Latest news with #TexasStateTechnicalCollege
Bloomberg
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Trade War? No Problem—If You Run a Trade School
By In the past 15 years, hundreds of factories with thousands of new jobs have popped up along the Interstate 35 corridor in central Texas. Among them is a $17 billion plant under construction by Samsung Austin Semiconductor in Williamson County, north of the state capital. It won't open until next year, but it's already set off a mini building boom among potential suppliers and other South Korean companies that want to be nearby. Beyond proximity to the new plant, industrial companies are drawn to the region for its cheap land, light regulatory touch, lack of corporate income tax and—increasingly—a local population with the know-how to perform complicated manufacturing processes. Many of the workers who join that plant (and others in the state) will likely have gone through the labs and classrooms at Texas State Technical College, a vocational school with its flagship campus in Waco, about halfway between Austin and Dallas. There, and at TSTC's 10 other locations, students train for careers running the array of systems that power modern factories and other industrial facilities, often learning on the same equipment they'll find on the job. They can earn a certificate in as few as two semesters and an associate degree in four; others already in the industry sign up for shorter programs to refine their skills midcareer.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Once again targeting higher ed, Texas lawmakers limited faculty influence, campus speech this session
Texas Republican lawmakers continued their carrot-and-stick approach to higher education during this year's legislative session, pressuring public universities into abandoning what they view as progressive policies. As in 2023, they opened with threats to withhold hundreds of millions in funding unless universities aligned more closely with their conservative vision of higher education. In the end, lawmakers left that pool of money alone, but the pressure may help explain why university leaders held back from commenting publicly on some of the most controversial proposals brought forward this session. One new law will shift power away from faculty — who have often resisted GOP leaders' recent efforts to push schools to the right — by giving governor-appointed university regents more control over curriculum and hiring. It will also create an office to monitor schools' compliance with the new law and the existing ban on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, which could lead to funding cuts for schools found in violation. Lawmakers also responded to pro-Palestinian protests with bills that limit how students can express themselves on campus and require schools to use a definition of antisemitism in disciplinary proceedings. Meanwhile, university officials were vocal about the need for a law allowing them to directly pay student athletes for the use of their name, image and likeness, which they said will be essential to help their athletic programs remain competitive. Lawmakers signed off on this and other less controversial higher ed measures, such as transferring the University of Houston-Victoria to the Texas A&M University System, proposing a constitutional amendment to fund repairs at Texas State Technical College and tweaking the community college funding model to better support students. About 1.4 million students are enrolled across Texas's public higher education system in the fall of 2024. It comprises 36 universities, 50 community and junior college districts, one technical college system, and 14 health-related institutions. Here's how new legislation approved this year will impact them. Senate Bill 37 could have a profound impact on how universities are run and what students can learn. The sweeping legislation gives public university systems' boards of regents, which are appointed by the governor, new authority to approve or deny the hiring of top university administrators and reject courses that do not align with the state's workforce demands. Traditionally, faculty senates have advised university administrators on academic matters and hiring decisions. But in recent years, some Republicans have increasingly criticized faculty members, viewing them as obstacles to their efforts to reshape higher education. SB 37 also creates an ombudsman's office within the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. It will have the power to investigate complaints that universities and colleges aren't following the new law or the state's DEI ban, as well as recommend funding cuts for violators. Supporters say the office will bring needed accountability, while the American Association of University Professors contends that, without due process protections, it is ripe for abuse. Initially, the bill would have barred any course that advocates that one race, sex, ethnicity or religious belief is superior to another. But lawmakers struck that provision after the AAUP warned it would chill classroom discussions on complex and controversial topics. 'Even with that small victory, SB 37 will put what we teach in the hands of political appointees rather than the hands of faculty who have studied these subjects and understand their nuance,' said Brian Evans, president of the Texas Conference of the AAUP. 