The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents Jan. 17 gave Tarleton State University the go-ahead to invest $2 million toward upgrades at Tarrant County College’s Trinity River Campus.
Tarleton will use a portion of the renovated space on the fifth floor of TCC’s Trinity River West Fork Building to provide upper-level classes, continuing a long-standing partnership with TCC that includes dual admission, transfer agreements, a financial aid consortium, and use of space at Tarleton’s locations in Fort Worth, the colleges said in a news release.
Last year, 20 percent of Tarleton’s transfer students came from TCC, making it one of the university’s top academic partners.
“Our partnership dates back nearly a quarter of a century, making it possible for cost-conscious students wanting a bachelor’s degree to start at TCC and then transfer to Tarleton,” Tarleton President F. Dominic Dottavio said in the release.
“Providing upper-level classes on the Trinity River Campus will make it more convenient for TCC students to complete their undergraduate degree in programs offered at our location in the Fort Worth Medical District as well as our new, permanent Fort Worth campus on Chisholm Trail Parkway,” Dottavio said.
Tarleton started with eight students on West Myrtle Street in 1978 and now serves close to 2,000 students in Fort Worth. It has been located in the Richard C. Schaffer Building on Enderly Place since the 1990s and the Hickman Building on Camp Bowie Boulevard for the past 10 years.
The school will move into the first building of its planned campus in southwest Fort Worth this fall.
“Tarleton’s investment allows us to continue our commitment to provide an affordable, innovative and accessible education for students who want more than an associate degree,” TCC Chancellor Eugene Giovannini, Ed.D., said. “We greatly value our relationship with Tarleton and believe this new milestone in our partnership will bring Tarrant County residents greater opportunities to fulfill their academic dreams.”] Initially, Tarleton will use the shared space at TCC’s Trinity River Campus to offer undergraduate degree completion programs through its College of Health Sciences and Human Services, including a bachelor’s in social work and the registered nurse to bachelor’s in nursing, the news release said. The program is accredited by the Commission of Collegiate Nursing Education and enables registered nurses with a two-year associate degree and current state license to take their careers to the next level.
Tarleton is a founding member of The Texas A&M University System and offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online.
, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Tarrant County College serves more than 100,000 students each year and is one of the 20 largest higher education institutions in the United States. The college was established in 1965 and has six campuses throughout Tarrant County, including TCC Connect that provides flexibility with e-Learning and Weekend College.
– FWBP Staff