GROWTH OF COLLIN COLLEGE Collin College o ered its rst classes at area high schools in 1985. Here are some highlights from its expansions over the years. This timeline is not comprehensive.
LOCAL DEMAND The Texas Workforce Commission projects continued demand for quali ed employees in applied technology, applied science and nursing. The following projections are from 2018-28 in North Texas.
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1988
ConstructionManagers
169 projected new jobs
13 average annual openings $109,138
Central Park campus opens inMcKinney
Spring Creek campus opens in Plano
Preston Ridge campus opens in Frisco
Average annual wages:
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passage allowed Collin College to add two more degrees that have yet to be determined, bringing the total to ve. “Any degree that we o er must o er [the] opportunity for our grad- uates to get a job and move ahead in life,” Johnson said. “That’s our cen- tral focus.” After the college’s board of trust- ees approves a degree, the next step is presenting to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, the highest authority on education in the state. Representatives from the board review the presentation and confer with other institutions that o er similar programs. Sherry Schumann, executive vice president of Collin College, said the response time from the THECB var- ies depending on the quantity of requests it has. Once the THECB accepts a pro- gram, college o cials send an appli- cation to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the accreditation body for higher education institutions in southern states. The association has six months to review and respond to an application. A proven talent pipeline Collin College’s construction man- agement program will build on the courses already o ered. Currently, students can pursue an Associate in Applied Science in Construction Management—the prerequisite for the four-year degree—and two certi- cations in the eld. The baccalaureate program will “prepare students for advancement within the eld,” according to Collin College’s website. Key aspects of the curriculum include project safety, risk management and the behavior
of building structures, per the pro- gram site. “Graduates of this program will have the knowledge and skills to compete at a very high level for lead- ing jobs in commercial and residen- tial construction,” Craig Johnson said in a March news release. These skills, in combination with a bachelor’s degree, give job seek- ers signi cant advantages over non- degreed people at places such as Mario Sinacola & Sons, said Anthony Phillips, vice president of human resources. “We do a lot of excavating and operating heavy equipment,” Phil- lips said. “We do have project managers that oversee those con- struction projects, so anyone that’s applied themselves to get that disci- pline is of value because that means that they understand the context of what we do.” Phillips added that he and other company executives met with the college’s construction program last year to get acquainted with the stu- dents and faculty. “We’ve already placed individu- als from their construction program into our workforce,” Phillips said. “We hope that we’ll just continue to build upon that relationship and have a feeder pipeline from full edu- cation to internships.” Mario Sinacola & Sons hosts internships each summer in depart- ments that range from operations to human resources. Phillips said two- thirds of interns are typically hired as full-time employees. Baccalaureate program success Like many other industries, “con- struction is in a war for talent,” Phil- lips said. This workforce demand is what led to the expansion of degree
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cybersecurity for less than $10,000. Residents in the nursing program can complete the degree for less than $13,000. For most public, four-year universities in the state, that would equate to only about two semesters’ worth of tuition, per tuition data from surrounding institutions. “We have to o er the baccalaure- ate degree at the same tuition rate and same structure as our existing programs,” said Abe Johnson, Col- lin College’s senior vice president of campus operations. “So these bac- calaureate programs are very, very a ordable.” Steps for approval Gov. Greg Abbott signed Texas House Bill 3348 in June 2021, which amended a law relating to the num- ber of bachelor’s degrees commu- nity colleges may o er. The bill’s
RegisteredNurses
1,872 projected new jobs
115 average annual openings
Average annual wages:
$67,630
Computer&Information SystemsManagers
55 projected new jobs
4 average annual openings
Average annual wages:
$135,185
SOURCE: TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
Students in Collin College’s bachelor’s degree programs will spend less than they would earning the same degree at a four-year institution. Tuition estimates for Texas residents enrolled in 12 credit hours for one semester are shown here. COMPARING COSTS
Collin College: $1,236
The University of Texas: $5,429 The University of North Texas: $5,449 Texas A&M University: $6,094
The University of Texas at Dallas: $8,206
The University of Dallas $23,301*
Southern Methodist University: $30,118*
SOURCES: COLLIN COLLEGE, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS, THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS, THE UNIVERSITY OF DALLAS, SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER * = HALF OF ANNUAL TUITION AND FEES 2021-22 semester tuition cost for incoming freshmen $0 $5K $10K $15K $20K $25K $30K $35K
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COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM
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