Community Outreach

Contact information:
Jim Needham
Dean, Community Outreach Department
Personal Information

Links
The American Democracy Project is designed to educate, motivate and provide opportunities for students, faculty and staff to actively participate in the democratic process.

Outreach News Archive: Oct 04 - Jan 05

Outreach News - January 19, 2004

High School Students Want to Visit your Classes
A number of local high schools will be bringing students to TAMU-CC this spring for field trips. GEAR UP programs, GO Centers, and other high school groups will tour the campus. It is always a highlight of these tours for high schoolers to sit in on "real college courses". If you are willing to have 10-20 high school students sit in on your 9:30 am or 12:30 pm classes on Tuesdays or Thursdays this spring, please reply to this e-mail or contact Crystal Seehorn at 5773.

AutoCheck Screens Car Emissions at HEB Stores
AutoCheck, the auto engine analyzer system, is scheduled for two upcoming events with HEB. On Thursday, January 20 from 12:00 noon until 3:00 pm, AutoCheck will be at the 3133 S. Alameda HEB, screening cars for HEB employees and the general public. Then on Saturday, January 22, AutoCheck will park at the Flour Bluff HEB at 10241 SPID from 12:00 noon until 3:00 pm. AutoCheck uses state-of-the-art remote sensing equipment to measure the pollution levels of passing cars and provides information to drivers about what they can do to drive cleaner. High polluting cars found through these two events will be eligible for monetary repair assistance at participating garages. You can find out more about AutoCheck at the website or by calling Alex McNair at 2197.

Community Organizations Need Student Volunteers
Various community organizations have requested assistance from University students and/or faculty. Contact Carole Peterson at 5966 if you are interested in involving yourself or your students in any of the following projects:
•Inventorying and/or evaluating potential ecotourism sites in the Coastal Bend area
•Developing strategies and/or materials to promote the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program
•Writing articles and news releases to promote 2005 Earth Day/Bay Day activities, an April event to celebrate nature and the environment.

A&W Hosts AutoCheck
On January 8, AutoCheck and the Corpus Christi Mustang & Ford Club held a successful and fun event at the A&W Family Restaurant at 5617 Saratoga. The Mustang & Ford Club events regularly attract a number of local car clubs with a sizeable crowd on hand. Channels 3 and 10 reported on the event and interviewed participants. More than 30 classic and high performance cars ran through AutoCheck, with Alex providing the owners lots of information on their cars' pollution levels and with AutoCheck stickers and brochures. The AutoCheck system uses state-of-the-art remote sensing equipment to measure the pollution levels of passing cars and provides drivers with information on "cleaning up" their emissions. Learn more by calling Alex McNair at 2197 or looking up the website.

Professional Development Available to Campus and Community
The following professional development opportunities are available to University employees, as well as to the general community. Carole Peterson at 5966 can give you more details:

Whale Done! is offered on January 21 from 9:00 am-12:30 pm. Based on Blanchard's best-selling book, this workshop highlights how catching people doing things right and redirecting their negative behavior are some of the best tools to increase productivity, build trust, create high levels of commitment and motivation, retain the best workers, promote positive customer relationships, and sustain your competitive advantage. $199 for non-TAMU-CC participants, with group rates available.

SHRM Essentials of Human Resources begins on January 22 and continues on February 5 and 12 from 9:00 am-4:00 pm. The Society of Human Resource Management's (SHRM) introductory course emphasizes the essentials of HR management, employment loss, effective recruiting, compensation, orientation and training, and ensuring quality performance. Cost is $475 for non-TAMU-CC personnel, with group SHRM member discounts available.

Now Discover Your Strengths occurs on February 4 from 9:00 am-3:00 pm. This revolutionary workshop uses Gallup's proven StrengthsFinder to identify your top 5 strengths and then shows you how to use them to better manage your career and personal life. Registration costs $225 for non-University participants, with group discounts offered.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People starts on February 8 and continues on February 22 and March 8 from 9:00 am-4:00 pm. This 3-part leadership program is based on a single premise: effective leadership starts from the inside out. Non-University personnel may register for $350, with group discounts available.

SHRM Learning Systems: PHR/SPHR Certification Prep Course kicks off on February 26 and runs for 7 weeks on Saturdays from 9:00am-4:00 pm. This comprehensive Society of Human Resource Managements (SHRM) preparation course is a 36 contact-hour, interactive course designed to coach HR professionals for the PHR and SPHR certification exams. Cost is $675 for non-TAMU-CC participants, with discounts available for groups and SHRM members.

