Texarkana College Trustees Approve Faculty Renewals and Hear Updates on COVID-19 Campus Preparedness

March 30, 2020– Today, the Texarkana College Board of Trustees approved 9- and 12-month faculty contracts for the 2020-2021 academic year. More than 75 full-time instructors are employed within TC’s five divisions: Business and Social Science, Health Sciences, Liberal & Performing Arts, STEM, and Workforce. TC Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Donna McDaniel, said TC faculty is recognized as extremely qualified by students and peers.

“Among higher education institutions in Texas, TC has some of the most experienced and talented instructors in the industry,” said McDaniel. “Several of our faculty members have been appointed to serve on state-wide curriculum planning committees and provide expert content for open-source textbooks and curriculum.”

McDaniel said that TC faculty are equipped and ready to continue top-quality instruction during the pandemic.

“I could not be more proud of our faculty who have spent the last several weeks preparing to move their course loads over to virtual classroom environments,” said McDaniel. “Many of our programs involve mastering hands-on techniques and lab work. In our nursing and workforce programs, it has been especially tricky to realign curriculum. However, our faculty is prepared to provide students with training modules that will enable them to complete their courses on time and master required marketable skills.”

McDaniel said TC faculty and staff have collaborated to provide an easy-to-navigate distance learning environment for students to attend class and engage with faculty and their peers. Enrollment will also be available online for the upcoming summer and fall semesters.

“TC faculty and staff are accessible by phone, email or by a virtual meeting through the Microsoft Teams application,” said McDaniel. “We have sent notifications to all students, faculty, and staff about the on-going services and support available to them to help them navigate through these uncertain times. TC is providing online academic advising, assistance with financial aid, tutoring, library services, support for students with disabilities, veteran services, and access to resources such as the TC food pantry and crisis counseling. We have also ramped-up technology support through our Help Desk and have installed a ‘chat’ feature on our website. We will continue to support our TC family and community throughout this time of crisis.”

TC president, Dr. Jason Smith, said TC’s leadership team has worked night and day to assure a seamless transition into the online platform for students, faculty, and staff.

“A buzzword I hear from the team is that we are ‘TC Strong!’ said Smith. “I have witnessed a total transformation of a campus in just two short weeks. When we left for spring break, we were all very uncertain of what the days ahead would bring. I am confident in saying that our campus is prepared and equipped to navigate through this current crisis and provide excellent service and support to our students and our community.”

A dedicated page for COVID-19 updates and campus information is available on the TC website at www.texarkanacollege.edu/coronavirus. The page will be updated regularly with information on important dates for campus reopening, graduation, enrollment, and links to community resources.