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Top Stories       Printer Friendly Thursday, May 23, 2013

TSTC Among Top Colleges for Latino Grads
[Thursday, August 09, 2012]
A nationwide report on college and university graduation rates for Latinos ranks Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Harlingen in the ninth position for associate degrees in science technologies.

The non-profit organization Excelencia in Education compiled the report titled “Finding Your Workforce: The Top 25 Institutions Graduating Latinos in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) By Academic Level 2009-2010.” The report is the third in a series that gathers statistics about colleges and universities. The findings noted that Latinos earn only eight percent of certificates and degrees conferred by STEM programs nationwide and 40 percent of Latino graduates in the STEM programs come from the top 25 institutions listed in the study.

“It’s important to rank among the top U.S. colleges and universities for graduation rates among Latinos and the Excelencia in Education numbers reflect that TSTC distinction,” college President Dr. Cesar Maldonado said. “We place a high priority on the completion rates for students who will directly enter the workforce or seek higher degrees at universities. We are cooperating with school districts and universities to develop more pathways with affordable costs for students en route to their academic and career goals.”

The Associate of Science degrees at TSTC in Biology, Computer Science, Engineering, Health Professions, Mathematics, Nursing Preparatory and Physics approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board are relatively new for the college. There are more than 30 technology programs in the Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing, Computer Information Systems and Allied Health Technology for Certificates of Completion and Associate of Applied Science degrees at TSTC.

Academic agreements continue to increase between TSTC and four-year universities for the transfer of credits and technology programs toward bachelor, master and doctoral degrees due to the expansion of courses available from eight universities in the South Texas Educational Partnership (STEP) located in the University Center on the TSTC campus. Wayland Baptist University (WBU) plans to sign a new articulation agreement with TSTC later this month.

Excelencia in Education reported that the top 25 institutions for STEM undergraduate degrees in the United States came from Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Illinois.

For more information about Excelencia in Education go to www.EdExcelencia.org. The organization seeks to accelerate higher education success for Latino students by providing data-driven analysis to policymakers and institutional leaders. According to its Web site, about 25 percent of the nation’s college age population will be Latino by 2025 and more Latinos should complete college or university degrees. Excelencia in Education seeks to connect research, policy and practices that support all students.