Tag Archives: epcc

Both of El Paso Community College (EPCC) Cross Country teams – men and women – are ranked at the same time on the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Poll.

The women are ranked 2nd and the men 4^th, thanks to their performances at the Lori Fitzgerald Open on September 15^th, the men finished in 1^st place and the women in 2^nd place. The best competitors individually were Gideon Cheplak, finishing in 1^st place for the men, and Everlyn Kemboi, finishing in 5^th place for the women.

“Most important is that they all excel academically,” Felix Hinojosa, EPCC Athletic Director and Cross Country Head Coach said.  “Each team member is a leader and they depend on each other to excel.”

The next competition for the EPCC teams will be the NMJC Cross Country Invitational at Hobbs, NM on September 28^th. This will be the next to last race before getting to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) regionals in the last week of October, and national championships in the first two weeks in November.

The teams are looking to repeat last year’s achievements, where the men finished in 2^nd place and women in 1^st place at the NJCAA regionals.

For complete rankings, visit the ustfcca website.

It started with the idea of a tree and grew into a wonderful work of art. The Menagerie of Art mural now adorns a classroom at the El Paso Community College (EPCC) Northwest campus.

The mural was the vision of English Instructor, Tony Procell. Procell is the mentor for The Glass Menagerie, student art and literary club.

“Students are young and still learning and they have a creative side,” Procell said. “We want our students to be inspired by this.”

Procell enlisted the exceptional talents of EPCC Art Instructor, Rudy Castro.

Castro worked throughout the summer to create this spectacular mural. Their collaboration brought to life the theme of celebrating art through the seven forms of art.

A reception for EPCC faculty and staff was held on August 23rd to unveil the artwork.

Corpus Christi, Texas – El Paso Community College’s (EPCC) Mr. Steven Smith, Vice President of Instruction and Workforce Education, was presented the 2018 Carl M. “Cheesie” Nelson Administrative Leadership Award in Corpus Christi during their annual awards luncheon.

Conferred by the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC), this award recognizes administrators with outstanding leadership qualities who have made a significant impact on higher education.

“Vice President Smith has consistently been a driving force behind our institution’s efforts to provide excellent education and support services to our students,” EPCC President Dr. William Serrata said.  “His outstanding leadership has resulted in measurable results.”

Smith was selected for this competitive award out of nominees submitted from all 50 community colleges across Texas.  Smith who describes success as seeing students walk across the stage to receive their degree at commencement has worked at EPCC for nearly 30 years.

In his current role he oversees all of the instructional, workforce and education programs at EPCC’s five campuses that serve around 30,000 students.

“This award celebrates exemplary commitment to Texas students, leadership, professional decorum, collaboration and community engagement,” Jacob Fraire, TACC President and CEO said.

On Wednesday it was announced that EPCC’s Dual Credit and Early College Program has been recognized as a finalist in the Examples of Excellence in the associate level.

“EPCC’s Dual Credit and Early College High School programs are having tremendous results in getting youth in our region on a path to higher education,” Dr. William Serrata, EPCC President said. “The data shows that students who take just one college course in high school are more likely to pursue a college degree and be successful.”

The EPCC’s Dual Credit and Early College Program gives students opportunities to earn college credit while still in high school.

EPCC’s Dual Credit and Early College High School program was one of only 21 finalists selected from more than 139 nominated programs from 27 states, DC and Puerto Rico.

The four 2018 Examples of Excelencia will be announced October 11th at the Celebración de Excelencia in Washington, DC.

“We are honored that Excelencia in Education has selected El Paso Community College’s Dual Credit and Early College High School Program as an Example of Excelencia.  This nation-wide recognition highlights the work we are doing to provide students in our region the opportunity to take college courses while in high school,” Tonie Badillo, Dean of EPCC’s Dual Credit and Early College High School Programs said.

“These students have the opportunity to save time and money by getting a head start on their college career.”

Since being established more than a decade ago, EPCC’s Dual Credit and Early College High School program has addressed the region’s low educational rate in comparison with Texas and the Nation.

The program has become a nationally recognized model for its success rates. Students in EPCC’s Dual Credit and Early College programs have high graduation and completion rates in the courses they take and when they continue to 4-year institutions. The data shows that 58 percent of students who take just one college course in high school pursue an advanced degree versus 33 percent for those who do not.

Students in EPCC’s Early College High School Programs have a 75 percent success rate in completing their associate degree while still in high school which outperform the national and state averages which are less than 30 percent.

