Texas Border Business
By Amanda Sotelo
It’s been a few years in the making, but this morning, South Texas College officially broke ground on what will be the STC Continuing Education and Testing Center, also known as the “Accelerator” to be located west of its Pecan campus.
The event, attended by key city and government officials, college administrators and faculty and staff, commemorated the beginning of construction for a vision that has come to fruition.
“I call this unique complex the “Accelerator,” because this building will help get RGV residents into the workforce, quicker with its short-term programs and credentials,” said STC President Ricardo J. Solis, Ph.D. “The programs to be offered are high-demand careers and will contribute to our region’s upward mobility. We are redefining the value and opportunities this brings to all the citizens in our area and the meaning of higher education.”
The $9 million project includes over 20,000-square-feet of classroom and testing center space. There will be two large classrooms and three medium-sized classrooms dedicated to high-demand courses such as English as a Second Language, General Educational Development (GED), Real Estate, among other customized training for employers.
Additionally, there will be other small classrooms to support community offerings and the department’s newest Massage Therapy program, which is currently under development, and three computer labs to support digital literacy and workforce readiness.
“This building represents more than just brick and mortar for STC, it is a symbol of growth, opportunity and a shared commitment to lifelong learning,” said Olvia De La Rosa, dean of Continuing Education and Workforce Development. “This will increase our classroom capacity by about 35%. I want to extend our gratitude to Dr. Solis, our Board of Trustees and everyone who has worked diligently on this project, to bring our vision to life.”
STC Trustee and Vice Chair Paul Rodriguez describes STC’s continuing education and testing departments as unique and strong components of the college. He added that this construction project shows the college’s commitment and investment in higher education for the region.
“Our name is South Texas College, but we are still a community college that provides opportunities, workforce development, training and education to various members among our constituencies. We are elated to be commemorating this significant event,” he said. “We are proud of this upcoming facility and ultimately, we are providing our communities with what they need to continue to prosper and grow.”
The STC Continuing Education and Testing Center is set to be complete at the end of summer 2026.
STC’s Continuing Education department offers career training, industry training, community and personal enrichment and public safety training with programs such as dog grooming, commercial drivers license, education, manufacturing, safety, apprenticeships, self-help, languages and Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) training.
STC’s Testing Center offers numerous exams for students entering college including, but not limited to, Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSI), GED, TCOLE, Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) and American College Test (ACT).
For more information on STC’s Continuing Education and Testing departments, visit southtexascollege.edu.
Information source: STC
