SWTJC president’s, dean’s list announced for fall 2013 semester

Southwest Texas Junior College President Dr. Hector Gonzales, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts Dr. Cheryl Sanchez, and Dean of the College of Applied Sciences Juan Guzman have recognized 262 students for academic excellence during the 2013 fall semester.

Full-time students, those enrolled in 12 or more hours, are eligible for academic honors. The President’s List recognizes those full-time students who maintained a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) throughout the semester. The Dean’s List recognizes those students who maintained at least a 3.6 GPA throughout the semester. A total of 120 students earned a spot on the President’s List and 142 students earned a spot on the Dean’s List.


"I commend the hard work of each of these students," President Gonzales said. "It is a pleasure to honor their dedication to excellence."

Click on the links below to the complete lists. PRESIDENT'S LIST DEAN'S LIST

Spring enrollment is 5,133

Official enrollment for the spring 2014 semester is 5,133, according to registrar Luis Fernandez.

“This spring’s enrollment represents a 8% decrease from a year ago, but considering our early projections of a 16% decrease; we consider this a small victory” Fernandez said.

Enrollment at the college’s main sites show Crystal City with 170, Del Rio with 831, Eagle Pass with 1,345 and Uvalde with 1,076.

Entries being sought for annual SWTJC Creative Arts Contest

by Armando Quiroz, III

Plans are underway and entry deadlines have been announced for the 33rd Annual Southwest Texas Junior College Creative Arts Contest.

Literary entries should be submitted no later than Feb. 27, while Mar. 6 is the deadline for visual arts entries. DOWNLOAD ENTRY FORM

Cash prizes, trophies and medals will be awarded in the annual event, which attracts thousands of art, photography and writing entries from across the region.

Trophies and medals will be awarded to first through fourth place in all age groups and categories. Judges will also select an overall literary and visual arts winner in each age group. Cash prizes of $20 will be presented to overall winners.

Age divisions will be the same as last year and will include: Pre-K and Kindergarten, grades 1-2, grades 3-4, grades 5-6, grades 7-8, grades 9-10, grades 11-12, college, community and seasoned (age 60 and over).

The SWTJC Humanities and Fine Arts Division and the SWTJC Public Information Office coordinate the annual event.

“The college has a strong commitment to supporting and promoting the creative arts and we look forward to another year of outstanding entries,” SWTJC Humanities and Fine Arts Division Chair Terri Tucker said.

Contest coordinators encourage all area English and language arts teachers in public and private schools, as well as home school teachers, to encourage their students to enter the contest.

“We know the demands on teachers are enormous, but this doesn’t have to be work written specifically for the contest,” Tucker said. “I encourage teachers to get their top writers to submit entries from their best efforts during the school year, even if they were turned in last fall.”

In the literary portion of the contest, categories include: poetry and short story (open to all age groups), and essay (open to grades seven and up). The length of short story entries is 2,000 words.

Visual art categories, for all age groups, include: charcoal, drawing with color, painting, pencil, pen and ink, scratchboard and computer-generated graphics. Photography and video production are also included in the contest for grades seven and up.

A mixed media category is also included in visual arts for college, community and seasoned divisions.

All entries should be submitted to the SWTJC Public Information Office. Applications/entry forms will be available at all SWTJC main offices and libraries.

Entrants may also download entry applications and contest rules by visiting the college’s web site. Go to www.swtjc.edu and look for the Creative Arts Contest link.

Contestants may also request entry forms by e-mailing Ismael Martinez at imartinez@swtjc.edu or by calling 830-591-2942.

All winning entries in the contest will be recognized and presented trophies/medals during the SWTJC Creative Arts Awards’ Ceremony on April 24, 2014, in Uvalde.

Winning entries will also be included in the 2014 edition of The Palm’s Leaf magazine. Copies of the 2013 Palm’s Leaf will be on sale for the first time at this year’s awards ceremony.

All visual arts entries in the contest will also be displayed in the Matthew’s Student Center Ballroom from April 21 through the night of the awards program on April 25.

Angelo State University offers scholarships to SWTJC students

(l-r) SWTJC President Dr. Hector Gonzales, ASU President Brian J. May

A recent transfer partnership between Southwest Texas Junior College and Angelo State University (ASU) yields big returns for SWTJC students hoping to transfer to a four-year institution. 

