FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2013
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LETTERS TO
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ARTIST HAS BIRD’S-EYE VIEW
PAGE 5C
SPOTLIGHT
SHINE YOUR LIGHT | EAST TEXAS FOOD BANK
BACHELOR’S DEGREE
‘For I was hungry’
TJC, A&M
Commerce
create new
program
BY EMILY GUEVARA
eguevara@tylerpaper.com
Tyler Junior College students will
now have the opportunity to complete
a bachelor’s degree through a partnership with Texas A&M University-Commerce.
The three-year agreement, which officially starts today, will enable the college’s students, even those in technical
programs, to smoothly transition to a
four-year program, according to school
officials.
The program is open to TJC students
with at least 31 credit hours and no
more than 90.
The degree options are a Bachelor of
Applied Arts and Science degree or a
Bachelor of General Studies.
The program could be particularly
appealing and beneficial to students in
workforce programs that traditionally
don’t transfer well to a bachelor’s degree.
DEGREE
>>
PAGE 7A
MICHAEL YANEZ/STAFF
ELKHART ELEMENTARY SCHOOL second-grader Mykah Wood, 6, and Elkhart Elementary School first-grader Joel Wood, 7, happily embrace their food-filled backpacks — given to them by the East Texas Food Bank.
HEALTH & FITNESS
ETFB BackPack Program
helps ease parents’ load
DONATIONS
Food Bank’s volunteers
keep hungry mouths fed
BY KELLY GOOCH
Fit City
Coalition
announces
initiative
BY KELLY GOOCH
kgooch@tylerpaper.com
kgooch@tylerpaper.com
ELKHART — Ranada Balletta’s home was
filled with smiling faces and excitement earlier this week as children delved into backpacks from the East Texas Food Bank.
One by one, the children picked out various food items, seemingly eager to see what
was inside. Two of Ms. Balletta’s children —
Joel Wood, 7, and Mykah Wood, 6 — participate in the food bank’s BackPack Program,
Partner Matching Funds
75,000
$4,415
$79,415
$
Reader contributions
through Thursday
RECIPIENTS >> PAGE 6A
Director: Purpose, service
the greatest blessings
BY DENNIS CULLINANE
COLUMN >> PAGE 7A
VOLUNTEERS
>>
BY COSHANDRA DILLARD
PAGE 6A
cdillard@tylerpaper.com
The Fit City Coalition has a magic
number for its 2014 challenge: 5,210.
They hope to either recruit 5,210 East
Texans into its newest weight loss challenge or garner a combined weight loss
of 5,210 pounds.
The 5-2-1-0 represents another initiative of the Fit City Challenge, which encourages East Texas children to eat five
servings of fruits and vegetables, limit
screen time to two hours, get one hour
of physical activity and drink zero sugary beverages each day.
Coalition members met Thursday to
discuss the details of the group’s second weight-loss challenge, which encourages participants to lose at least 5
percent of their body weight for a
chance to not only get healthy, but to
also win a new car.
The group will be using the previous
contest as a model but will expand
their reach to more East Texas counties.
Total contributions
Special to The Tyler Morning Telegraph
The holiday season is such a special time
of year for families!
Each year the fall leaves bring a time of
thanks and counting the
blessings that we’ve received throughout the
years.
As the days grow
shorter, the season culminates in the rebirth of our
spirit, a renewal of our
faith, commitment to our
family and community.
CULLINANE
My life has been a miracle filled with so many
blessings that it is too easy to overlook the
simple gifts that I receive every day.
Maj. Deal Folmar gets to do what he enjoys — spending time outside and working
on a tractor — all while impacting the lives
of inmates and helping those who are hungry.
The 60-year–old, who is with the Smith
County Sheriff’s Office, has been involved
with the East Texas Food Bank’s garden project for four years.
HOW TO GIVE
To donate to Shine Your Light,
visit TylerPaper.com or ETCF.org to
pay with a credit card, or mail a
check payable to Shine Your Light
c/o East Texas Communities Foundation, 315 N. Broadway Ave.,
Suite 210, Tyler, Texas, 75702. Turn
to Page 2B for the form.
VIDEOS
Visit TylerPaper.com for a video
about the Shine Your Light campaign. Two videos about those
who have benefited from and volunteered with The Salvation Army
also can be seen at TylerPaper.
com.
FIT CITY
>>
PAGE 5A
CLOSER LOOK
MORE INFO
EAST TEXAS | AZLEWAY CHARTER SCHOOL
Azleway school could lose charter, effective June
BY EMILY GUEVARA
an East Texas charter school.
