Center for P-16 Initiatives plans grand opening

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
December 15, 2010

The Center for P-16 Initiatives will host a grand opening celebration on Friday, Jan. 28 on the Texas State University-San Marcos campus. The center is located in Brazos Hall and currently houses three programs: Generation Texas, G-Force Mentorship, and the P-16 Initiatives head office.

Under the guidance of Michelle Pope, the center is designed to address three main agendas: early childhood readiness, college access and work development, and community engagement with non-duplication of resources. Overall, the center aims to make the process of upward mobility transparent for the San Marcos community, and to ultimately close the achievement gaps.

"The Center for P-16 Initiatives has two primary areas of focus for its programs. One area of focus involves educational and collaborative community outreach initiatives with partners under SOAR (Seeking Opportunities Achieving Results)," Pope said. "Outreach programs have focused on initiatives such as an annual book drive for children under the age of six, the San Marcos Education Fair, and FAFSA workshops for parents. The second area of focus involves college access and success for underrepresented groups to increase college going rates and persistence."

The Center for P-16 Initiatives refers to pre-kindergarten through the four years of undergraduate work after high-school, hence P-16.

A major element of the grassroots action coming from the center is the G-Force mentorship program. There are over thirty G-Force mentors who are stationed at five local high-schools and the San Marcos Public library. The mentors assist with FAFSA, college entrance, and scholarship applications. However, often their job duties go far beyond the logistical as they provide mentorship on any questions or concerns that students may have.

Generation Texas is a government-sponsored movement also housed in the Center for P-16 Initiatives. Generation Texas, or GenTX, aims to be the epicenter of a cultural transformation in San Marcos, whereas higher-education is a priority in each household, and college-mindedness a family tradition. Part of the effort of Generation Texas is realized in the official website www.GenTX.org that serves as a central hub for all things regarding higher-education.

For more information, call (512) 245-8192.