'The passage of SB 37 is a dark day for Texas colleges and universities, with many more to come.' The law also requires regents at each university system to decide by Sept. 1 whether their schools' faculty senates can continue to operate. If allowed, the legislation requires that the bodies are capped at 60 members, and half of them must be appointed by administrators. This session came in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests on college campuses across the nation and the start of President Donald Trump's second term in the White House. Trump has said universities did not do enough to protect Jewish students during the protests, and Texas Republicans shared his concern. They passed legislation that will restrict protesting on campus, especially at night or in the last two weeks of a semester. Specifically, Senate Bill 2972 bars anyone who participates in a protest from using microphones or other amplification devices during class hours if it intimidates others or interferes with campus operations or police work. They will also be prohibited from wearing disguises and erecting tents, and will have to identify themselves when asked by a university official or police. That bill is headed to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk, but the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is urging him to veto it. The group told Abbott that the bill's scope is so broad that it would prohibit students from wearing a Make America Great Again hat on campus between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Abbott, who called last year's pro-Palestinian protests 'hate filled,' has until June 22 to decide whether to veto the proposal; otherwise, it will become law. He has already signed into law Senate Bill 326, which requires that schools use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition and examples of antisemitism when considering disciplining a student. Free speech advocates say that definition and those examples conflate criticism of the Israeli government with antisemitism. Abbott has also signed a law allowing Texas public universities to directly pay student athletes for the use of their name, likeness and image. The governor signed the legislation on June 5 and it became effective immediately. The next day, a judge approved a settlement that ended claims that the National Collegiate Athletic Association was illegally limiting the earning power of student athletes. Texas Tech and Texas A&M University systems publicly pushed lawmakers to act in anticipation of that settlement and an NCAA rule change. Under House Bill 126, athletes 17 or older can receive payments from their school after they are enrolled and participating in their sports program. Lawmakers answered the call from Victoria residents to transfer a small college there from the University of Houston system to the Texas A&M system. Residents have pushed for this since at least 2011. Proponents say the move will stabilize the university's declining enrollment and allow it to offer agribusiness and engineering programs that the local economy requires. Legislators also passed Senate Joint Resolution 59, which would create an endowment for the underfunded Texas State Technical College. If voters approve it as a constitutional amendment on Nov. 4, TSTC will receive money to fix its infrastructure and grow its presence across the state. In 2023, similar legislation passed through the Legislature with bipartisan support, but was among the slew of bills Abbott vetoed to signal his disappointment with the House and Senate's inability to find a compromise over property taxes during the regular legislative session. This year, the effort to give technical colleges a funding boost nearly got caught in political crosshairs again, when House Democrats threatened to shoot down all constitutional amendments over school vouchers. Republican state lawmakers were less successful than the Trump administration in targeting international and undocumented students — at least legislatively. After the Trump administration began revoking the visas and legal immigration status of international students who it said had participated in Pro-Palestinian demonstrations or were charged with a crime, the Texas Senate passed a measure that would have required universities to suspend and report to the federal government international students who are 'publicly endorsing or espousing terrorist activity related to an ongoing conflict.' But the House did not consider it. Another bill proposed this year sought to repeal a 2001 law that allows undocumented students who have lived for some time in Texas and promised to take steps toward becoming legal residents to pay in-state college tuition. The measure advanced out of committee for the first time in a decade, but stalled before a full vote. Advocates for undocumented students were relieved, but it was short-lived. Two days after the legislative session ended, the Trump administration sued Texas, claiming the policy discriminated against U.S. citizens. Texas did not defend its law in court and now as many as 19,000 students are facing higher tuition bills in the fall. Ultimately, the 2025 session mirrored 2023 in pairing threats to defund universities over DEI with a