COM-ISD Link
In This Issue
Honoring distinguished alumni
2 + 2 = $10,000 savings
Higher education for high school students
La Marque adopts COM student's poster
Graduates excel in state exams
Making a difference ... one student at a time
Educating educators on the possibilities
BP supports CHS
Students awarded in jazzy competition
Students win scholarship
Five stars for Sigma Delta
COM professor inspires future doctors
Thinking outside the textbook
Blasting off to better math skills
Education for everyone
Did you know?

This year, 26 out of the 35 seniors in Collegiate High School graduated with associate degrees. Twenty seniors received scholarships to continue their education at universities.
 
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COM-ISD LINK is a quarterly newsletter for school administrators and teachers to build a strong line of communication about the programs and activities of COM. We welcome comments and suggestions at [email protected]
Honoring distinguished alumni

 

College of the Mainland has created the Distinguished Alumni Award to honor its remarkable alumni and their achievements. At spring commencement, Dr. Larry Durrence, interim president, announced the first recipients of the award: Julie Dues Masters, mayor of Dickinson; Mark E. Ciavaglia, Texas City attorney; and Troy E. Sybert, M.D.

 

These alumni's accomplishments "demonstrate to our current students that their education at COM gives them the educational foundation to become leaders as well," said Durrence. All three alumni have been actively involved, professionally and personally, in the community.  

 

"This inaugural group of three distinguished alumni are highly deserving of recognition and are worthy examples of the type of success we desire to see our graduates achieve in life," said Durrence.

Mark Ciavaglia
2 + 2 = $10,000 savings on tuition for a bachelor's degree!  
 
Two years studying at College of the Mainland
to earn an associate degree plus two years studying at a state university resulting in a bachelor's degree will save a student $10,000 or more compared to paying tuition for four years at a university. High school students can begin those savings and get an early start on college by taking Dual Credit Program courses. Here are comparative numbers from 2011-2012.
    

Higher education for high school students


Theresa Jones, the new director of the College of the Mainland Dual Credit Program, is focused on creating opportunities for students still in high school to earn more than 24 hours of college credit by graduation. 

 

"Students want to get a jump start on college," said Jones. The Dual Credit Program currently serves 817 high school junior and seniors, the largest group since the program's inception.  

 

"We are hoping to grow it to 1,000 in the next few years because lower tuition for courses at COM can reduce the total cost of a bachelor's degree," Jones said. 

 

The program is open to students in the area high schools of the following independent school districts: Texas City, La Marque, Dickinson, Hitchcock, Santa Fe, Clear Creek and Friendswood. Students take courses at their high school campus, COM's main campus or the COM North County Learning Center in League City.   

 

Students appreciate the time and cost savings and the opportunity to begin college while still at home. "It gives them experience in the classroom with a college professor," said Jones. "It's rewarding to see students, sometimes not confident of their abilities, be successful in earning their associate degree and either transfer to a university to earn a bachelor's degree or immediately enter a rewarding career."

 

 Contact Theresa Jones at 409-933-8449 or Judy Pryor at 409-933-8679 for more information about the Dual Credit Program or visit www.com.edu/dual-credit.

La Marque adopts COM student's poster
 

Acknowledging its history as the "Buttermilk Station," La Marque adopted the official City of La Marque Historical Poster created by College of the Mainland graphic arts student Tina Gomez. The poster displays the city's nickname and historic photos. The city plans to present it at the Texas Municipals League 100th Annual Conference and Exhibition in November in Grapevine, Texas, and display it in public buildings.  

 

"We think it's a nice representation of La Marque history," said Carol Buttler, La Marque city manager. Gomez's poster incorporates the history of La Marque through a city map and black-and-white photos. "I researched the history of La Marque and found out it started because of the Buttermilk Station," said Gomez. The city earned that name during the Civil War when soldiers stopped there to purchase buttermilk en route between Galveston and Houston, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
 
Coleena Jackson, COM graphic arts instructor, got the idea for a city poster after her father, La Marque city councilman Clent Brown, suggested one highlighting La Marque's history. It seemed an ideal opportunity to Jackson, who wants practical experiences for her students. "I'm always looking for projects students can do for nonprofits," said Jackson. "It provides real-world budgets and challenges."   

Graduates excel in state certification exams
  

COM is committed to excellence in all areas of instruction and training, but it is often difficult to provide our stakeholders comparison data with other colleges. In some of our workforce programs, however, all graduates must take certification exams in order to practice.  

The following table illustrates how well COM graduates do on those exams compared to graduates from other colleges and universities.

  


Making a difference ...
one student at a time


Candy Sanchez
 
Overcoming loss, family resistance and her own shyness, Candy Sanchez graduated with an associate degree with honors from College of the Mainland.    


When Sanchez was in junior high school, her mother passed away from cancer. "It was really hard. I feel like I isolated myself completely from everybody," she said. "For a year I did that and then I just had to move forward."

 
While in tenth grade at Dickinson High School, she enrolled in Upward Bound, a federally funded program designed to help low-income, first-generation students succeed in higher education. Upward Bound advisors at COM gave her help with classes, advice on schools and guided college tours. "They were there to support us, and they pushed us," she said. "It's become a family."

 

Read the rest of Candy's story here.


