MCALLEN, Texas - South Texas College and National University held a ceremony to commemorate the signing of a newly established Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two institutions.
Founded in 1971, National University is a private university headquartered in San Diego, California.
The agreement, which is the first of its kind for STC, was drafted specifically for students who have completed a bachelor’s degree at the college and plan to pursue a master’s degree. Through the partnership, students will be able to complete an accelerated program from National University and earn their master’s degree in less than a year. Reduced tuition and scholarships will also be available for eligible students and alumni.
Kelli Davis, director of the University Relations, Transfer and Articulation Center at STC, says the MOU will fill a gap that existed for these students as they contemplate and navigate a post-graduate education. She says that in her department’s presentations for graduating seniors, the need was abundantly clear.
“At this event, I always try to pull in some of our partner institutions that offer master’s degrees, and, inevitably, the question comes up ‘do we have any agreements with these institutions?,’ said Davis. “Prior to today, the answer was ‘no.’ So, this will be our first agreement that’s totally focused on our bachelor degree attainers.”
STC President Ricardo Solis also noted the possibilities for faculty and staff as well.
“At South Texas College, we know that our employees deserve the best pathway opportunity,” said Solis. “Our students are continuously living with ambition, and they are fierce. … And, that’s why we’re very excited. … The student will be able to obtain in 10 months – this, of course, is a rapid, very intense program – but to obtain that master’s degree from National University in less than year, I think that is remarkable.”
Anahid Petrosian, vice president and provost for academic affairs at STC, represented the college through the negotiations and signed the MOU on its behalf. In her formal remarks, she thanked those that helped forge the partnership and shared a hopeful vision for the future.
“As we witness the signing of this MOU today, we look forward to a future marked by educational excellence, collaboration and the successful stories of our students,” said Petrosian. “We extend our sincere gratitude to teams of both South Texas College and National University for their dedication to making this collaboration a reality. Together, we can create a conducive environment for learning and contribute to the growth and development of our students and communities.”
Gerardo de los Santos, vice president of community college relations at National University, signed on behalf of the institution. He expressed excitement at the opportunity being created for future students.
“This is about opening doors,” said de los Santos. “This is about expanding access. This is about removing barriers. And, that is very much what National University is all about, and we know that that is what South Texas College is also about.”
In his speech, de los Santos gave a brief overview of National University and its similarities between STC. The college is a minority-serving university with approximately 130,000 students, of which 50,000 are traditional academic learners and 80,000 are completing workforce training or continuing education. One-third of their students are active military and 85 percent of their programs are taught online. Like STC, wrap-around services and engagement are key to student success at the university.
“Our students are very much like your students in that we call them ‘and-ers,’” said de los Santos. “Meaning, that they are students and they are taking care of children. They are students and they are working one to two to three jobs. They are students and they are taking care of their parents. They are students and sometimes they have issues with food insecurity, transportation insecurity, housing insecurity. And so, because of that, we are deeply dedicated to something we call ‘whole human education.’ And, that is we are trying to make educational opportunities as successful as possible, but understanding the diverse needs of our students.”
This year alone, 4000 students earned their bachelor’s degree from STC. Of those students, Petrosian estimates that 20 percent are currently completing their master’s degree and approximately 10 to 15 percent are earning their doctorate.
“We have a large number of bachelor graduates and having them to be able to have a very formal agreement … that’s designed and really with their focus is going to really help them with a much better, seamless transfer,” said Petrosian.
Details, such as the possibility of concurrent enrollment, will still need to be hammered out, but Petrosian says that collaborations like these is what makes STC an exemplar of student-serving colleges. She hopes more students will now be encouraged to take that leap of faith and further their education.
“Most of them, when they start with STC, they don’t think that they can finish a certificate because they always worry that they have to go find a job,” says Petrosian. “But, as they are here, through our own processes, procedures and educational engagement, they start to think ‘well, maybe I can do an associate’s degree.’ They do an associate’s, then they see all around them bachelor students, and think ‘well, why not? Maybe I can do that.’ So, the whole model of community college, they way we help our students, … this is the great thing about it, that we are able to help them out through this journey and give them the confidence they need to move forward.”
