More Starr Co. Residents Attending Summer College Courses

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As the heat continues blazing, South Texas College is showing red hot growth with a 30 percent increase in summer enrollment. Approximately 16,457 students took advantage of summer 2010 classes at STC, an increase of 3,820 students over the summer 2009 enrollment of 12,637 students.

“Students are taking advantage of the summer to get ahead,” said William Serrata, STC vice president for student affairs and enrollment management. “They know that taking summer classes will help them graduate earlier, saving time and money. And the fact that our classes are transferring not only to The University of Texas-Pan American, but to The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Baylor University, and even as far as Yale and Stanford, makes taking summer classes at your hometown community college more attractive than ever.”
Geographically, the college saw large increases in summer enrollment at several of its campus locations. Summer enrollment was up 62 percent at the Mid-Valley Campus in Weslaco, 26 percent at its Pecan Campus in McAllen and 42 percent at its Starr County Campus in Rio Grande City.

STC’s Distance Learning Program also saw a big increase of 42 percent in student enrollment over summer 2010. The program allows students to earn a variety of associate degrees online including in business administration, criminal justice, education, interdisciplinary studies and social sciences, just to name a few.

“We have also seen an increase in students returning to retrain for new career opportunities,” added Serrata. “It’s extremely important for community members to stay at the top of their game and taking classes to learn new skills puts workers in a better position. Also, we have seen many displaced workers looking to learn new skills sets and explore opportunities to begin a second or third career.”

For more information about South Texas College visit www.southtexascollege.edu or call 956-872-8311. 

Photo Caption: Proud STC students Juan Solis, Ariana Castellanos and Marisela Chavez show off the college’s 2010 summer enrollment figures in front of registration lines as the college gears up for an equally busy fall semester.