Azleway Charter School is
among six Texas schools slated
About 150 students could be to have its charter revoked after
changing schools after the state they failed to meet certain acaannounced its intention to close demic and financial standards
eguevara@tylerpaper.com
set by the state.
The Texas commissioner of
education notified the campus
through a letter dated Wednesday. In the letter, the commissioner states that the decision is
effective June 30, 2014, and the
school does have the option to
request an informal review regarding the decision.
SCHOOL
>>
PAGE 6A
Kick-off event/initial weigh-ins: 5 to 8
p.m., Jan. 10 to 11 at Broadway Square
Mall
Weighing-in period: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Jan. 10 to March 31, various locations
Weighing-out period: May 19 through
May 31, various locations
Visit: www.lightenupeasttexas.com or
www.facebook.com/LightenUpEast
Texas for more information on rules,
weighing-in locations and updates.
FIND UP-TO-DATE COVERAGE OF EAST TEXAS AT TYLERPAPER.COM
Bible
verse
“And you, child, will be called the
prophet of the Highest; For you will go
before the face of the Lord to prepare
His ways ...” (Luke 1:76)
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FROM 1A
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2013
EAST TEXAS FOOD BANK | QUICK FACTS
LOTTERY RESULTS
AUSTIN — Here are the winning numbers drawn
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TEXAS TWO STEP
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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
‘Duck Dynasty’ fans react
to Robertson’s suspension
The East Texas Food Bank covers 26 East
Texas counties, using a fleet of 10 trucks to
source and distribute food to nearly 200
partner nonprofits.
Did you know that for each $1 that is donated, eight meals can be provided? The
East Texas Food Bank takes each donated
dollar and combines it with other financial
gifts, donated food product and time that
volunteers give to stretch that one dollar to
the maximum.
The East Texas Food Bank distributes over
14 million meals each year.
The East Texas Food Bank serves about
183,000 children, families and seniors each
year.
One in 4 children, 1 in 5 adults and 1 in 7
seniors are at-risk of hunger today in East
Texas.
The East Texas Food Bank exists to fight
hunger and feed hope in East Texas.
ABOUT US
The East Texas Food Bank is a nonprofit
organization with a mission to fight hunger
and feed hope in East Texas. To meet the
needs of the 183,000 clients served, the East
Texas Food Bank partners with agencies
throughout its 26 county service area to distribute food. The East Texas Food Bank has
ten programs: BackPack Program, Kids
Cafe/Snack Program, Child Adult Care Feeding Program, Summer Food Program, Senior
Servings TM, Senior Box Program, Mobile
Pantry, Fresh Produce Program, Nutrition Education and SNAP Outreach designed to
meet the targets of children, adults and seniors. The East Texas Food Bank distributed
over 16 million pounds of food in 2012, providing nearly 14 million meals.
HISTORY
The East Texas Food Bank began as an
idea to provide an adequate supply of food
to serve those in need. In 1988, the East
Texas Food Bank opened its doors and
began partnering with nonprofits to feed
the hungry. In 1992, the East Texas Food
Bank grew and additional warehouse space
was needed. By October of that year, the
East Texas Food Bank moved into its current
facility at 3201 Robertson Road. Expansion
continued in 2005 with the opening of a
new freezer onsite. The East Texas Food Bank
provided more than 148,000 meals upon
opening in 1988. That number has grown to
over 4,000,000 meals provided in 2012.
HOW TO GIVE
Money: For every $1 donated, the East
Texas Food Bank provides up to eight meals.
It relies on gifts from individuals, corporations, foundations, organizations and other
in East Texas and nationwide. There are
many opportunities to give financially such
as: automatic monthly gifts, honorariums
and memorials, corporate gifts, matching
gifts and planned giving. No gift is too small
to make a difference in the lives of those in
need.
Drives: Organize a food drive at your
church, school, civic group or neighborhood
to help and provide non-perishable items
like tuna, pasta and peanut butter, which
families especially need.
Time: The food bank welcomes all volunteers, from individuals to large groups, and
has a project to fit needs. You can pack backpacks, repackage rice or beans, inspect donated food or help with a variety of other
tasks, which will help those who are in need.
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — When the A&E network suspended
“Duck Dynasty” patriarch Phil Robertson for disparaging
gay people, it may have followed a time-honored TV tradition of quickly silencing a star who, for better or worse,
speaks his mind. But in doing so it also ruffled the feathers
of possibly millions of fans of its most popular show.