Educating educators on the possibilities

 

While it's no secret that U.S. students often lag behind other nations in science test scores, educators often wonder what to do to narrow the gap. For the last two years, Mike Kukuk, College of the Mainland director for contract training, has helped to educate teachers about the real-world applications and job possibilities in the science field. At the Texas Chemical Council's Science Teachers and Industry workshop, Kukuk presented information about jobs in the petrochemical industry to 42 teachers from 16 different school districts in the greater Houston area. 
 
With 33 years of experience in a petrochemical plant as an operator, trainer and supervisor, Kukuk is able to discuss the real-world applications of science and technology. Better-informed teachers will ultimately result in better-informed and more motivated students. 
 
"Some students don't do well because they don't connect what they are being taught to applications in the real world. If we can connect what they're learning to the real world, they're more likely to apply themselves," said Kukuk. "With this information, teachers can help them make the connection." 
BP Donation
BP supports Collegiate High School

 

BP has donated $15,000 to benefit students in Collegiate High School at College of the Mainland. These funds will be used primarily to support free and reduced lunches for the students, plus supply other critical needs of the program.

 

BP has been a supporter of Collegiate High School since its inception, said Sandi Belcher, Collegiate High School principal. "It's a great partnership that we have. We turn out students who are capable to succeeding at the university level and/or in the workforce. They want to be here, and they want to get ahead," said Belcher. "We are grateful for BP's donation of funds to help these hardworking students succeed."

 

Collegiate High School is a challenging academic program that allows students in area high schools to complete high school graduation and associate degree requirements simultaneously, allowing them to save time and money. Students may enroll as early as their freshman year in high school.

   

Students awarded in jazzy competition 

GCIC Awards

The soulful sound of saxophones filled the air at the Gulf Coast Intercollegiate Consortium Jazz Festival where nine College of the Mainland students won Outstanding Musician Awards. Judges praised the Jazz Ensemble's "outstanding performance," and Ed Copeland on the tenor saxophone and David Loyd on the baritone saxophone received Outstanding Musician Awards. Members of the Jazz Combo also received Outstanding Musician Awards, including Wesley Moseley on the piano, Kim Chavez on the trumpet and Trent Minter on the guitar.


Students win Coca-Cola scholarship

 

Sigma Delta students Christine LaFoy and Merretta Vasquez, both of Texas City, have been named 2012 Coca-Cola Community College Academic Team Bronze Scholars. Bronze Scholars each receive a $1,000 scholarship. An independent panel of judges considers outstanding academic rigor, grade point average, academic and leadership awards and engagement in community service in selecting students for this award.

   

Five stars for Sigma Delta  

 

COM's Sigma Delta Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society has received the distinguished title of a Five Star Chapter, the PTK designation of the highest level of excellence. Five Star Chapters must demonstrate "further involvement in the region and in international activities and events," according to the PTK website.

Also honored as a Top 100 Chapter out of 1316 chapters internationally, Sigma Delta is actively involved on campus and in the community. As a recent service project, the chapter offered free basic computer classes to community members.     
Sigma Delta inductees

 

Dr. Chris Allen awarded
COM professor inspires future doctors

Dr. Chris Allen, COM biology professor, was voted "Most Outstanding and Inspirational Professor" by students in UTMB's Medical Careers Diversity Program, a five-week program that prepares students for the MCAT. "All the instructors and I try to motivate the students and let them know they can be successful," Allen said. "I tell them to send me at least two emails, one when they have been accepted to medical school and one when they graduate." He has taught with the program for two years.   

 

Thinking outside the textbook

 

Lalanya Ennis likes to help her students to think outside the box using whatever means necessary, whether play dough or PowerPoint slides. Cengage Learning recognized her innovation and selected her create the PowerPoint slides for the accompaniment CD to the new edition of their textbook On Course by Skip Downing. Ennis uses On Course in her course Psychology for Success, and with her slides, she wants to challenge students to think about their life decisions and to realize that "finishing college is their choice," she said.


 

Marilyn Larsen wins Soft Chalk award
Blasting off to better math skills
  

Marilyn Larsen, associate professor of developmental math at College of the Mainland, won second place in the 2012 SoftChalk Lesson Challenge, a national contest sponsored by SoftChalk and judged by educators from across the U.S. Larsen's winning lesson, "The Real Numbers," combined photos, interactive quizzes and even a video of a space shuttle launch countdown to demonstrate how positive and negative numbers are used in the real world.

Education for everyone

 

COM community mentors/recruiters don't wait for individuals to decide to come to college; they go to them. Traveling to schools, churches and events, recruiters Earl Alexander and Marylou Ortuvia share information about educational options from technical certificates to degrees. "We're trying to create a college-going culture," said Alexander.  

 

Going to elementary and middle schools to present career options, Alexander asks children to write down five things that they like to do. If students say, "I like to cook," he talks about culinary school. If they say, "I like to text," he suggests data entry jobs. "All those things you do in normal life translate into careers," said Alexander.

 

"We're not just promoting COM; we're promoting higher education."
 
 
Fall Registration Underway


Fall 8-week session 
Oct. 10 - Application deadline 
Oct. 19 - Registration deadline 
Oct. 22 - Classes begin
Patrick Damrath, COM graduate, 
plans to transfer to UHCL.