10
The Valley 2017
l
Audrey Hawkins welcomes local ESL students to campus, celebrating cultural
differences and informing the students about post-secondary educational opportunities.
Welcome, future Cardinals!
This & That
Our rodeo team performed well during the ninth
annual Southern Region National Intercollegiate
Rodeo Association event in February, 2017.
Sophomore Tyson Arledge from Cameron placed
first in the long go of tie-down; sophomore Austin
Elliott from Arp placed fourth in the long go of steer
wrestling and freshman Brandi Bratton of Bryan
(above) tied for second in goat tying.
Students in Kendall Wellman
and Donna Bennett’s criminal
justice and government classes
receive a real world perspective
from a series of guest speakers,
incluing State Representative
Lance Gooden (above).
New HVAC Classes to
Begin in 2017-18
Thanks to the close working relationship
between Athens ISD and Trinity Valley
Community College, students will have
yet another opportunity to acquire skills
to put to use in a high-demand field.
The two educational institutions joined
forces last year to win a grant through
the Texas Workforce Commission. That
grant, worth just over $332,000, makes it
possible to purchase training equipment
and offer an HVAC (heating, ventilation
and air conditioning) class beginning in
the 2017-2018 school year.
The class will be taught in a brand new
building at Athens High School and offer
students a chance to become licensed
HVAC technicians.
Dual Credit Program
Speeds Students to
Success
A grant from the Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board
(THECB) Division of Academic
Quality and Workforce under the
Nursing Innovation Grant Program
(NIGP) will be used to purchase a high
fidelity mannequin and other equipment
to provide nursing students with a
realistic labor and delivery experience.
“Last spring and summer, 50% of our
acute care facilities closed their OB
departments, making it difficult for our
students to get the hands-on experiences
they need,” said Dr. Helen Reid, Provost
of TVCC’s Health Science Center.
The new equipment will help fill the
training void left by the closures.
Dual Credit Program Growing
Changes made by the 84th Legislature in 2015
removed restrictions on dual credit classes that
limited both the numbers of eligible students and
credit hours, allowing students to enroll in as many
courses as they could qualify for at any high school
grade level, with the approval of the College. Dual
credit courses are offered through 27 independent
school districts in 30 high schools and one early
college high school. The dual credit program has
doubled since it started in 2011, and 2015-16 dual
credit students received 36 Associate degrees and 4
workforce certificates from TVCC.
High school students are involved in
workforce and academic programs
at TVCC through dual credit classes.
