Texas State joins SA colleges in Alamo Center initiative

Posted by University News Service

July 28, 2010

The Randolph Metrocom community joined higher education leaders and state and local officials to celebrate the grand opening of the Alamo University Center July 28. The center is a collaborative effort between the Alamo Colleges and five local universities—Texas State University-San Marcos, St. Mary’s University, Texas A&M University-San Antonio, the University of the Incarnate Word and Wayland Baptist University.

It is located within the Alamo Colleges 75,000-square-foot facility at 8300 Pat Booker Road in Live Oak, which houses classrooms, labs and offices for the University Center as well as the district’s Student Financial Services office and the Center for Student Information. The partner universities will offer more than 20 programs of study beginning this fall. Projected enrollment for the Fall 2010 semester in about 375 students, with steady growth expected in both students and the programs offered over the next several years.

“The Alamo University Center is the result of the long and fruitful collaboration between the Metrocom community and the Alamo Colleges,” said Alamo Colleges Chancellor Dr. Bruce Leslie. “It is the latest partnership of many we have undertaken to expand higher education opportunities in our service area, in keeping with the state’s Closing the Gaps initiative whose goal is to increase the number of students in Texas completing a college education,” he added.

Texas State President Denise Trauth said she was delighted that the university is a founding member of the Alamo University Center and joins the partnership with experience in such endeavors.

“We were a founding partner in a similar initiative in Round Rock, and that institution has been incredibly successful,” said Trauth. “We open our second permanent building on a 100-acre campus next month. We have experience in the cooperation necessary to make a multi institution teaching center work.”

The University Center is designed to provide the residents of the Alamo Colleges service area convenient access to bachelor’s degree programs that complement the associate degrees offered by the Alamo Colleges. Students also will have access to master’s degree programs to help residents advance in their careers and will help meet the workforce needs of employers located in the Alamo Colleges’ service area and adjacent areas.