Expanding Educational Access Through University Partnerships

The importance of accessible education through university partnerships has grown over recent years. In this panel discussion, moderator Dan Bowman, president and CEO of the Allen Economic Development Corporation, asked Dr. Kelly Damphousse, president of Texas State University, Dr. Cindy Lawley, associate vice chancellor of Texas A&M University, and Dr. Inga Musselman, vice president for Academic Affairs and provost of The University of Texas at Dallas, a series of questions regarding specific initiatives to enhance the quality of higher education and make it more accessible than ever before.

“At Texas State, we like to meet students where they currently are,” Dr. Damphousse said. “By that, I mean extending our reach to get students from where they are to where they want to be. This includes online learning and partnering with local community colleges to offer them the courses they need to transfer to a university, which is a very targeted approach to help our students succeed in their careers.”
The Collin College Academic Alliance is a great example. Collin College, Texas State University, and The University of Texas at Dallas have joined forces so students can co-enroll at Collin College and an exceptional university to earn an associate degree while seamlessly earning a bachelor’s degree. The alliance classes will begin in Spring 2025.
“I think it is important to have university liaisons housed at the Collin College Technical Campus to help any students in the alliance or those who are thinking about joining with whatever they may need,” Dr. Musselman said. “It allows that student to engage in important conversations with a UTD representative to help them throughout the process.”
Students are constantly looking for bigger and better opportunities to improve their lives. Focusing on various ways to bridge the gap between what the workforce needs and providing those specific skill sets and knowledge to students is critical in today’s society.
The Texas A&M Engineering Academy at Collin College is a unique example. This program offers students the opportunity to pursue an engineering degree while co-enrolled at Texas A&M and Collin College.
“Students can save so much time and money during their first two years as an engineering student before transferring,” Dr. Lawley said. “They have the convenience to stay at home and have that local support instead of having to move towns for college completely. We prefer building cohorts so students have a proper network built before even stepping onto our main campus. It can be frightening stepping on our campus for the first time, but I think these initiatives can boost a student’s confidence and help them be even more successful upon graduation.”
Bowman concluded the panel discussion by asking how higher education has evolved and how it continues to develop. For the most part, all three panelists touched on the importance of protecting the value of a college degree and giving students the best return on their investment because, ultimately, that’s what college is: an investment.