Collin officials welcome Texas Tech University as the sixth university partner to join the admissions agreement program. Seated in the front row: (from left) Chairman Sam Roach, Collin Board of Trustees, President Jon Whitmore, Texas Tech University and President Cary Israel, Collin. Back row: (from left) Collin Board of Trustees Dr. Bob Collins, Tino Trujillo, Brenda Willard Goodell, Mac Hendricks, Cindy Bauge, Dr. David Hammel and Stacy Arias.

It was a red-letter day for Collin May 17 at the Spring Creek Campus. Well, technically it was a red- and black-letter day.

Collin and Texas Tech University (Texas Tech) formally signed an agreement titled “Red Raider Bound.”

The program will allow students to complete their first two years at Collin and have guaranteed admission to Texas Tech University once they do transfer. Red Raider Bound students also will be able to attend early orientation sessions and register early, apply for transfer scholarship and work with a Texas Tech advisor to ensure a seamless transfer process.

The program continues a line of agreements between Collin and other area universities. In 2000, Collin entered into a partnership with the University of North Texas. Since, the college has inked agreements with the University of Texas at Dallas, Southern Methodist University, Texas Woman’s University and Texas A&M University-Commerce.

“It is critical for community colleges and universities to cooperate and work hard in providing a short time to a degree,” Collin Board Chair Sam Roach said at the event. “This agreement is an exciting example of the cooperation effort between two institutions of higher learning.”

Texas Tech President Jon Whitmore understands the importance of community colleges. After finishing his master’s degree, he taught at a community college in the Seattle area.

“I’m not sure I’d be here today if it wasn’t for the booming community colleges,” Whitmore said. “Developing this special relationship, we think, is critical for our future. When both groups benefit, we are on the right path.”

Whitmore said that many of Texas Tech’s freshmen come from the Dallas/Fort Worth area, and that 67 percent of their students come from more than 300 miles from Lubbock. Also, he cited a growing alumni base in the Metroplex, some of whom attended the signing.

Collin President Cary Israel called the agreement a “major milestone and historic event for the region” citing that this is the first such agreement in the state for institutions so far apart geographically. The Red Raider Bound will help students shorten their time to a degree. According to Israel, nationwide it is taking students between 5.2-5.4 years to finish a bachelor’s degree. Not only can students save time by graduating early but they can cut the cost of higher education, too.
“Time to degree is an issue for all of us,” Israel said. “This is one way to shrink back the timeline to four years.”

Another advantage of the Red Raider Bound program is that students will have the luxury of obtaining an associate’s degree retroactively. Also, Texas Tech representatives will visit Collin campuses, and a visitation program will be established for students interested in transferring to the university.

“We are a tremendous transfer institution. More than 80 percent of our students have intentions to transfer,” Israel said.

In order to increase the number of Texas students completing bachelor’s degrees and to help meet the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s “Closing the Gaps” goals, Texas Tech, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and Collin also have agreed to participate in the Pathway Partnership, which encourages both partners to share information about enrollment, admissions policies, recruitment events and scholarship opportunities.

"Collaborations like these help both institutions attain the shared goals of reduced time to degree, lower overall cost and higher retention rates. It is a win-win situation -- especially for students," Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Thom Chesney said. "We have several other institutions with whom we are developing similar consecutive admissions agreements in different stages of the process. Community colleges and their baccalaureate degree granting partners across Texas and the nation could replicate this approach not only to help 'Close the Gaps,' but also to ensure that the workforce of the future is available and well educated."

Texas Tech  is a comprehensive public research institution comprising 12 colleges and schools and offering 118 undergraduate degrees, 104 master’s degrees and 59 doctoral degrees. Texas Tech serves more than 28,000 students, including 23,000 undergraduate and 5,000 graduate and professional students. The main campus is located in Lubbock, a city of more than 200,000 in West Texas. The university also has academic centers in Abilene, Amarillo, Fredericksburg, Junction and Seville, Spain.