East Texas A&M University and Paris Junior College (PJC) were jointly awarded a $4.7 million Title III Strengthening Institutions Program grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The grant will provide both institutions with funds over a five-year period to enhance career and workforce education, as well as establish the “Texas COMPASS Initiative,” a rural internship co-op between ETAMU and PJC.

“This award represents yet another outlet for us to continue pursuing the mission of transforming lives at East Texas A&M,” said Dr. Ryan Erck, assistant vice provost for student success and principal investigator of the new Title III grant. “With this new funding, we will continue propelling the Student Success Center forward in a positive way, all with workforce development and career services in mind.”

“This grant shows what happens when higher education and community colleges work as one team for our region,” said Dr. Mustafa Mashal, vice president for research and economic development at East Texas A&M. “By connecting students with employers across northeast Texas, COMPASS will help build a skilled workforce and strengthen the economy of the communities we serve.”

Creating a Space for Success

In the first year of the grant, both institutions will split roughly $1.2 million in funding. For East Texas A&M, these initial funds will go toward a much-needed purpose: A complete overhaul and renovation of the Office of Student Career Preparedness in the Velma K. Waters Library.

“This is well-timed because all other spaces on the 2^nd floor have now been renovated except this one,” Erck said. “The aesthetic of a career services physical space is important—it communicates something to both students and employers about how forward-thinking we are as a campus.”

He added that the renovation will allow the university to modernize its career services suite and send the message that East Texas A&M is equipping students for the careers of tomorrow.

Arthur Lumzy, executive director of Student Career Preparedness, said that renovating their space and adding staff will help the office strengthen its internship programs and work more closely with Paris Junior College and regional employers to create meaningful opportunities for students.

“We're very excited about what the COMPASS grant will make possible for our students,” Lumzy said.

Pointing the Way to Student Achievement

Standing for “Careers, Opportunities & Mentored Pathways to Academic Student Success,” COMPASS is a cooperative effort to address workforce readiness and student success by enacting physical capital and technology upgrades, building a shared employer network and scaling regional outreach by expanding joint activities between East Texas A&M and PJC.

Additionally, COMPASS aims to establish internship pathways with businesses and organizations across northeast Texas.

“The entire East Texas A&M University and Paris Junior College communities have many reasons to be excited about this grant,” said Arthur Valiant, director of Title III programs at East Texas A&M. “I see it as an extraordinary opportunity to literally build career preparedness resources, strengthen employer partnerships, and connect our students to meaningful internships and promising career pathways. It’s a great time to be a Lion!”

Strengthening Workforce Education

Another priority for the first year of funding is the establishment of a new position within the Office of Student Career Preparedness: A Coordinator of Internship Operations.

“This role will help engage regional employers to develop internship opportunities for students and will help source students to those placements,” Erck said.

Paris Junior College will also use the funds to renovate spaces and support hiring of new staff dedicated to internship placements.

“There will be continuous collaboration between ETAMU and PJC throughout the five-year grant period,” Erck said. “We'll be working together to co-host students, engage employers, co-develop internships for both PJC and ETAMU students, host employers on both campuses and a lot more.”

Learn more about the Student Success Center at East Texas A&M.