TWU, NCTC and Denton ISD partner to increase nurses, teachers in North Texas

April 11, 2018-DENTON- Leaders at Texas Woman's University, North Central Texas College and the Denton Independent School District today signed innovative agreements aimed at enhancing the talent pool of nurses and teachers in Denton and Cooke counties and elsewhere. The agreements allow students to earn degrees more quickly and at lower cost while curbing administrative costs at the institutions.

"We are glad to have a transfer process for our students that is seamless and affordable, allowing them to be successful in reaching their goals and entering the workforce," said NCTC Chancellor Brent Wallace.

The nursing agreement allows NCTC students on its Gainesville campus to simultaneously pursue a bachelor's degree in nursing at Texas Woman's University while earning an NCTC associate's degree. The program enables NCTC students to earn bachelor's degrees in nursing from TWU in four years, effectively completing 75 percent of their instruction at NCTC. The program is a departure from standard community college-university articulation agreements in that the partnership allows students to be co-enrolled in both programs.

"The opportunity to expand partnerships will serve to strengthen our ability to serve our communities," said Emily Lewis, a board member for the North Texas Medical Center and an NCTC nursing instructor.

The other partnership will create a clear pathway for the Denton ISD to "grow its own" teachers by identifying prospective students as early as possible. The students will receive mentoring, complete the district's Education & Training program in high school, and then have a choice of attending TWU directly or enrolling first at NCTC to complete core courses and subsequently continue educator preparation at TWU.

"We value all of our partnerships with TWU as they agree with us in doing whatever it takes to help prepare our students for college or their chosen career," said Denton ISD Superintendent Dr. Jamie Wilson. "This new collaboration aligns with that mission as our district's 'Teach Denton' program, TWU's Educator Preparation Program and NCTC's Associate of Arts and Associate of Arts in Teaching degrees will now work together to create a more direct pathway for us to attract and retain a larger pool of highly successful Denton ISD teachers."

TWU offers support throughout the pathway, including course waivers, test preparation resources, bilingual education grants and development programs. Denton ISD graduates who complete their coursework with NCTC and TWU would also receive preferential hiring consideration from the district, said Wilson.

TWU Chancellor Carine M. Feyten, Ph.D., added, "These innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing workforce needs are a 'win-win' for students as well as for Texas, which aims to have 60 percent of the population 25 to 34 years of age with a level of higher education by 2030."

TWU will track the results of the collaborations "to ensure that what we all seek to achieve does, in fact, result in a larger talent pool of quality nurses and teachers," Feyten said. "We take great pride in working closely with our colleagues in community colleges across the state to help their students transition into high-quality undergraduate and graduate programs. We are eager to partner with our education colleagues, businesses and others to advance student success and address our communities' workforce needs."