Fourteen hours after it was learned that Robertson had
been placed on indefinite “hiatus” for telling GQ magazine, among other things, that gays are headed to hell,
more than a half-million people liked an impromptu Facebook page demanding the show be boycotted until he
returns.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who had her picture
taken with Robertson just last month, complained that
his free-speech rights were being trampled. Bobby Jindal,
governor of the state of Louisiana, where the show is
filmed, complained that Miley Cyrus got a pass for twerking on TV while Phil got shown the door.
T-shirts, of course, went on the market with the words
“I Don't Give a Duck About A or E, Bring Back Phil.”
“It's a show that is promoting clean living and good
moral values, and that's something we need more of
today,” one of the program's many fans, Rick Peter, of Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, told The Associated Press.
It's also a show that 67-year-old Robertson, who sports
a beard that seemingly should qualify him for immediate
membership in the rock group ZZ Top, is at the center of.
When or if he'll return — or if he'll ever really go away,
however — is an open question.
TODAY IN HISTORY
Associated Press
Today is Friday, Dec. 20, the 354th day of 2013.
There are 11 days left in the year.
TODAY’S HIGHLIGHT IN HISTORY:
On Dec. 20, 1803, the Louisiana Purchase was completed as ownership of the territory was formally
transferred from France to the United States.
ON THIS DATE:
In 1790, the first successful cotton mill in the
United States began operating at Pawtucket, R.I.
In 1812, German authors Jacob and Wilhelm
Grimm published the first volume of the first edition of
their collection of folk stories, "Children's and Household Tales."
In 1860, South Carolina became the first state to
secede from the Union as all 169 delegates to a special
convention in Charleston voted in favor of separation.
In 1864, Confederate forces evacuated Savannah,
Ga., as Union Gen. William T. Sherman continued his
"March to the Sea."
In 1912, the play “Peg O’ My Heart,” a "comedy of
youth" by John Hartley Manners starring his wife, actress Laurette Taylor, opened on Broadway.
In 1945, the Office of Price Administration announced the end of tire rationing, effective Jan. 1,
1946.
In 1963, the Berlin Wall was opened for the first
time to West Berliners, who were allowed one-day visits to relatives in the Eastern sector for the holidays.
In 1973, singer-songwriter Bobby Darin died in Los
Angeles following open-heart surgery; he was 37.
In 1987, more than 4,300 people were killed when
the Dona Paz, a Philippine passenger ship, collided
with the tanker Vector off Mindoro island.
In 1989, the United States launched Operation Just
Cause, sending troops into Panama to topple the government of Gen. Manuel Noriega.
In 1998, Nkem Chukwu gave birth in Houston to
five girls and two boys, 12 days after giving birth to
another child, a girl.
In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court ruled that homosexual couples were entitled to the same benefits
and protections as wedded couples of the opposite
sex.
TEN YEAR’S AGO:
Spain's prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, paid a surprise visit to Spanish soldiers in Iraq. Friends and relatives of Michael Jackson descended on his Neverland
Ranch to show their support for the entertainer as he
fought child molestation charges.
TODAY’S BIRTHDAYS:
Actor John Hillerman is 81. Original Mouseketeer
Tommy Cole (TV: "The Mickey Mouse Club") is 72. Rock
musician-music producer Bobby Colomby is 69. Rock
musician Peter Criss is 68. Psychic/illusionist Uri Geller
is 67. Producer Dick Wolf ("Law & Order") is 67. Rock
musician Alan Parsons is 65. Actress Jenny Agutter is
61. Actor Michael Badalucco is 59. Actress Blanche
Baker is 57. Rock singer Billy Bragg is 56. Rock singermusician Mike Watt (The Secondmen, Minutemen, is
56. Actor Joel Gretsch is 50. Country singer Kris Tyler is
49. Rock singer Chris Robinson is 47. Actress Nicole deBoer is 43. Movie director Todd Phillips is 43. Singer
David Cook ("American Idol") is 31. Actor Jonah Hill is
30. Singer JoJo is 23.
STAY CONNECTED
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RECIPIENTS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
which provides them with nourishing
items.
They typically receive the backpacks
on Thursdays at school and then take
them home to share with their cousins
and brother. Ms. Balletta said the backpacks contain items such as pretzels,
milk, cereal, juices, peanut butter and
crackers — enough to sustain a child
during the weekend.