EPCC offers Dual Credit in the majority of area high schools. There are 12 Early College High Schools spread out through area school district partners including Canutillo ISD, Clint ISD, El Paso ISD, Fabens ISD, Socorro ISD and Ysleta ISD.

¡Excelencia in Education! is an organization that works to accelerate Latino student success, enhance our workforce, leadership, and economy. Examples of Excellence recognizes institutions and practices that bring attention to evidence-based practices that work for Latino students in education.

Shalet Mitei, EPCC Cross Country and Half Marathon, has been named First Team All American by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

“EPCC is an academic institution first and foremost,” said Felix Hinojosa, EPCC Athletic Director. “Being awarded academic honors validates what we do as a college.”

The Academic All American list includes a total of four EPCC athletes, Amy Vidal, Michael Flores, Carlos Quintana and Mitei.

Mitei led the EPCC contingent of student-athletes, with a GPA of 4.0

Since 1993, the NJCAA has recognized the team and individual student athletes with the highest grade-point averages. The student must have 24 credit hours or more with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.60 or higher.

Individual Academic Student-Athletic Awardees:

Shalet Mitei               First Team (4.00)                  4.00    Cross Country and Half Marathon

Amy Vidal                  Second Team (3.80-3.99)   3.87    Cross Country

Michael Flores          Third Team (3.60-3.79)       3.78    Cross Country and Half Marathon

Carlos Quintana      Third Team (3.60-3.79)       3.70    Baseball

Nominations are submitted by each athlete’s respective institution.

The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) has announced its 2017-18 academic awards.  The El Paso Community College (EPCC) Men’s and Women’s Half Marathon teams were named the Top Academic Teams of the Year in the nation for their respected sports.

“EPCC is an academic institution first and foremost,” Felix Hinojosa, EPCC Athletic Director said. “Being awarded academic honors validates what we do as a college.”

The EPCC men finished with a combined grade point average (GPA) of 3.42 and the women finished with a combined 3.62 GPA. The women also captured the National Championship on the field as well this past November.

The EPCC Half Marathon teams were also honored this year by being selected to host the NJCAA National Half Marathon Championships in 2019 and 2021.

Since 1993, the NJCAA has recognized the team with the highest overall grade-point average for their sport and gender with the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year Award. The complete list of National Academic Teams of the Year for the 27 NJCAA sports is available online.

El Paso Community College’s (EPCC) Joshua Villalobos, current Dean at the Mission del Paso Campus and former Geology Professor, is one of 27 individuals that the White House has named as a recipients of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM).

“The PAESMEM award highlights, not only my work, but the remarkable opportunities that EPCC offers for both students and faculty,” Villalobos said.  “Very few community colleges support activities that allow their faculty to apply, run and be successful in research programs that promote research for community college students.”

PAESMEM recognizes outstanding efforts of mentors in encouraging the next generation of innovators and developing a science and engineering workforce that reflects the diverse talent of America.

Villalobos was recognized for his work to bring an Associate of Science in Geology degree back to EPCC as well as his engaged role in mentoring students.

“As a result of his efforts, EPCC is now produces more than 8 percent of all associate geology degrees in the country and our students now have a clearer educational pathway to transfer to UTEP and other institutions,”  Steve Smith, EPCC’s Vice President of Instruction and Workforce Education said.

“Additionally, Mr. Villalobos has served as a dynamic and engaged mentor who has guided our students for academic and research growth.”

Villalobos was nominated for the award in 2014 but the awards were not announced until today and says he is honored to be a recipient.

PAESMEM recognizes outstanding efforts of mentors in encouraging the next generation of innovators and developing a science and engineering workforce that reflects the diverse talent of America.

“The mentoring that takes place at EPCC between our faculty and students transforms lives,”  Dr. William Serrata, EPCC President said.  “We are very proud of Dean Joshua Villalobos for receiving the White House Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring along with the work he does every day to give students the guidance and inspiration they need to learn and succeed.”

Villalobos will receive his presidential certificates at a recognition ceremony in Washington D.C. later this week.

On Monday, officials with El Paso Community College (EPCC) hosted a Grand Opening of its new Transmountain Veterans Lounge.

“The opening of the Veterans Lounge affords and opportunity for veterans to come together as comrades and fellow students in an area to call their own,” Arvis Jones, EPCC Director of Student Leadership and Campus Life.

One of the biggest challenges facing combat veterans is the social isolation they feel when they return from combat.  Many veterans have difficulty adjusting to civilian life, much less adjusting to the academic rigor and social atmosphere of a college.

To help ease that transition, the new lounge offers computers, a printer, snacks and an informal place to study or socialize with other veterans.

