Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
South Texas College and Coastal Bend College have created a first-of-its-kind Promise-to-Promise initiative between two community colleges, a type of partnership only previously initiated between colleges and universities, that was developed to break barriers and become a model for other community colleges across the nation.
The Promise-to-Promise program, also known as Cougar to Jaguar, gives Coastal Bend students who graduate with an associate degree, a seamless transition into one of five of STC’s bachelor’s degree programs. It also includes last-dollar tuition assistance that is applied after all financial aid and scholarships are used.
“This partnership certainly magnifies our innovation,” said STC President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D. “Upon discussion of this initiative with Coastal Bend, we quickly mobilized to bring this partnership to fruition. This is a brand-new concept that we moved from idea to reality. This is a win-win, a regional achievement, where we get to leverage our resources, like our Foundation, to make college accessible and affordable in the RGV and beyond.”
This initiative is intended to remove financial and geographical barriers to access, promote degree completion in the region and serve as a replicable model for rural higher education partnerships.
“This partnership announcement is meaningful because it represents the boldness that we have as institutions and it removes barriers for our students in the Coastal Bend region,” said Coastal Bend College President Zachary Suarez, DPA. “Removing barriers has been in the forefront of this discussion, so we needed to find a college partner, Board of Trustees and president that were bold – quickly we knew it was STC. This framework is the first in the nation and together, we’re moving the needle forward in innovation.”
STC is the only community college in Texas to offer five bachelor’s degree programs in fields like Organizational Leadership, Medical and Health Services Management, Computer and Information Technologies, Nursing and Operations Management.
There will also be special emphasis placed on alignment between Coastal Bend’s Project Management associate degree program and STC’s Operations Management bachelor’s degree.
Ali Esmaeili, Ph.D., dean of STC’s Math, Science, Information Technology and Bachelor Programs, said this partnership represents more than a formal collaboration, it represents opportunity, access and shared commitment to student success.
“Partnerships like this are essential because they remove barriers and expand possibilities. They provide students with a clear roadmap for achieving their academic and career goals,” said Esmaeili. “Together, our institutions are strengthening higher education and opportunity across South Texas and investing in the future workforce of our communities. Most importantly, this agreement is about students – first-generation students, working adults and those striving to get a better future for themselves and their families. By working together, we are creating pathways that lead to personal growth, economic growth, mobility and lifelong success.”
