By Martin Paredes/south news editor

South’s construction management technology program has become the 12th college in the U.S. and only the second in the state that can boast about offering a nationally accredited associate degree in construction management technology. 

South President Peter Jordan praised the program for its most recent accomplishment.

“The construction management technology program is a wonderful example of the great communications and mentoring that happens between faculty and students across South Campus,” he said.

Program coordinator Orlando Bagcal spoke of his satisfaction.

“I am proud and delighted of the accomplishment we have achieved knowing that it pays back all our hard work,” he said. “Through this accreditation, the construction management technology program demonstrated that the quality and standard of education offered at TCC is on par with other well-known colleges and universities around the nation that offer the same degree.”

Bagcal shined some light on the “stringent” and “arduous” accreditation process.

“First and foremost was to develop a curriculum that will comply with the minimum requirements of the ACCE,” he said. “[Help] from faculty, staff, students and the industry advisory committee was made in order to achieve the ACCE curriculum which took a lot of research and study since it does not provide much room for flexibility to accommodate all the courses required by the accrediting agency.”

After a 2011 preliminary self-evaluation and a 2013 full self-evaluation were completed, the CMT program became a candidate for accreditation via an on-campus evaluation.

“Three months after our full self-evaluation submission, we heard from ACCE that the board members approved for an actual site visit,” he said.

In September 2014, the program was judged to determine if its AAS in Construction Management Technology degree would become accredited.

When Bagcal took over the program in 2007, he aimed to achieve five main goals.

”I wanted there to be a steady increase in enrollment, increase employment rate through industry partnerships, community involvement and services, students’ exposure through local and national competition, and I wanted national accreditation of the program,” he said.

Since then, the program grew from 25-35 students to over 130 today.

The past three years have had a 90-100 percent hire rate for graduating students.

The CMT program has been involved in the community through programs such as Habitat for Humanity, Arlington Life Shelter, DOT Adopt-A-Highway and Fort Worth Cowtown Brush Up.

The program has also won awards at the IBS-National Residential Construction Management competition and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) International Builders’ Show. Bagcal’s last goal was met earlier this year.

2015 graduating student Nicholas Rex stressed the impact his instructors had.

“The biggest factor by far would have to be the dedication of the instructors,” he said. “A number of the instructors have careers outside of TCC, and they make themselves available to the students to help encourage them toward success. Their hard work does not go unnoticed.”

First-year student Trenton Crouch echoed his classmate’s praises.

“The instructors put so much effort into helping every person in their class in any way possible,” he said. “They are a great part of why this program has become nationally accredited.”