Today@Sam Article
SHSU Signs Partnership Agreement With Goose Creek CISD
May 5, 2023
SHSU Media Contact: Mikah Boyd
University president Alisa White and campus administrators, traveled to Baytown to sign the official agreement between Sam Houston State University and Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District.
The agreement, known as the Bearkat Advantage Program, will offer ten scholarships to students in the district, establish closer ties with counselors within the district and encourage students to continue their education through SHSU. Thanks to the closer ties with district counselors, GCCISD students will have more scholarship opportunities, information about services such as advising and admission, notifications regarding deadlines and application waiver days.
“This initiative is important to Sam Houston because it allows students to have seamless admission into Sam Houston State University,” White said. “I’m excited about this partnership with Goose Creek CISD and I look forward to welcoming future Bearkats to campus.”
Randal O’Brien, GCCISD superintendent expressed his excitement about partnering with his alma mater in hopes of encouraging students within the district to reach for the stars, just as he was encouraged by those in the College of Education as a former student.
“I remember meeting Genevieve Brown, the dean of the College of Education at that time and I was made to feel welcome, and I remember her words were, you can do anything, you can be anything,” O’Brien said. “They encouraged me to continue on and get my degree, which is ultimately how I ended up where I am today.”
O’Brien shared that partnerships such as these are instrumental to his goal of putting GCCISD graduates on the path that is meant for them, be it continuing education or practicing a trade. He explained that students in the district hypothetically follow one of three paths, continued education, workforce entry or trapped in indecision. His goal with the partnership is to encourage half of his student body to take dual credit courses and find the path that is right for them before graduation.
“I’m driven to provide opportunities for the students of this community,” O’Brien said. “I’m so blessed to have the partnership we have with Lee College and SHSU. To have ourselves, Goose Creek CISD, recognized as a distinguished educational program that higher education wants to partner with just thrills me to no end.”
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