Today@Sam Article
Heritage Magazine: Redefining Job Readiness - Inside SamPoly
July 18, 2025
SHSU Media Contact: Campbell Atkins
The following article appeared in the Spring 2025 publication of Sam Houston State University's Heritage Magazine: Innovation in Education.
With tomorrow’s burning questions requiring industry-aligned solutions today, Bearkats are uniquely positioned in the higher education field to deliver immediate, effective results for employers near and far.
Through its groundbreaking Polytechnic College, SamPoly, Sam Houston State University is providing students with cutting-edge curricula and redefining what it means to be job-ready in the modern age.
“SHSU has always been focused on service and rising to the needs of society, Texas in particular,” said Chad Hargrave, vice president for research and partnership at SHSU. “This opportunity allows us to align with what the workforce needs are as well as provide a population of students looking for employment with relevant, tangible skills.”
Hargrave and his team have worked tirelessly to launch SamPoly in response to three major workforce disruptions in recent years, including vast learning losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the great resignation, a trend from 2021-22 that saw a generation of Americans enter retirement. Simultaneously, a flurry of new technologies continues to alter the landscape of various industries.
“We find ourselves in a period of technological advancement, and it’s happening rapidly,” Hargrave said. “We have seen advances in the workplace and a shift towards more automative, technically-advanced processes in all aspects of industry. We need to upskill the existing workforce to fill those types of jobs.”
The work began in response to the Talent Strong Texas initiative, which charges higher education institutions to offer more credentials of value to the state’s postsecondary population. The movement led to the rediscovery of legislation that helped the university address similar industry shortcomings in the aftermath of World War II. Established in 1947, the Josey School of Vocational Education equipped SHSU’s veterans with the training and skills necessary for employment to rejuvenate the workforce.
Nearly eight decades later, the same piece of legislation remains on the books and aims to accomplish similar results in a way no other four-year institution can.
“The vision for SamPoly is pretty broad and we are rolling it out in phases,” Hargrave said. “This starts with programming that meets our immediate needs in the region, allowing us to address critical workforce shortages and establish industry partnerships.”
The Polytechnic College will initially feature four programs: Practical AI and Intelligent Automation, Computer Information Systems and Security, Computer Support Specialist and Paralegal Studies. Each program has been intricately designed with input from an advisory council of industry leaders to ensure graduates are properly equipped.
In the spring of 2025, there were nearly 10,000 open positions in practical AI and intelligent automation in Texas alone. SamPoly’s program is crafted for those looking to gain immediate, practical knowledge for high-impact roles in this space. As AI and automation become essential across industries, this certificate creates versatile, future-focused candidates for a fast-evolving tech landscape.
“With SamPoly, SHSU is asking the right questions and understanding the problems that we need to prepare students for in the future,” said George Stephenson, industry partner and chief operating officer at Forward Edge AI in San Antonio. “This curriculum is not abstract, it’s tangible. It allows the student to quickly apply what they are doing in a classroom to what they will be doing in the field.”
The programs focusing on computer information systems, as well as computer support specialists, are designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to provide technical assistance to computer users in various settings. Through hands-on labs, applied coursework and industry-relevant projects, the curriculum covers a wide range of topics in system support and cybersecurity, preparing students for the growing demand for information security professionals in various industries such as government, healthcare, finance and technology.
“SHSU has stepped in to harness some of that technical training knowledge and started applying it to the collegiate process,” said Kevin Dixon, industry partner and chief executive officer of Anthem Technology in Huntsville, located minutes from SHSU’s main campus. “These students will come out with hands-on knowledge, which is currently hard to find in the labor force. This curriculum will give them the skills that myself and the people who will hire them are looking for.”
SamPoly’s paralegal program provides a strong foundation in all aspects of law as well as immersive research and client interactions. Upon completion, students will be prepared to enter the workforce as competent paralegals or legal assistants, or to continue their studies in law or related fields. They will also gain a realistic expectation of where they will start out and the specific duties they will be expected to perform.
“It was very important to me that, if this program was going to exist and feed into our job pool, that it would teach the skills that I know my colleagues and I value and are looking for in new hires,” said Kate Bihm, industry partner and managing shareholder of The Bihm Firm, PLLC in Conroe, Texas. “There is a wealth of jobs out there for local people that can be quite lucrative if they are trained through a program like SamPoly.”
Regardless of a student’s career path, SamPoly boasts an application process as quick and seamless as their transition to the job market is sure to be.
“Our vision is for this to be as simple as pressing a button,” Hargrave said. “One hurdle in higher education is the complexity of the application and the time it takes to actually get into a program. We wanted a different model.”
The simplicity factor includes as many points of entry as possible. The condensed semesters last five to seven-and-a-half weeks with multiple openings throughout the year, removing another potential barrier and providing open accessibility to all who desire a workforce credential.
“Starting college Sept. 1 might not be ideal for everybody,” Hargrave said. “SamPoly is the perfect answer to students who are not sure whether or not college is the right move for them. It offers them the opportunity to explore higher education in a relatively low-risk environment.”
The future of SamPoly will continue to be fueled by feedback from its industry-powered advisory councils as well as the tireless groundwork conducted by its leaders. Officials currently envision future programming delving deeper in the technical space as well as advanced manufacturing and healthcare.
“SHSU has always been outward looking. I think it’s part of our nature to do so,” Hargrave said. “SamPoly has strengthened our connection with industry; it will continue to strengthen the more we listen to our industry partners and satisfy their needs.”
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