Six (6) Carr Presidential Transfer Scholarships, each in the amount of $10,000 (two year/$5,000 per academic year), are available to SWTJC students applying as transfer students to ASU. These students will be nominated by SWTJC President Gonzales from a list of qualified candidates. Two students will be chosen from the Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde campuses.

In addition to receiving scholarship funds, nominated students will also benefit from a waiver of their application fees to ASU. 

Interested students should complete the application form and submit a hard copy to the main office of their campus, or an electronic copy via email to jreed@swtjc.edu, by February 7, 2014.

Spring registration extended until Jan. 17

Officials at Southwest Texas Junior College have extended the deadline to register for 2014 spring semester classes to 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17.

SWTJC Registrar, Luis Fernandez said, “we empathize with those students whom want to register, but are having trouble getting their affairs in order. We want to make sure students have ample opportunity to register for spring classes.”

“We also encourage students whom might be reluctant to register because of not having a method of paying for tuition, to come in and visit with our financial aid office.” Fernandez added.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of this final opportunity to complete the enrollment process.

Classes begin Monday, Jan. 13; a change of schedule period will continue through Friday, Jan. 17.

For more information about spring classes and the enrollment process, contact the SWTJC admissions office at 830.591.7255 in Uvalde, 830.758.4100 in Eagle Pass or 830.775.1612 in Del Rio.

Gonzales looks to SWTJC’s future at general faculty meeting

Dr. Hector Gonzales, president of Southwest Texas Junior College, focused on the future of SWTJC during his address to faculty and staff at the 2014 spring convocation general session on Jan. 7 at the Uvalde campus Tate Auditorium.

“Last semester saw many changes in the college’s organization,” Gonzales noted, “and those changes are largely behind us.”

A ten-year re-accreditation process by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, SWTJC’s regional accrediting body, will begin in earnest during the spring 2014 semester. While SWTJC will not submit a re-accreditation proposal until the summer of 2015, Gonzales explained that the extended time frame is necessary to create a successful proposal and stressed the importance of faculty involvement in the process.

“We’ve already begun some of the work necessary for re-accreditation,” the president said, “and will be ramping up our efforts this semester.”

Creation of a new Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), developed in tandem with SWTJC’s re-accreditation proposal, was also addressed. Gonzales encouraged faculty to consider the broad impact of student services as they develop the next ten-year QEP initiative.

A review of SWTJC’s “college climate survey” is part of the President’s plan for the spring 2014 semester. The survey, conducted in 2008, asked respondents about “all aspects of the college.” Gonzales plans to use the results of the survey as a baseline to measure college improvements since 2008.

Construction-related progress and enhancements are ongoing for many SWTJC campuses. The SWTJC Del Rio campus construction is nearing completion and will be move-in ready by summer 2014. Plans for additions to Eagle Pass and Crystal City campuses are underway. Additionally, the Uvalde campus will continue to receive upgrades to buildings and services.

Finally, although enrollment numbers are down at SWTJC, Gonzales indicated that the decrease mirrors both state and national enrollment levels.

“It’s the sign of a good economy,” Gonzales explained, “When the economy is good, enrollment goes down.”

Gonzales closed on a note of optimism: “We’ve done excellent work on student success. Let’s continue to focus on that. Student success is our future.”

Extended registration hours on Jan. 6 and 7

SWTJC Registrar Luis Fernandez helps student register

SWTJC offices reopened Jan. 2 and advisor-assisted registration is back in full swing following the Christmas break.

Registration hours will be extended beyond regular business hours until 7 p.m. on Jan. 6 and 7.

“In order to facilitate our students with registration, we will have extended hours and also have staff available from the business and financial aid offices as well,” SWTJC registrar Luis Fernandez said.

According to Fernandez, SWTJC staff from the Uvalde campus will be traveling to Del Rio on Wednesday (Jan 8) to assist with registration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Thursday (Jan. 9), Uvalde staff will be in Eagle Pass to help with registration from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Students are also reminded to make payment or payment arrangements by end of day Jan. 10 in order to avoid being dropped from classes.

Registration will continue through Jan. 10 and the first day of spring classes is Jan. 13.