LCC programs on the move to second campus
As construction wraps up on Laredo Community College South, the LCC campus on the west end of Washington Street is buzzing with activity. The move south is underway for several instructional and student support programs that will either expand or relocate to the new $50 million campus at 5500 South Zapata Highway.
The
first departments to occupy the new LCC South campus on March 1 are:
Community (and Workforce) Education, the LCC Regional
Police Academy and Adult Education.
Community
Education Director Lewis Pack says his staff looks forward to beginning courses
in the southern part of town. Registration
for non-credit classes at LCC South is currently underway.
Students can begin to register for these South Campus courses at the LCC
campus at West Washington Street or by downloading and printing the registration
form from the college website (www.laredo.edu/ce).
Payment can be made by phone with a major credit card or by mail with a check or
money order to the LCC Admissions/Registration Office.
LCC also plans to hold registration at LCC South on February 25 and 26
from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., plus February 27 and 28 from 9 a.m. to
12 noon. For assistance, call
721-5374.
“Laredo
Community College and its Community Education Department will be ready to meet
the workforce training needs of our community at LCC South,” says Pack.
“We will work to develop coursework and training that is valuable to
the needs of South Laredo and the region and we will add classes as needed.”
Training
will be available for various careers, including the general office
clerk/administrative assistant, security officer and substitute teacher.
“LCC
is offering training for careers that are in high demand and that will get
people into the workforce quickly,” notes Pack.
The schedule for these non-credit, enrichment courses is now available on
the college website: www.laredo.edu/ce.
The Regional Police Academy will be the first component of the LCC Protective
Services Department to start its move next month.
The remaining Criminal Justice and Fire Protection Technology programs
will move later to begin courses at the South Campus next fall semester.
Alfonso
Mendiola, long-time chairperson of the Protective Services Department, describes
the creation of LCC South as a “win-win situation” for the community.
“The
faculty and students who have previewed the new facilities are in awe of the
classroom and technology features available at this great campus,” says
Mendiola. “At LCC South, the
faculty will be able to introduce new learning technologies for the benefit of
students.”
Student
enrollment within the Protective Services Department has averaged over 900 in
the past five years. With the new
and larger facilities, Mendiola says that there will be opportunities for more
students to pursue criminal justice and related careers at LCC South.
Over
the late spring and summer, other departments will be transferring their
programs to the South Campus, including the Computer Electronics Technology
Department, the Automotive Technology Department and the Child Development
Department.
Luciano
Ramon, Department Chair for Computer Information Systems and Computer
Electronics Technology, says associate’s
degrees and certificates in five areas of computer electronics (CET), will be
housed in the new campus. The
Computer Information Systems (CIS) program will also offer some courses at LCC
South, but will maintain the majority of its courses at the campus on Washington
Street.
These
technology programs, which have experienced healthy enrollments, will be able to
continue growing with the new campus, says Ramon.
“The
faculty are excited about moving to the new facilities, which have been designed
to promote a greater learning experience for the success of our students and
support the growth of our career training programs,” says Ramon.
The
CET program includes associate in applied science degrees in various
specializations, including Computer Technology, Telecommunications Technology,
Computer Networking Technology and the newest Biomedical Electronics Technology.
A certificate in computer maintenance is also available.
Industrial
Trades Chairperson Fortunato Aldape says that students, faculty and staff of the
transportation technology programs are anxiously waiting the day when
they will be able to set foot on
the brand new campus. These
include Automotive Technology, Diesel Mechanics Technology and the new Auto Body
Repair which are scheduled to begin their courses on the South Campus in August
2004.
“New technology and ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certified-instructors
will be among the greatest benefits that LCC South will offer to students in
these vocational programs,” says Aldape.
Automotive
Technology students will work with new four-wheel alignment technology and in a
computer lab that offers the latest training for electronic and electrical
simulators, notes Aldape.
The
new Auto Body Repair program will help meet the local industry’s needs to
produce a highly qualified workforce. Students
will learn about chassis and frame straightening and utilize the newest
technology in painting equipment, among other things.
Aldape
notes that current students in the Auto Tech program come primarily from South
Laredo. “It’s going to be an
important benefit for these students to bring these innovative training programs
closer to home.”
The
LCC Child Development Program, including a new Child Development Center, is also
expected to open in the fall semester.
"The
facilities will be equipped with new learning equipment and classroom furniture
that will facilitate greater learning opportunities for students,” says Gloria
Juarez, chairperson of the Child Development program.
“LCC
South will offer a model lab school for the advancement of child development
studies,” says Juarez.
The
new Child Development Center will have a dual benefit.
It will provide quality care and development for young children of LCC
students, community, faculty and staff on a first-come, first-served basis.
The Center will also be closely tied to the educational process of child
development students.
“Students
will be able to observe the child lab through closed-circuit TV and work in an
ideal program for the development of young children,” says Juarez.
LCC South is expected to open in March with a selection of community education, workforce development and police academy courses. A full slate of college credit courses will be offered at the new campus beginning in the fall 2004 semester.
LCC South will contain all the programs needed to acquire an Associate of Arts and most Associate in Science Degrees, plus specialized training programs in Automotive Technology, the LCC Regional Police Academy, Computer Electronics Technology and Child Development. Adult education classes will also be offered.
For more information, contact the office of the Dean of Second Campus Planning by calling 721-5416.
Office of Marketing and Public Information
West End Washington St.
Laredo, TX 78040-4395
956- 721-5140
Fax 956-721-5443