Nov. 2, 2021, Austin, TX – The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) has awarded $26 million in grant funding to 46 public junior colleges, public state colleges, and public technical colleges across Texas to support students impacted by COVID-19. Institutions may use the Texas Reskilling and Upskilling through Education (TRUE) Institutional Capacity Grants to rapidly create, expand, or redesign short-term postsecondary workforce credentials and training programs in high demand occupational areas.
“The COVID-19 pandemic clearly demonstrated how quickly specific jobs and necessary skills can change. We need to get our Texas students and displaced workers onto a fast track to lasting careers that equip them for greater economic mobility,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Harrison Keller. “We applaud our two-year institutions for committing to this challenge and are grateful to the governor and our legislative leadership for continued investments in higher education.”
This opportunity is supported by an allocation Governor Greg Abbott and Texas’ legislative leadership committed to the THECB from the federal Governor’s Emergency Educational Relief (GEER) Fund. More than 80% of qualified two-year institutions in Texas applied for and received funding. The THECB increased the funding available for TRUE grants by $1 million to support these institutions’ efforts.
Sen. Brandon Creighton, who authored Senate Bill 1102 that established the TRUE initiative, said, “This funding will have an impact on Texans and the economy within months, not years. We’re creating a pipeline from the classroom to the workforce that will ensure a competitive edge for students and industry alike.”
Grant recipients include:
- Alamo Colleges: $500,000
- Amarillo College: $500,000
- Austin Community College: $500,000
- Austin Community College Consortium: $2,000,000 (Temple College)
- Blinn College: $50,000
- Brazosport College: $216,750
- Central Texas College Consortium: $1,047,507 (Brazosport College)
- Central Texas College: $269,396
- Cisco College; $50,000
- Clarendon: $56,000
- Coastal Bend College: $500,000
- Coastal Bend College Consortium: $842,871 (Del Mar College)
- College of the Mainland: $499,080
- Dallas College: $500,000
- Dallas College Consortium: $2,000,000 (Tarrant County College, Paris Jr. College)
- Del Mar College: $500,000
- El Paso Community College: $366,943
- Galveston College: $465,561
- Grayson College Consortium: $2,000,000 (Vernon College, Weatherford College)
- Hill College: $499,800
- Houston Community College: $448,399
- Kilgore College: $102,000
- Lamar Institute of Technology: $245,430
- Lamar State College-Orange: $495,937
- Lamar State College-Orange Consortium: $781,000 (Lamar State College Port Arthur, Lamar Institute of Technology)
- Laredo College: $253,499
- Lee College: $252,255
- Lone Star College: $126,028
- Midland College: $166,423
- Navarro College: $500,000
- North Central Texas College: $412,636
- North Central Texas College Consortium: $1,962,712 (Western Texas College)
- Northeast Texas Consortium: $647,050 (Texarkana College)
- Odessa College: $500,000
- Panola College: $237,248
- Paris Junior College: $162,205
- San Jacinto College: $47,300
- Southwest Texas College: $250,000
- Temple College: $498,384
- Texas Southmost College Consortium: $1,813,241 (San Jacinto College, Houston Community College)
- Trinity Valley Community College: $500,000
- Texas State Technical College: $129,987
- Texas State Technical College Consortium: $1,195,709 (South Texas College)
- Victoria College: $115,000
- Wharton County Junior College: $498,998
The mission of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is to serve as a resource, partner, and advocate for Texas higher education, resulting in a globally competitive workforce that positions Texas as an international leader. The agency works to support the state’s higher education goals, found in Texas’ strategic plan for higher education, Building a Talent Strong Texas. THECB can be found online at highered.texas.gov.