continued push for more performance-based funding. Lawmakers opened the session by proposing to zero out the institutional enhancement fund, a $423 million line item from the last budget cycle. They argued universities remained 'too [DEI] and leftist-focused.' Though the fund isn't universities' sole source of revenue, school leaders warned that losing it would harm student success and academic programs, especially because Abbott had barred tuition increases to offset the cut. Universities have struggled to please anyone on the DEI front: Legislators claim the schools haven't done enough to comply with the state's DEI ban, while students and faculty say they've overcomplied. Last year, leaders from all seven of Texas' public university systems testified and described in writing how they had laid off or reassigned staff, closed offices and eliminated certain training and programs tied to DEI. In the end, lawmakers restored the institutional enhancement fund but said future funding will be based on the universities' performance. It is unclear what metrics lawmakers might consider implementing to evaluate universities or whether they'll want to create a similar system like the one used for community colleges. A 2023 reform changed how Texas measures community colleges' performance. Their funding used to be based on their enrollment numbers; now they receive money based on the number of job credentials, degrees or certificates their students complete. Legislators refined that law this year in the hope that it will help connect more Texans to higher education. Under Senate Bill 1786, community colleges will receive funds when their students transfer to private universities, not just public ones. This will help schools like McLennan Community College, which has a strong pipeline to Baylor University next door. SB 1786 also narrows the definition of a 'credential of value,' tying it more closely to wage-related returns on investment for students and to labor market needs. Finally, the bill clarifies that students in the Windham School District, the high school education system in Texas prisons, qualify for the FAST grant, which waives the cost of dual credit courses. The state has just five years to meet its goal of getting 60% of Texas adults a postsecondary degree or credential. The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage. Disclosure: Baylor University, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University System and University of Houston have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. Big news: 20 more speakers join the TribFest lineup! New additions include Margaret Spellings, former U.S. secretary of education and CEO of the Bipartisan Policy Center; Michael Curry, former presiding bishop and primate of The Episcopal Church; Beto O'Rourke, former U.S. Representative, D-El Paso; Joe Lonsdale, entrepreneur, founder and managing partner at 8VC; and Katie Phang, journalist and trial lawyer. Get tickets. TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
TSTC Abilene Campus to launch new facility with trade programs
ABILENE, Texas () – Texas State Technical College (TSTC) Abilene Campus is nearing completion of a new facility that will provide new programs to meet the increasing demand for trade workers in the Big Country. The Big Country is seeing an ever-expanding growth of new industries and infrastructure, and with that growth comes a need for workers. Texas State Technical College in Abilene is using that need as a new opportunity for expansion with its campus. The project began for an additional building for TSTC classes in April of 2024 and has seen lightning movement with its construction. This 52,800 square foot building came with a total project cost of $30.3 million and is looking to open its doors very soon. To help pay for this project, TSTC was allocated funding through the Capital Construction Assistance Projects, under Senate Bill 52, during the 87th Texas Legislative Session in 2021, for expansion projects at 7 of the 10 campuses across the state. With the new facility also comes new programs of study, and Provost for TSTC West Texas, Andy Weaver, outlined what those new programs will be. 'In this building, we're going to be adding diesel technology, electrical line worker, plumbing, and HVAC. It's going to be an exciting offer, and it's serving a lot of our industry partners across the region,' Weaver said. Weaver went on to outline how TSTC prides itself on having the tools to bring real-world scenarios into the classroom for more in-depth student learning. One example of this is the state-of-the-art ambulance simulator, which is only found in a few select locations across the globe, and which TSTC students in medical studies have already been using. This new campus will be no different. The plumbing program will have a pit inside the facility filled with dirt and a variety of pipe layouts to simulate plumbers having to locate and repair pipes in the field. Weaver spoke about another addition to their Electrical Lineworker program that will be used as a teaching aid while prioritizing the safety of the students. 'We've already built the pole yard for that program. And then behind the building, there will be a short pole yard where students will be able to learn how to do the work at the top of the pole without having to climb to the top of the pole,' Weaver said The construction is expected to be completed by July of this year, allowing students to attend the new facility starting in the fall semester of 2025. Weaver stated that they are preparing for the new students and are actively working to ensure everything is ready for their arrival. 'We've already began accepting applications. We're already working those applications. We already have some students enrolled in those programs. We are absolutely pushing to get more applicants. Right now, we need more applicants, want more applicants. But we're headed in the right direction,' Weaver said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Harlingen school trustee Jaimez wins fourth term; Batot to fill Place 3