EPCC officials added, “EPCC’s goal is to embrace the veteran, military service member and family members to ensure their success at EPCC.”

This is the second such veterans’ area opened by EPCC, as the first Veteran’s Resource Center opened on the Valle Verde campus in 2016.

The Transmountain Veterans Lounge is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The University of Alabama School of Law has announced the selection of two El Paso Community College (EPCC) Criminal Justice students to their Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars (PLUS) Program. Evelyn Barraza and Adriana Franco were two of thirty chosen nationwide for this high honor.

The PLUS program will run from June 3^rd through June 29^th at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They offer students this great opportunity free of charge and a stipend for living expenses.

“The PLUS admissions committee was very impressed with both EPCC students,” Daiquiri J. Steele, Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Assistant Professor of Law in Residence said. “Approximately 72 undergraduate institutions were represented in the applicant pool, so for El Paso Community College to have two students selected is remarkable.”

PLUS will ready attendees with the skills to apply for law school as well as preparing for exams and career options. “Managing time during the rigors of law school will be one of the areas I plan to gain experience,” Adriana Franco said. The courses will familiarize students with the American legal system.

Both students graduated from EPCC this May with an Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice and plan to attend the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) in the fall. They will continue into law school with Barraza wanting to work in criminal law and Franco to become a prosecutor.

The EPCC program offers an Associate of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and an Associate of Applied Science degree in Criminal Justice and Homeland Security.

Professor Michelle Watkins, Ed.D. and Instructor Jeffrey Brockhoff have mentored Barraza and Franco through their time at EPCC. “Being able to connect with the professors at EPCC is most important,” Evelyn Barraza said.

Northwest Early College High School (NECHS) held a celebration Wednesday to commemorate the school’s opening in 2008.

“EPCC will be marking the 10^th anniversary of two of its 12 early college high schools this summer: Northwest Early College High School, in partnership with Canutillo ISD, and Transmountain Early College High School, with El Paso ISD, both opened in July 2008,” Tonie Badillo, Dean of Dual Credit and Early College High Schools (ECHS) said.

“EPCC’s early college high school initiative has provided a unique opportunity to the youth in our region to earn an associate’s degree while in high school.”

ECHS initiative is designed to allow students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an associate’s degree in four years.

School officials, via a news release said, the ECHS “must target and enroll students who are historically underrepresented in higher education, including economically disadvantaged, first-generation, English language learners and minority students.”

The ceremony –  held in the school’s grotto to honor current students, faculty and graduates – was followed by a field day at the adjacent West Side Soccer Complex.

The University of Texas at El Paso will celebrate spring graduates during UTEP’s three Commencement ceremonies Saturday, May 12, in the Don Haskins Center, while El Paso Community College will celebrate their graduations on Friday, May 11.

The UTEP celebrations are at 9 a.m. for the College of Liberal Arts; 2 p.m. for the colleges of Education, Business Administration and the School of Nursing; and 7 p.m. for the colleges of Science, Engineering and Health Sciences, and School of Pharmacy.

A livestream of each UTEP ceremony will be accessible from any home computer, mobile device or tablet at utep.edu.

As for the El Paso Community College (EPCC) Spring 2018 Semester graduates, they’ll take to the Don Haskins stage twice on Friday; with the Students earning Associates of Science Degrees,  Associates of Applied Science Degrees and Certifications at 2 p.m. and Students earning Associates of Science Degrees, Associates of Applied Science Degrees and Certifications at 6 p.m.

To make the most of the Commencement experience, graduates and guests should be aware of the following:

I-10 Closure

Map of I-10 closure available to download here.

Graduating students and guests driving to the Commencement ceremonies should expect delays and high traffic volume, especially if driving to campus from the west side of El Paso, due to a closure on I-10.

From 9 p.m. Friday, May 11, to 6 a.m. Monday, May 14, I-10 will be closed in both directions at the Sunland Park exit and entrance ramps. Sunland Park Drive southbound will close between Mesa Hills Drive and Paisano Drive. The Sunland Park Drive northbound overpass, the Sunland Park entrance ramp to I-10 westbound, and the Sunland Park flyover entrance ramp to I-10 eastbound all will be closed.

During the closure, crews will remove massive steel pillars from the old Sunland Park flyover ramp.

Plan for at least one extra hour of commute time prior to each Commencement ceremony.

Detour: I-10 eastbound traffic will exit at Sunland Park Drive (Exit 13) and immediately re-enter I-10 at the next ramp. I-10 westbound traffic will exit at Sunland Park (Exit 13) and follow it to North Mesa Street, turn left on North Mesa Street and re-enter I-10 westbound from the North Mesa entrance ramp.

