fling will take place in the Hermes Fitness Center Gym and under the Hermes carport.
Exhibition to feature recent works of ceramics artist Jeff Forster
Galveston College will feature an exhibition of recent ceramic art by visiting artist Jeff Forster Wednesday, March 6, through April 4 in the third floor gallery of the Fine Arts building at Galveston College, 4015 Avenue Q, Galveston, Texas. The gallery is open during regular college hours.
In addition to the exhibit, the college will host a workshop with Forster from 1-4 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, in the Ceramics Studio (Fine Arts-353). There also will be a closing reception that evening from 6-8 p.m. in the gallery. The public is invited.
Currently the ceramics chair at the Glassell School of Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Forster has participated in exhibitions both nationally and internationally. His work has won awards in a number of these exhibitions, including a Juror’s Choice Award in “Ceramic Object/Conceptual Material” and the Luis Jimenez Award for first place in the “Sculpture on Campus Exhibition” at Southern Illinois University. Additionally, Forster was awarded the Helen Drutt Studio Fellowship in conjunction with his residency at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft.
Besides teaching and maintaining an active studio practice, Forster currently sits on the Artist in Residence Committee at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft and the Artist Advisory Committee for Fresh Arts. From 2011 to 2013 he served on the board of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts as the On‐Site Conference Liaison for the 47th annual conference in Houston.
Forster received a Bachelor of Arts in art education from Saint John’s University in 1998 and a Master of Fine Arts from Southern Illinois University in 2007.
For information on the workshop and exhibition, contact Amanda Barry Jones at [email protected].