She said the food she buys has to last
a month, and she doesn’t purchase many
snacks. Therefore, she is grateful for the
BackPack Program.
Ms. Balletta first became involved
with the program about two and a half or
three years ago. She said a local teacher
talked to her about it, and she learned
that the program provides snacks and
goodies for children to ensure that they
don’t go hungry. At that point, she decided to get on board. She moved to Colorado for a year, but returned to Elkhart
in June.
“At the end of the month, when it’s really really tight and I’ve got two things of
chicken and they have to be for dinner ...
VOLUNTEERS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Under the project, inmates work in a
4-acre garden, located south of Flint.
Produce from the garden, such as tomatoes, okra, corn, peas, potatoes and
squash, is then harvested and passed on
to the food bank.
Since 2010, more than 200,000
pounds of food has come from the garden, according to the food bank. Now,
the food bank is working to expand the
garden project.
Folmar said an additional 5 acres will
be available thanks to Flint Baptist
Church, which donated use of land. He
anticipates that it will be ready in the
spring.
Folmar, who does inmate scheduling, works in the garden and ensures
that plants are purchased and delivered, said he believes volunteers are
needed “in every aspect of life,” and he
chooses to be involved with the food
bank.
SCHOOL
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Gary Duke, CEO of Azleway Inc., the charter holder
for the school, said they will
request this.
The decision to revoke
these charters comes in light
of new state legislation
passed during this year’s session that calls for the commissioner to revoke charters
that “fail to meet academic
or financial accountability
performance ratings for the
three preceding school
years, or any combination
thereof.”
Azleway Charter School,
which has three campuses,
received an “Academically
Unacceptable” rating during
the 2010-11 school year and
a financial accountability
performance rating of “Substandard Achievement” during the 2011-12 and 2012-13
school years, according to
the letter.
As part of the decision,
the commissioner has assigned Eddie Milham to
serve as Texas Education
Agency conservator for the
school.
The conservator role will
include the following: overseeing the financial management and governance of the
charter school to ensure it
complies with state and federal law; attending board
meetings, including executive session, and directing
the board as necessary to address the findings in the final
report; and overseeing all
close-out activities at the
school, according to TEA information.
TEA staff will be present
at the next meeting of the
school’s board of trustees to
introduce the conservator to
the board.
CLOSER LOOK
MORE INFO
Additional information about the BackPack Program is available at www.east
texasfoodbank.org/Programs/Back
PackProgram.
this will tide them over during the day,”
she said.
The 32-year-old mother, who works as
a caretaker, said the program means a lot
and takes away stress because she doesn’t have to choose between groceries
and other necessities for her children.
“It’s a wonderful program,” Ms. Balletta said. “The people are really nice. It’s
not a hand out; it’s a hand up.”
She said it also means that her children don’t have to worry about food.
When she was a child, she said her
mother was too proud to get on food
stamps, and she recalls sitting by the refrigerator with her brother and crying because she was hungry.
“I don’t want that to ever happen to
my kids …,” she said. “I know that on
Thursdays the backpack is coming and
that they’re going to have snacks … for
the weekend.”
CLOSER LOOK
MORE INFO
For information on volunteer programs
at the East Texas Food Bank, visit
www.easttexasfoodbank.org/GiveTime.
He said there was a need at the food
bank for fresh vegetables and produce,
and he saw an opportunity to use what
he learned growing up on a farm.
“Being from the farming background
in my childhood, I guess it was exciting
to get to put some of my talent to work
in helping the community,” he said.
“It’s not only a sense of accomplishment, but it gives you a sense of helping
people, and … one of my things is giving
back to the community. I know that any
vegetable that goes to the food bank is
going to help feed a hungry family or a
hungry person. It’s just exciting to be a
part of it,” Folmar added.
Smith County Sheriff’s Office
spokesman John Moore said many in-
“Just little meals that I know will keep
them tied over until I’ve got dinner
ready,” she added.
Mykah and Joel said they look forward to receiving the food.
When asked what she’d say to principals, teachers and counselors who set
everything up, her response was, “Thank
you.”
She said they are welcome to come
by and see how well the program has
worked for her family.
“The worst thing as a parent is to
come home and realize ‘Hey, I don’t have
enough. What am I going to do?’” Ms.
Balletta said.
As for those who donate to the program, she said, “Thank you for your time
and donating.”
“Children do enjoy it. I probably
couldn’t say ‘Thank you’ enough,” Ms.
Balletta said.