Alternative routes: Eastbound traffic can use Doniphan Drive and Paisano Drive or Mesa Street. Drivers can also circle around the construction zone by using Transmountain Drive and U.S. 54 and head to UTEP via the westbound side of I-10.

Westbound traffic can exit I-10 at Mesa Street (Exit 19A) or Downtown (Exit 19B) to avoid any traffic backup that may occur on I-10 in the UTEP area.

If you are traveling from the Stanton Street Port of Entry or the Paso Del Norte Port of Entry from Juárez, it is recommended to plan for at least one hour for possible traffic delays.  For more information on the I-10 closure or international bridge times, visit go10elpaso.com and https://www.elpasotexas.gov/international-bridges/wait-times.

Glory Road Closure

Glory Road from Oregon Street to Randolph Drive will be closed to enhance pedestrian safety, ease traffic congestion and help with the flow of crowds from the Don Haskins Center to Celebration Plaza.

Commencement Parking (Former lot names included below in parenthesis) Parking map available to download here.

Free parking:

• Accessible via Glory Road: GR2 formerly P-9.
• Accessible via Sun Bowl Drive: Lots SB2 (S-3), SB3 (S-4), SB10 (R-6) and the Sun Bowl Parking Garage. SB7 (R-2) will have reserved parking for event staff, but the remaining spaces will be available to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Accessible via Schuster Avenue: Lots SC1 (P-4), SC2 (P-3), SC3 (P-2), SC4 (P-1), and Schuster Parking Garage

Parking with Fee: 

• Glory Road Transfer Center and Parking Garage (accessible via Glory Road at Mesa Street). ($10)
• Public monthly and daily parking lot at 3003 S. Mesa St., north of the Don Haskins Center between Mesa Street and Sun Bowl Drive.

ADA Parking: 

• Permit required, Lots SB8 (R-3) and ME1 (R-4) near the Don Haskins Center.

Media Parking: 

• Working media representatives will receive a special parking pass for the designated parking lots. Media can park in reserved spots in lot GR3 (P-10) and must present their credentials to the security staff.

Don Haskins Center Policies

Guests may not bring food, drinks, baby strollers, balloons, noisemakers, fireworks, poppers, glass containers, tripods or banners into the Don Haskins Center during Commencement.

Visit UTEP’s Website for the latest information about the University’s graduation ceremonies.

EPCC

What:   EPCC Spring 2018 Commencement Exercises

When:   Friday, May 11, 2018

2:00 p.m.: Students earning Associates of Science Degrees,
Associates of Applied Science Degrees and
Certifications
6:00 p.m.: Students earning Associates of Arts and Associates of
Arts/Teaching

***

UTEP

What: UTEP’s Spring Commencement

When: Saturday, May 12

9 a.m. for the College of Liberal Arts

2 p.m. for the School of Nursing and the colleges of Education and Business Administration

7 p.m. for the colleges of Science, Engineering and Health Sciences, and the School of Pharmacy

NMSU

More than 2,000 New Mexico State University students will be earning their bachelor’s and advanced degrees this spring.

Commencement weekend will begin Friday evening with a hooding ceremony for doctoral candidates at the Pan American Center at 6 p.m. Friday, May 11.

Following that, students receiving their bachelor’s and master’s degrees will be honored Saturday, May 12, during two ceremonies. The first ceremony will take place at 9 a.m. and candidates from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, College of Business, College of Engineering and College of Health and Social Services will be recognized.

At 2 p.m. students from the College of Arts and Sciences and College of Education will be honored.

Over 1,000 bachelor’s and master’s candidates are expected to receive their diplomas on Saturday and over 70 doctoral candidates are expected to attend Friday’s hooding ceremony.

The Pan American Center will open one hour prior to each ceremony. Tickets are not required. Graduates should check in east of the Pan Am in Lot 32.

Arrowhead Drive between Triviz Drive and Stewart Street along the Pan Am will be closed during commencement. Graduates and the general public should park in the lots to the north and east of the Pan Am, with handicapped parking to the north and northeast of the building.

For family and friends who cannot make it out to the commencement ceremonies, Information & Communication Technologies Video Services will be live streaming them via this link. 

Media covering the event should park in the south lot and obtain a media pass in the tent located in Lot 32, east of the Pan Am.

For more information about the commencement ceremony, visit the website.

With graduation just around the corner, Merari Valenzuela’s future in cross country – and college -was uncertain.

In 2016, during her senior year at El Paso High School she had torn her ACL during basketball season and split her meniscus.

