CBC Receives Grant Funding to Establish Honors College

BEEVILLE- Coastal Bend College (CBC) announced plans to establish an honors college in partnership with Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK). The three-year initiative, aimed at expanding access to honors coursework among minority students, is valued at more than $250,000 over the life of the grant.  

“It’s an honor to be chosen by PTK as a partner in this endeavor. We are proud of the work we have done in the past with the organization,” states CBC President Dr. Justin Hoggard. “This is not only about academic excellence, but also about equity and creating opportunities for all of our students to expand their leadership capabilities. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this program will have on our students and community.” 

Because PTK has an established, campus-level partnership with CBC and a long history of providing community college students with opportunities to participate in rigorous co-curricular programming, the Society is well-positioned to work with college leaders to establish an honors program that will challenge students while also providing them with individual guidance and support. 

“Phi Theta Kappa’s work around improving completion outcomes for minority students is one of the things I am most proud of. This grant will allow us to scale and further that work by embedding honors programming in minority-serving community colleges,” PTK President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner says. 

The program will be open to high-achieving students who earn at least a 3.5 GPA after completing 12 hours of college credit. As a part of the project, PTK will also provide students with leadership opportunities, access to competitive scholarships, and one-on-one transfer and career coaching. The grant will also provide faculty and staff with professional development opportunities, including capacity building in the areas of institutional effectiveness, institutional research, and fundraising.  

Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The Society is recognized by the American Association of Community Colleges as the official honor society for associate-degree institutions and is made up of more than 3.8 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 countries, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges.   

To learn more about Phi Theta Kappa, visit ptk.org.   

For more information about Coastal Bend College, visit coastalbend.edu. 

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