And for those thinking about getting
involved with the BackPack Program,
she noted that the other children at
school don’t see who is receiving the
backpacks, and that “It’s not a crime to
need a little extra help.”
According to the food bank, more
than 4,500 children participate in the
BackPack program, which costs $162
per child per year.
mates who go out to the garden haven’t
had a job or don’t have a sense of responsibility or skill sets, for whatever
reason, and Folmar is able to give them
his knowledge and skills.
“It’s not just people that are benefiting directly from the food that’s grown,
but you’ve got a whole set of people that
go out here, and they’re learning how to
do something probably for the first
time — realizing that they can positively
impact somebody else instead of negatively impacting somebody else — and
that directly goes back to the major and
what he’s teaching them,” Moore said.
But Folmar is not the only East
Texas Food Bank volunteer. According
to the food bank, more than 7,800 people volunteer each year.
East Texas Food Bank Executive Director Dennis Cullinane said volunteers
are critical to the organization. He said
he believes volunteering means something different to everyone, whether
they are doing it for community service,
have the time to devote to helping hungry East Texans or come in with their
family.
CLOSER LOOK
MORE INFO
The six charter schools recommended for revocation
of their charter under Senate Bill 2 are:
■ American Youthworks
(Austin)
■ Azleway Charter School
(Tyler)
■ Honors Academy (Farmers Branch)
■ Jamie’s House Charter
rate entities. There are the
boys homes and the charter
school. Though they operate
side-by-side, in a sense, they
are officially two separate
entities, and the commissioner’s decision deals solely
with the charter school.
Azleway Charter School
operates three campuses:
Chapel Hill, Big Sandy and
Willow Bend. The commissioner’s decision affects the
school as a whole, which
means all three campuses.
Gary Duke, CEO of Azleway Inc., the charter holder
for the school, said Thursday
that 152 students from elementary school through high
school attend the school.
These students can range
in age from 6 to 23. The vast
majority of them are in the
managing conservatorship of
the Texas Department of
Family and Protective Services. This means they were
removed from the care of a
parent or other guardian and
the state now acts as their
guardian.
Many of these children
have been abused, neglected,
abandoned or otherwise
traumatized, Duke said.
A lot of them have learning disabilities or emotional
disturbances, and they have
had a difficult time functioning in the traditional public
school system. Therefore,
WHAT IS AZLEWAY?
they attend school at AzleAzleway spans two sepa- way.
School (Houston)
■ Koinonia Community
Learning Academy (Houston)
■ Richard Milburn Academy (Suburban Houston
Campus)
Source: Texas Education
Agency
About two-thirds of the
school’s students are classified as special education and
that is part of the challenge,
Duke said.
As an example, they might
have a student who, based
on their age should be in high
school, but based on their academic ability in a particular
subject is a third-grader.
Duke said it is virtually
impossible to get that student to meet the state’s academic standards, at least in a
year’s time.
That being said, the campus does make great
progress with its students,
sometimes advancing them
by two grade levels in one
school year, Duke said. However, that’s not enough if the
student is behind by several
more grade levels.
Duke said all of the teachers are certified and described them as competent.
“The kids are also getting
a very wonderful education,”
he said.
lems under former administrators.
Several years ago, the
school received a large grant
to provide additional services for the students.
With those funds, the
school’s administration hired
additional staff, but didn’t
monitor the funding as well
as they should have, Duke
said.
When the money ran out,
the school continued to pay
the additional staff resulting
in it reaching financial insolvency.
In cooperation with the
Texas Education Agency, the
school developed a plan to
address its financial situation
and met and continues to
meet the requirements of
that plan, Duke said.
In order to be considered
“financially solvent,” the
school needs to have at least
90 days worth of operating
capital on hand, Duke said.
Although they don’t yet have
that, they are working toward it.
Duke said there has been
a change in the school’s administration and the school’s
administrators are working
to resolve the issues.
Duke said regardless of
the TEA’s decision, they’re
“going to ensure that (the)
kids receive an appropriate
education.”
If the charter ultimately is
revoked, the students likely
would be placed in the public school system, he said.
They must attend school at
an accredited educational institution.
Despite what people
might think about the school
because of the state’s decision, Duke said it’s a good
place.
“It’s a very unfortunate situation for the kids because
we want to provide them
with the best educational
system that we can,” he said.
ADDRESSING CHALLENGES
Although the decision to
revoke the charter came as a
surprise to the school administration, the campus was addressing some of the
challenges that are cited
among the reasons for its potential closure.
