A&M–Central Texas Adopts Early College High School Campus
By Jonathan Petty,
Director, Enrollment Marketing and Communications –
Anthony Simmons (from left) program manager for early college initiatives at A&M–Central Texas, along with Director of the Writing and Learning Center Chad Pettit and Associate Registrar Caroline Williams take a quick selfie at the Killeen Early College High School graduation at the Cadence Bank Center.
As Killeen Early College High School (ECHS) students crossed the graduation stage last week, they probably didn’t noticed a few extra faces in the crowd. They weren’t parents, guardians, or relatives, but rather a group of interested Texas A&M University–Central Texas employees. They were representative of the university’s recent pledge to support ECHS through the Adopt-A-Campus program at Killeen Independent School District (KISD).
While some of those seniors may never get to know the faculty and staff at A&M–Central Texas, ECHS students moving forward will see the benefits of the university’s commitment to supporting their success.
A&M–Central Texas is the first college or university to participate in the Adopt-A-Campus program with KISD. Primarily, campus adopters have been Ft. Hood Military Units. The program helps students reach their maximum potential by providing additional resources and expertise vital to improving student success.
Caroline Williams, associate registrar and president of the university’s staff council, said A&M–Central Texas is excited to connect with ECHS students, providing additional educational benefits. She said the university has already made commitments for the upcoming year.
“We agreed to help them with a career fair for the students, TSI assessment preparation, and assist with bringing in speakers for TED talks,” Williams said.
Along with the support A&M–Central Texas offers, ECHS graduates are in the unique position to see additional benefits. The Greater Texas Foundation Warrior Scholars program provides up to $2,000 per year in scholarship money to qualifying ECHS graduates who enroll directly into a bachelor’s degree program. This program is open to graduates from any Texas Education Agency (TEA) approved ECHS in the state. ECHS students, who generally graduate with an associate degree, can easily transfer their college credits to A&M–Central Texas. As the only upper-division university in the state, A&M–Central Texas understands the transfer process. Every bachelor’s degree student at the university is a transfer or ECHS student.
The Transfer Merit Scholarship also benefits ECHS graduates. The scholarship is based on a student’s incoming grade point average. This scholarship requires no additional paperwork and is automatically applied. The merit scholarship is available to any student transferring qualifying community college hours and provides up to $2,000 per year for three years. To qualify, students must enter TAMUCT with a 3.75 or higher GPA. Students with a 3.5 to 3.74 GPA receive $1,000 per year for three years.
Through the Adopt-A-Campus program, A&M–Central Texas will provide academic support, mentoring, support for campus events, and support for ECHS staff. The program creates sustained, strategic partnerships between the school and community organizations. A&M–Central Texas is committed to supporting ECHS priorities while helping students succeed academically, socially, and personally.