May 6—HARLINGEN — After winning his fourth term, school board trustee Eladio Jaimez is planning to work with officials as they try to pull the school district out of its deepest financial crisis in decades. In the crowded race to fill outgoing board President Greg Powers' Place 3 seat, Rebekah "Bekah" Herrmann Batot was victorious with 1,520 votes to Diana Cortez Young's 1,387. Laura Longoria accounted for 419 ballots in that race, while Linda R. Gonzales secured 289. In the race for the board's Place 7 seat, Jaimez, a Texas State Technical College provost, pulled 2,049 votes, or 57.9%, to defeat Lorraine De Leon-Galarza, a retired registered nurse, who took 1,485 votes, or 42%. "It was the ability to connect with people and build meaningful and working relationships that I credit with our success," Jaimez said in a Facebook post. During his campaign, Jaimez was called to respond to residents' concerns months after the district budget's fund balance plunged during former Superintendent J.A. Gonzalez's administration. "The board took a hit this past year and we've had to work hard to earn that trust back from our community," Jaimez said in his post. In the last eight months, the school board's worked with Superintendent Veronica Kortan and officials to cut costs while boosting the district's fund balance from about $17.5 million to $36.7 million. "I talked to a lot of folks from our community on the campaign trail, and while some instances were easier than others, I was able to connect with many and strengthen and/or mend those relationships," Jaimez said in his post. "Throughout the day on Saturday, and as results came in, I was very grateful to our community. So to the entire Harlingen-HCISD community, I thank you for your continued confidence in me. I will continue to be humble and work hard for you." After 15 years in office, Powers announced his "bittersweet" decision against running for a sixth term in January, opening up his Place 3 seat to a four-candidate scramble. Powers' decision against running for reelection opened up his seat to one of the district's most contested races in years, with many residents speaking out against the school board as officials worked to pull the district out of its financial crisis. ------ Editor's note: This story and headline was updated to correct the outcome of the Place 3 race. Featured Local Savings
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
TSTC graduates celebrate, look forward to life's next chapter
May 1—ABILENE — With cheers and applause, friends, family and classmates celebrated the accomplishments of Texas State Technical College's Spring 2025 graduating class on Wednesday, April 30. A majority of the students, when their name was announced, noted that they will begin their careers within the industry they studied. One of those students is Tyler Flippen, who earned an Associate of Applied Science degree in Electrical Power and Controls and is going to work at German printing press manufacturer Koenig & Bauer. "Tonight is a milestone that shows that a lot of hard work has paid off," he said. "This is the first reward of knowing the importance of getting our education." Garrett Deroche, who earned a certificate of completion in Welding Technology, already has two job offers to consider and knows that TSTC is the reason why. "Thanks to TSTC, I am going to have a lot of success in life," he said. "I am a better welder, and I am a better teammate." Yvette Escobedo, who received her Associate of Applied Science degree in Paramedic, has a long-range goal. She plans to work for the next few years and then pay her career forward. "I hope that one day I can come back to TSTC and teach the program," she said. Escobedo, who earlier in the day received an Emergency Medical Services program award for outstanding contributions during her time at TSTC, said her classmates became her second family. "We have gone through the trenches together," she said. "We are excited to see where everyone is going to go." Brandy Bird, who received a certificate of completion in Environmental Compliance, knows where she is going to go next. "I am coming back in the fall to study the safety side (of the Occupational Safety and Environmental Compliance program)," she said. Bird said the program meant many things to her, but earning her certificate of completion is an accomplishment that she is most proud of. "This program was a lot of crying, stress and late nights, but it was fun," she said. Registration for TSTC's summer and fall semesters is underway. For more information, go to