Regarding the school’s
poor financial ratings, Duke Staff Writer Faith Harper contributed
said the school got into prob- to this report.
FROM 1A
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2013
the vision of a generous
group of community leaders
in providing a regional food
banking solution to support
the food pantries, soup
kitchens and other hunger-relief partners serving East Texans.
Throughout the past 25
years, we have grown to support 26 counties across a territory of nearly 20,000 square
miles and have evolved near
the top quartile of the over
200 Feeding America food
banks in total food distribution
Sadly, the underlying reason for our growth has not
been pleasant news.
In light of the economic recovery, the number of people
in our communities that are
reaching out to our partners
for help in providing meals
for their families has nearly
doubled since 2006 and continues to rise.
The good news is that
today the East Texas Food
Bank is more capable than
ever in meeting these needs.
I have been deeply
touched and inspired by the
selfless dedication of our
donors, board and staff who
have given throughout the
lifetime of this organization.
During this season, I hope
that you will join with me to
celebrate our work, pray for
our neighbors who are struggling to feed their families
and bless those who have
given compassionately to
Fight Hunger and Feed Hope
in East Texas.
COLUMN
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
My greatest blessing has
been the discovery of my purpose in life at an early age —
feeding people. It’s what I
love and what I’ve always
wanted to do. From the beginning as a busboy through a
successful career in contract
food service, I’ve never lost
my commitment to this purpose.
Something in us changes
as we mature along life’s path.
In passing the midpoint of my
life, I felt strongly compelled
to reaffirm my purpose, visualize my legacy and assess my
contributions to society.
Through spending time as a
volunteer, I discovered a
more fulfilling way to use my
talent for feeding people.
Like most of us, I was unaware of the struggle that almost 1 in 5 Americans face
every day in putting food on
their tables. I didn’t see this
need as it was not part of my
world of abundance.
The experience of feeding
those in need during Thanksgiving meals in Houston and
feeling the impact of serving
individual families in California were humbling to me.
I started to open my eyes
to all that I’d overlooked before and wanted to help. I received an opportunity to
redirect my career and was
presented with the chance to
return to Texas and follow
that passion by leading the
Dennis Cullinane is executive director
East Texas Food Bank.
I don’t believe in coinci- of the East Texas Food Bank.
dences, and when the board
of directors hired me, I knew
it was a divine calling.
What an amazing organization!
This year marks the East
Texas Food Bank’s 25th anniversary of excellence in
being the conduit through
which a very generous community expresses love, kindness and care for its food
insecure neighbors.
From the seeds of our
or visit
birth in the mid-1980s, the
East Texas Food Bank was
DEGREE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1A
Under this partnership, a student’s
workforce courses would count toward their bachelor’s degree.
The courses they would take
through TAMU-Commerce would be
geared toward preparing them to be
effective managers and leaders in
their chosen field.
“We’re very pleased to enter this
partnership with Tyler Junior College,” TAMU-Commerce President
Dan R. Jones said during the announcement Thursday. “It’s all about
opportunities. It’s all about laying out
options for students, multiple options
for completing (a) four-year baccalaureate degree.”
The university plans to have a fulltime staff person working on the TJC
main campus starting next fall.
TAMU-Commerce courses will be
offered to TJC students online or
through hybrid courses, which combine online and face-to-face classes.
In order to jump start the program,
the university is offering scholarships
to qualifying students.
They have $1,000 scholarships
available for students who start the
program in the spring and enroll in
up to six hours. This is made possible
through donations from TAMU-Commerce alumni in Smith County.
Students who enroll in 15 semester credit hours and meet certain criteria will be eligible for general
transfer scholarships of up to $2,000
per year.
In addition, honors students also
can apply for Phi Theta Kappa scholarships.
TJC President Dr. Mike Metke said
through this program the college will
TYLERPAPER.COM
expand its opportunities with degrees that normally haven’t been
transferable.
He said the college has an articulation agreement with Stephen F.
Austin State University that eases the
transfer process for TJC students
who choose to go there.
Metke said although The University of Texas at Tyler has the capacity
to offer this degree, they had not
worked out issues related to credit
hour transfers. However, he said the
university remains a primary partner
for the college. A spokeswoman for
UT Tyler said President Dr. Rod
Mabry was unavailabe for comment
Thursday.
Metke said this new partnership
with TAMU-Commerce will allow the
two schools to meet an unmet need.
“This creates a new pathway, and
it’s a very clear pathway to a fouryear degree,” he said.
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