Programs designed to help students complete what they start
At San Jacinto College, student success is at the heart of all they do. You will often hear the College’s Chancellor, Dr. Brenda Hellyer, say, “If our students don’t succeed, we don’t succeed.” With this in mind, the College has designed several initiatives and programs to ensure that students understand their options and choose the right path so they are successful not only in college, but in life as well.
These initiatives and programs vary in scope and size, but all are focused on the student. One of the more recent programs implemented is Intentional Connections. Originally piloted at the North Campus but now expanded to all three San Jacinto College campuses, the program provides guidance and mentoring for an underserved group of students who struggle with core subjects, but want to complete college and improve their lives. Trained faculty members serve as Intentional Connections mentors and work closely with college preparatory students, learning what career fields interest them and analyzing their educational strengths and weaknesses so instruction and programs can be individualized based on the student’s profile.
To learn more, visit sanjac.edu/san-jac-innovations.
“We let students ‘test drive’ different programs prior to enrolling in a course for a full semester,” commented Myrna Valdez, a college preparatory integrated reading and writing professor who helped develop the Intentional Connections program. This test drive allows students to discover if that career path is a good fit.
Another program that has seen tremendous success is Acceleration in Mathematics or AIM. This program, developed by San Jacinto College math faculty, is a one-semester class that allows students to complete two developmental math courses and college algebra at the same time. This award-winning program consistently has a success rate of 64 percent and higher, surpassing the traditional college algebra classes by at least 20 percent.
Other student success initiatives and programs include Men of Honor and Women of Integrity, designed to provide mentoring, guidance and encouragement to Hispanic and African American men and women; credit for prior learning, allowing students who have mastered academic or technical competencies to demonstrate their knowledge for credit in a multitude of content areas; and service learning opportunities that provide co-curricular activities that reinforce classroom instruction and improve the community.
“In addition to these initiatives and programs, we also provide many services to our students, free of charge,” said Dr. Laurel Williamson, deputy chancellor and president. “These include new student orientation, financial aid and flexible payment options, tutoring in all subject areas, student success courses with intense one-on-one faculty advising, a graduation pathway system which allows students to develop and modify educational transfer plans for all state institutions, interview and resume writing skills, counseling and disability services, an Honors program, and so much more. We are a college committed to ensuring the success of each student, and this commitment is reflected in the hard work and dedication of our faculty, staff, and administrators.”
Student success matters at San Jacinto College. Whether a student attends San Jac for the basics in order to transfer to a four-year college or university or enrolls to get the skills needed for a raise or promotion, San Jacinto College is dedicated to seeing that students complete what they start.
– Amanda Fenwick