Tarrant County College and Baylor will be signing a transfer agreement at 10 a.m. today on Tarrant Campus.
The agreement will add TCC as the 9th college in the Baylor Bound partnership. This allows students to have access to Baylor advisers, online degree requirement guides, special mailings and access to the Baylor Library interlibrary loan system. Students in the program will also be able to apply for scholarships available to transfer students after completing degree requirements at TCC.
President and Chancellor Ken Starr and Chancellor Angela Robinson of TCC will be present to sign the agreement. They, along with Janet Hahn, Baylor alumna and TCC board member, will be making remarks at the event.
The Baylor Bound program was put into motion by several parts of the Baylor Administration. Undergraduate Education, the Provost’s Office, Undergraduate admissions and Financial Aid are among those involved. Dr. Wesley Null, vice provost for undergraduate education, serves as a forerunner for the organization.
“I would say I’m mostly the quarterback of the team that’s just coordinating all the various offices that have a role to play,” Null said. “It takes a large team of wonderful people to make these things happen.”
Planning for the agreement began in late August, Null said. Following the initial meeting, details of the agreement have been under negotiation. This includes course equivalency and major academic maps, which help students plan accordingly during their years at TCC. After outlining the program, planning for the signing events began about six weeks ago.
Baylor Bound is structured for those who would like to stay at home longer, slowly grow into the college lifestyle or save money when taking classes, Null said.
“As a nation, we depend on a strong system of higher education to prepare students for success in an increasingly global economy. For many, a community college can be the preferred access point for a college education and an important first step to economic mobility,” Starr said at a previous transfer agreement with Tyler Junior College.
This links to Pro Futuris, Baylor’s 5-year plan to expand upon and continues the school’s mission “to educate men and women for worldwide leadership and service by integrating academic excellence and Christian commitment within a caring community.”
“Under Pro Futuris, it’s particularly tied to the accessibility and affordability dimensions of our goals,” Null said.
Another aspect of accessibility Baylor Bound caters to is the addition of colleges based not only by merit, but also by location.
“Our initial plan was to look at the state of Texas geographically and make sure that we’ve covered all the major regions of Texas so that students have a path regardless of where they live in the state,” Null said.
The next additions to the programs will be Texas State University and Amarillo College, covering more Texas ground. The program is currently planning on having 12 schools total in the Baylor Bound program, but the last school has yet to be chosen.
