By Taylor Jensen/news editor

As of 2012, TCC is the sixth-largest college or university in Texas.

As of Sept. 4, TCC’s enrollment has exceeded 50,500 students for the fall semester.

Frank Griffis, the director of public relations and marketing, said that because of the quality of teachers on staff, TCC is quite a bargain.

“Like our students, they often come from a great variety of backgrounds, many with experience in business and others with experience from teaching at notable, upper-level colleges,” he said. “But whether they are adjunct or tenure-track, they bring a joy of teaching, a love of the students and great experience into the classroom.”

TCC is not only convenient, but it is higher education at a lower cost, and approximately 77 percent of TCC students who apply for financial aid receive some type of assistance, Griffis said.

Sherri Mata is the director for the Achieving the Dream initiative at TCC, which focuses on community college student success using various methods of encouragement and academic support.

This semester, Achieving the Dream is implementing new priorities to increase student success, including strengthening the math curriculum and increasing faculty engagement advising, Mata said.

“I feel that TCC’s faculty, staff and administration have worked extremely hard to develop the impressive intervention strategies that we are implementing this upcoming academic year,” she said. “I am certain that this will create an environment of success for our students.”

Noemi Vela, TCC director of college access and community outreach, said the main focus of her department is recruitment for the district.

“Our primary target is high school students. So often, they have the mentality that community college equals an inferior education and feel like they are settling by coming to TCC,” she said. “We are about to start putting out an emphasis of informing the parents of all the great things offered at TCC and that we are so much more affordable than the four-year schools.”

TCC also has agreements with Texas public schools to transfer credits for incoming students, Vela said.
“We can transfer credits from their high school and then to the university of their choice when they are ready,” she said. “This is a huge selling point.”

As someone who attended TCC, Vela said she still recognizes the possibilities that are available for students.

“I am so glad I attended TCC,” she said. “It gave me the skills I needed to be able to survive at a university, not to mention all the money I saved.”