Merari was faced with the decision to either go through surgery – with the looming challenge of learning how to walk again before she could tie up her laces and race competitively in a 5k – or wait until basketball season was over.

With a full cross-country scholarship on the line – she chose surgery in the hopes of being better by the start of the cross-country season.

Then, the lengthy healing process began.

“Most institution usually opted to drop the student athlete, which is within the bounds of the National Junior College Athletic Association policies,” said Cross Country Coach Felix Hinojosa. “However, our program takes a different approach. We would rather work with the student athlete.”

For the first 6 months, Valenzuela could not run, but EPCC honored her scholarship and she was able to complete her education, while being red-shirted on the cross-country team for her first season.

“It was frustrating at times because you want to be with your teammates,” she said. “It’s like you see them running and you want to go but your leg doesn’t let you because it’s still trying to recuperate and heal. I had to learn how to walk again and learn all the basics,” Valenzuela said.

“We incorporated multi-joint movement training patterns, water running, woodway curve treadmill intervals and sport specific strength training,” Hinojosa said. With this additional strengthening and conditioning exercises from Cross Country Coach Felix Hinojosa,

Valenzuela was able to make a full recovery and run with her teammates in the women’s half marathon in 2017. The team placed second at the National Junior College Athletic Association Championship in Topeka, Kansas.

Throughout her training and healing process, Valenzuela also maintained a 4.0 GPA, which has earned her an Out of State Competitive Award of $15,579 per academic year at New Mexico State University.

Additionally, she was awarded the 1888 Leadership Transfer Scholarship which amounts to $2,500 per academic year.

“EPCC has helped me maintain a high GPA because our coach emphasizes the fact that we are students before athletes,” she said. “He expects us to maintain a high GPA because it opens up opportunities to receive academic scholarships. Having a high GPA allows us to be noticed more when it comes to honor societies as well.”

Valenzuela said since she started at EPCC, she decided to major in Biology in preparation for becoming a Neonatologist, or a doctor who works with newborns.

In 5 years she hopes to be finished with medical school and starting her residency. Valenzuela credits her success as a runner and as a student to her coach and EPCC. “Here at EPCC, you are close to home, but you are also independent, and athletically it helped me become a new runner and find out what are my strengths and weaknesses.”

EPCC Tejanas fans will be able to follow all the action live starting Friday, as their run to NJCAA Championship will be broadcast online.

The El Paso Community College (EPCC) Tejanas Softball Team will take part in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region V playoffs in Lubbock, Texas, May 4^th through 6^th.

The Tejanas are seeded sixth and the playoff is in a double-elimination format. The games will be streamed live by the Texas Sports Radio Network (TSRN) online.

EPCC’s schedule for the first two games are:

May 4, 12:30pm (MDT) vs. Odessa
Win Game 1:  May 4, 5:30pm vs. Clarendon
Lose Game 1: May 5, 10:00am vs TBA

On Wednesday, El Paso Community College unveiled the $32 million EPCC Rio Grande Academic Facility and Parking Garage set to be built at 919 Oregon Street in Downtown El Paso.

The single-level parking lot will become a multi-use, 7-story building with academic spaces and a parking garage, using double helix angle parking to accommodate the most parking possible.

Officials say, “The uniqueness of the Rio Grande Campus, in comparison to other El Paso Community College campuses, is that it is the only campus in an urban setting and sits within neighboring historic areas and neighborhood associations. Remaining wall stones from a historic home site will be accommodated into the structure.”

A state-of-the-art Simulation Suite will cater to health professions programs such as nursing, EMT, phlebotomy, radiology, and physical therapy. This building also allows EPCC to create a new Associate of Applied Science program in echocardiography. The campus will promote interactive, interdisciplinary learning strategies.

The skills lab, which will replicate real-life facilities and hospital spaces, will help ensure that the graduates are job-ready. The 400-space parking garage will alleviate the lack of parking on the campus and currently results in students parking throughout the neighborhood streets.

The final design, by Parkhill, Smith & Cooper (PSC), incorporates intriguing character reflecting the Sunset Heights neighborhood, with a landscaped pedestrian plaza that provides a social gathering space that also connects the campus to various campus buildings on the western side.

“This facility is addressing various campus challenges, such as lack of parking and academic spaces,” said Mary Stills, Senior Associate / Architect at PSC. She was the architect and project manager. “The building represents the investment that EPCC is making in the students to educate them and prepare them in real-world scenarios so they can be career-ready. It’s a privilege to design a building that will be utilized to its maximum potential for years to come.”

Construction is planned to be finished by the summer of 2020.