Administrators from UHV and VC pose for a picture Wednesday with the mascots from the university and the college as part of a signing ceremony to commemorate a renewed memorandum of understanding.
Representatives from the University of Houston-Victoria and Victoria College met Wednesday afternoon to sign a renewed memorandum of understanding between the two institutions to support higher education in the Crossroads.
The memorandum of understanding was drafted as a joint effort to identify ways to enhance efforts to help Victoria and find ways to promote higher education in the area’s communities. The signing ceremony was held Wednesday in the VC Student Center and was attended by faculty, staff, students, alumni and administrators from both institutions as well as the VC and UHV mascots.
“UHV and VC are fortunate to serve a region that understands the value of higher education, and we are eager to be constructive members of our community,” UHV President Bob Glenn said. “Through this agreement, we plan to be community partners and work with each other and community leaders to support a positive future for the students and people of this region.”
The main message and theme of the agreement is “Together,” which focuses on how the two institutions can partner to achieve goals such as creating a college-going culture in the region, meeting the needs of regional employers, enhancing the student life experience, and jointly admitting students to VC and UHV.
“The new agreement between VC and UHV demonstrates true collaboration and innovation in serving students in Victoria and across the region,” VC President Jennifer Kent said. “Whether students begin in adult education with a GED, continuing education with a workforce credential, or a credit program that leads to an associate degree, we embrace the importance of aligning all our programs and services to create a seamless path to a bachelor’s and master’s degree.”
The agreement covers many different areas of VC and UHV’s operations, including recruitment and admission, program articulation and advising, exchange of data, financial aid and scholarships, and shared facilities and services.
“This agreement shows our commitment to increasing access for all students who desire to earn a credential by removing unnecessary barriers, while giving students the academic and nonacademic supports needed to meet their educational goals,” said Edrel Stoneham, VC’s vice president of student services. “Collectively, we are creating a stronger workforce for the Crossroads.”
As part of the agreement, VC and UHV will focus on offering clear pathways that will allow students who begin college at VC to smoothly transfer to UHV to complete a bachelor’s degree. This will help students save money by not taking unnecessary classes and will help promote higher education in the region. This aligns with the agreement’s goal to “establish a shared student model between UHV and VC to demonstrate true partnership for student success.”
Through this partnership and the joint efforts it outlines, UHV and VC hope to build a talent-strong Crossroads region and Texas by providing degree programs that will serve the needs of students as well as industries in the area.
“We are excited for the opportunity to continue this partnership with VC,” said Karla DeCuir, UHV interim vice president for enrollment management. “This agreement is a way for us to work together to meet the needs and better serve our students. We’re all looking forward to moving forward together and serving our communities as well.”
For more information about the agreement, go to www.uhv.edu/vc.