Temple College Ribbon Cutting Marks Centennial

By Demetra Paizanis
Communications Coordinator

TEMPLE—Temple College marked its 100th anniversary Friday, Jan. 16, with the opening of a new building that includes a University Center, providing students the opportunity to complete bachelor’s degrees through Texas A&M University–Central Texas without leaving the Temple area.

The two institutions have operated for years under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that allows Temple College students to transfer credits toward bachelor’s degrees at A&M–Central Texas. The University Center, housed inside Temple College’s new four-story Main Building, provides student and academic services on the Temple College campus, intended to reduce barriers related to cost, commuting, and uncertainty during the transfer process.

“More than 1,800 students have transferred from Temple College to A&M-Central Texas and earned at least a bachelor’s degree,” said Richard M. Rhodes, Ph.D. president of Texas A&M University–Central Texas. “Eighteen percent of our current students come from the Temple College service area.”

Rhodes said the University Center builds on that existing transfer activity by making degree pathways more visible and centralized for students.

According to superintendent of Temple Independent School District, Bobby Ott, challenges related to affordability and transfer clarity often surface long before students reach a four-year campus.

“I talk to students who tell me they have a good job here or they’re helping take care of their family, and they don’t want to leave Temple,” Ott said. “With this University Center, students can see a clear path forward right here. Students often assume their credits will apply toward their major, and too often they don’t. With this alignment, what students sign up for is what actually counts.”

For Zuberi Ashraf, the ability to transfer credits while staying local made it possible to complete a bachelor’s degree without relocating. Ashraf earned his associate degree at Temple College and later completed his bachelor’s degree at A&M–Central Texas while living in the Temple area, even before the University Center opened.

“The collaboration between Temple College and A&M–Central Texas allowed me to earn my bachelor’s degree without leaving the community,” Ashraf said. “It all started right here.”

Ashraf later worked as a medical laboratory scientist in Temple and is now pursuing a doctoral degree in microbiology at the University of Texas at Austin.

The Temple Main building was constructed as part of a broader campus modernization effort funded through a voter-approved bond package, consolidating student services and instructional space while providing room for A&M–Central Texas to operate on site.