St. Philip’s College is in the process of recruiting students for the inaugural class of the recently approved Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cybersecurity — part of a system-wide expansion of bachelor’s degrees being offered at the Alamo Colleges District.
While the growing offerings have been known for some time, the district enshrined the effort under the new name “AlamoU” during a ceremony Thursday, attended by trustees, professors and students.
“These new programs advance our district’s moonshot by providing our students with relevant, workforce-focused education that aligns with industry needs,” Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Mike Flores said in a statement. “By offering bachelor degrees, we aim to empower our students to thrive in competitive job markets and make meaningful contributions to their respective fields.”
The unique arrangement, which breaks the mold of community colleges offering only two-year degrees and certifications, was made possible by a series of laws passed in Texas starting in 2017 and updated in 2021. It’s part of a broader goal to increase workforce development programs to meet gaps in critical areas of the workforce.
The effort began in the fall of 2021 with the first class of bachelor’s degree students in the nursing program at San Antonio College. Jasmine Carrington-Brannon, who is preparing to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, said it was an obvious choice to take the opportunity.
“When the opportunity was presented to me to continue with the bachelor’s program, I was like, ‘it’s a no-brainer,” she said during a ceremony announcing the initiative.
This spring, the district added a bachelor’s in operations management at Palo Alto College and the St. Philip’s program will begin next fall.
Such programs are life-changing for students like Joannette Casias, who is a mother of eight and had never envisioned getting more than a certificate. She is now working toward a bachelor’s degree in operations management as well as an entrepreneurship associate degree.
“My journey is not a traditional one,” she said during the ceremony Thursday. “I am a first-generation college student and I have a beautiful blended family. In fact, my two oldest daughters attend Palo Alto College with me.”
While Casias had pursued certifications previously, she didn’t see higher education as a possibility before the program was introduced to her by a staff member, who she was interning for at the time.
“Universities are great, and they have a place,” she said. “But for someone like me that has such big family, that has so many demands that our finances are being pulled in so many different ways … this was the key that I had been waiting for for such a long time — to break cycles of generational curses.”
That echoed the “moonshot” initiative by Flores to end intergenerational poverty through education.
Two more programs are in the works across the system, bringing the total number of four-year offerings to five, the most allowed under a law passed in 2021 authorizing community colleges to offer the degrees.
Northwest Vista College plans to offer a Bachelor of Applied Technology in Cloud Computing, with the degree pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
According to a press release, the program will prepare students for mid- and entry-level roles in cloud computing. The program will be available fully online or in person.
A fifth program at Northeast Lakeview College is under development, but officials didn’t provide details Thursday about what industry it would focus on.
Officials cited statistics by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showing that overall employment in computer and information technology occupations will grow much faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032, with 377,500 job openings each year.
Flores said the upcoming graduation ceremony for San Antonio College will showcase the broad impact of the district’s expanding initiatives.
“The first group of students across the stage are those getting their high school diplomas,” he said. “Followed by those who earned a certificate, then those who earned an associate’s degree.
“And then we see folks crossing the stage with a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing.”
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Joannette Casias.
