SPC,
Amarillo College
Partner
for Federal Grant to Improve Resources
Jacob Tucker, Feature Editor
South Plains College and Amarillo College are teaming up to
provide the Panhandle and South Plains with better educational resources.
In
2004, SPC became eligible to apply for the federal Title V cooperative
grant. This grant is shared between two colleges for the advancement of
their educational services to their respected communities.
“This
is a great accomplishment for SPC,” said Darrell Grimes, vice president for
academic affairs. “A grant like this has never been awarded to the college,
and I look forward to seeing how we handle it.”
The
college has now added this cooperative grant to their growing list of
federal grants. Last year, the college received the Title V independent
grant, which focuses on the retention of students and aids in strengthening
the college’s Hispanic Institutional Program.
The
application was sent in to be evaluated, and soon became the highest-scored
application that was submitted. Stephen John, vice president of
institutional advancement, assisted a committee in writing the application.
“Our
grant management team looked at several different grants for the college,”
said John. “Thirteen people assisted in some form or fashion in shaping the
application.”
The
application was read by a committee of three people and was scored. Two of
the judges gave the SPC application a 104, and the other gave it a 99. This
averaged out to be 102.33 points out of a 105-point scale.
“The
score that we received on the application was amazing,” said John. “It was
a great accomplishment by the college.”
The
cooperative effort that will be shown by these two colleges will be great,
according to Grimes. Because the colleges are in two separate areas of the
state, the concept of competition between the two is highly unlikely. This
will make it easier for the colleges to reach a broader range of students.
Each
year, the colleges will receive about $700,000 to implement their respected
programs. The grant will last for five years, giving the colleges about
$3.5 million. The programs that will be implemented will include classes
over the Internet and the ITV systems.
The
management of the grant will be in the hands of SPC. Since it is the larger
college, SPC will control more of the money that is issued from the grant.
“The
purpose of the grant is simple,” said Grimes. “Both colleges will offer
courses, whether it be Internet or ITV, to the smaller rural communities in
their areas.”
The
components of this grant are to strengthen faculty and staff development in
distance learning strategies, as well as to strengthen the infrastructures
of both schools for distance learning. It will also improve the access of
low-income students to college degree programs, and help to transform online
support services for rural and other place-bound students.
The
colleges will also “trade” some of their faculty’s skills. If a few classes
are offered through AC that are unavailable to students at SPC, students
will have a chance to take these courses through an ITV class or over the
Internet to receive the same amount of college credit.
“This
will provide our students with a great resource in their educational
career,” said Grimes.
One of
the degrees that will be offered is the AAT degree plan. Instead of
Amarillo College hiring five or six new teachers to teach the new courses,
the classes will be offered via the Internet through SPC. Any other courses
that SPC needs that are offered at AC will be offered here.
This
grant couldn’t have come at a more perfect time, according to Grimes. With
the opening of the Plainview Center, it will now be even easier for both of
the colleges to reach the people of West Texas.
