University Star

Texas State’s recent partnership with the Houston-based Knowledge Is Power Program will greatly benefit future Bobcats and current students.

According to an Oct. 12 University News Service press release, Texas State will now partner with the college-preparatory program to improve higher education completion rates. According to the same article, the partnership means Texas State will work actively to recruit and enroll 10 program alumni who desire to further their education in the 2012-2013 academic year. From then on, the university hopes to secure 15 of those students each year.

Program alumni would receive extensive support and guidance throughout their college careers to encourage completion. In addition, some Texas State students will have the opportunity to tutor at program schools or mentor other alumni.

According to the program’s website, it aims to help children—from the elementary level to high school—reach their goals of higher education. According to the same website, the idea was created by Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin in 1994, and the program has grown from two schools in 1995 to 125 across the nation.

The program is dedicated to helping children from underserved communities obtain goals to graduate high school, attend college and eventually focus on career paths. The program’s concentration is on student success and ultimately preparing those children for the future.

Texas State, which has a rich history as a teaching college, is undoubtedly the perfect university for the program to partner with. Texas State is already committed to tactics that aim to increase graduation rates at the university. Success-aimed benefits available to students include guidance from the Personalized Academic and Career Exploration staff at the Undergraduate Academic Center. The benefits additionally include programs and advising from the Texas Success Initiative Program. With resources such as these, Knowledge Is Power alumni who are recruited to Texas State will have a beneficial support system throughout their college careers.

According to a March 29, 2011 University Star article, Texas State received Hispanic Serving Institution status last year. The title has helped with retention rate plans, and it seeks to provide a pathway for the development of ethnically driven programs that push for academic success.

Because program alumni may be from a number of different ethnic and racial groups, students who are recruited here can benefit from these additional opportunities on campus.

The partnership between the program and Texas State could be a great benefit to both current and incoming students. Those who are majoring in an educational field could possibly find student teaching opportunities within the program’s Austin and San Antonio schools or in other areas like Dallas and Houston. Experience like this would be great for Bobcats looking to do work in organizations such as Teach for America, where underserved students and communities are a large focus.

It will be interesting to see where Texas State and the program take education for future students. However, it is obvious this is one relationship that will be significant for years to come.

—Alex Pernice is a mass communication sophomore.