Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819; ahatch@dcccd.edu
For immediate release — Aug. 30, 2017
(DALLAS) — A new partnership, Dallas Connect, provides Eastfield College students with an opportunity for admission in a dual enrollment program with the University of North Texas at Dallas. That program, announced today, offers local students a clear pathway to a four-year degree in criminal justice, business or education.
Dallas Connect is designed to provide holistic educational support for students through mentoring, financial assistance and campus engagement to build student leaders who will become future leaders of Dallas.
“I am so glad students will have the opportunity to begin their course work leading to a bachelor’s degree at Eastfield College by taking the first two years of their program at Eastfield, where they will graduate with an associate degree and then transfer to UNT Dallas to complete their bachelor’s degree,” said Dr. Jean Conway, president of Eastfield College. “Because our students will have dual admission to both Eastfield and UNT Dallas, their transition from our college to the university will be seamless.”
“We are proud to partner with Eastfield College for this unique program — this is significant because it will give high school students in Dallas, Forney, Garland, Mesquite and Sunnyvale a clear pathway to their associate and bachelor’s degrees that can be visualized and understood on the front end,” said Bob Mong, president of UNT Dallas. “At UNT Dallas, we see higher education as a great equalizer and a pathway to social mobility; Dallas Connect further defines that pathway for students.”
The program kicks off this fall, offering Eastfield students who are enrolled for their first semester the chance to opt in to Dallas Connect if they meet the following requirements:
- Must be a recent high school graduate;
- Must have completed 18 semester credit hours or less from Eastfield College by Dec. 31, 2017; and
- Must be deemed “college ready” or one semester away from “college ready” as determined by Eastfield College, based on TSI scores, placement exams, and other measurements.
Interested students can opt in to the program by contacting their Eastfield advisor and completing an official application.
Students must maintain a 2.25 grade point average, be enrolled full time, attend regular meetings with advising and career services, and participate in several engagement-focused events on and off campus throughout the school year to maintain their cohort eligibility.
Additional program benefits and services include: scholarship funds from Eastfield College and UNT Dallas; frequent, one-to-one academic advising from each institution; priority registration; trips to UNT Dallas while students are attending Eastfield; SWAG with gear from both schools; a fixed-tuition plan for UNT Dallas, based on year of enrollment at Eastfield; Eastfield and UNT Dallas ID cards and access to UNT Dallas services while attending Eastfield; and mentoring from both Eastfield and UNT Dallas faculty in the student’s area of study (business, criminal justice or education).
For more information about the Dallas Connect program, email Dr. Kimberly Lowry, associate vice president for academic affairs and student success at Eastfield College, at KimberlyLowry@dcccd.edu; or Stephanie Holley, vice president of student access and success at UNT Dallas, at Stephanie.Holley@untdallas.edu.
Media Contacts:
Donielle R. Johnson
Director of Marketing
Eastfield College
972-860-7372 or doniellejohnson@dcccd.edu
Paul Corliss
Interim Associate Vice President
Marketing & Communications
University of North Texas at Dallas
972-338-1097 or paul.corliss@untsystem.edu
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