Outreach News - December 15, 2004

Moody High School Students Learn about AutoCheck
On November 17, the Pollution Prevention Partnership coordinated a Clean Air Science Fair with Moody High School. The fair was preceded by students' studying in their high school classes activities and curriculum from P3 on transportation choices and their impact on air quality. Moody students and staff as well as the school's neighbors had the opportunity to drive past the AutoCheck remote vehicle emission sensing system to test their vehicles' emissions during the fair. Over 100 vehicles were checked out, and 14 were detected as being in need of repair. Students benefit in that the repair costs will be paid out of P3 program funding. Alex McNair can set up a similar fair for your group or school; call him at 2197.

La Raza Charter School GO Center Makes a Difference
La Raza Charter School has one of the newest GO Centers, a peer-to-peer mentoring club of high school students who encourage their classmates to stay in high school, graduate, and go on to higher education. La Raza has one of the 15 current GO Centers in area high schools. For the Thanksgiving holiday, GO Center members at La Raza raised over 1500 pounds of food to donate to Loaves and Fishes. This is the first example of GO Centers assessing community needs and giving back to their communities in this region in Texas. For more information on GO Centers, call Victor Davila at 5967.

BEST Robotics Teams Garner Awards
BEST Robotics in the Coastal Bend wrapped up its first season with a strong showing at the regional competition at SMU in Dallas. The BEST (Boosting Engineering, Science, and Technology) competition is held annually across the nation to inspire and interest high school students in the fields of science and engineering. With guidance from adult mentors, local teams from 8 different high schools designed and built remote-controlled machines to accomplish specific given tasks. In Dallas, Flour Bluff High School took the overall title of "2004 Most Photogenic", while Port Aransas High School ranked midfield among the final results statewide, an outstanding feat for a first year team. The goal of the Coastal Bend BEST for 2005 is to double the number of robotics teams competing locally and involve more schools and volunteers from Corpus Christi. Alex McNair will involve you too if you call him at 2197.

Regional Math Summit Moves Seamless Pipeline Forward
As part of the new Title V grant received by TAMU-CC through Veronica Guerra's efforts, Outreach cooperated with PEICS and AIMS projects to host a math summit at Del Mar College on November 29. Public and private school teachers and higher education math faculty from the 4 area institutions met to take the first step in bringing more consistency to the teaching of math in our region. Input from this math summit indicates next steps which include more extensive meetings and planning together across levels to insure a smooth transition from pre-Kindergarten all the way through college graduation. If you want to help move this effort forward, call Victor Davila at 5967.

AutoCheck Earns High Marks
Alex McNair presented the results of the AutoCheck and consequent auto repair initiative to date to the Corpus Christi Air Quality Group on December 9 at the Museum of Science and History. So far about 35 high-polluting cars have been repaired through the AutoCheck program. Overall hydrocarbon pollution from these vehicles is 91% lower than before, and nitrogen oxide emission are reduced by 88%. Some vehicles saw better than 98% reductions in these harmful pollutants. The Air Quality Group agreed that future SEP (Supplemental Environmental Project) funds would be well-spent targeting auto pollution and the AutoCheck program. Alex McNair will answer your questions at 2197.

GO Center Scholarships Available
Scholarships for students from both TAMU-CC and area high schools who make considerable contributions to area GO Centers are available. High school students may earn up to $500 per semester throughout their entire high school careers for their work in GO Centers, convincing their peers to graduate from high school and go on to higher education. Title V monies from Veronica Guerra's latest grant make these awards possible. Additionally state monies make possible GO scholarships to TAMU-CC students who visit area high schools and mentor high school students who frequent GO Centers. Victor Davila has all of the information at 5967.

Students to Provide Income Tax Assistance; Volunteers Still Needed
The Student Accounting Society along with several TAMU-CC staff will be assisting low-income, elderly, disabled, and non-English speaking taxpayers complete their 2004 tax forms as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program sponsored by the Asset Building Coalition of the Coastal Bend.Additional volunteers are still needed to work Saturday afternoons or evenings. Free tax training is provided. Classes start January 8, 2004. Receptionists, site coordinators and PR/marketing assistants are also needed. FMI contact Carole Peterson at Ext 5966.

Register Now for A&M-CC Professional Development Courses
For more information on the following courses, contact Carole Peterson at 825-5966. To Register: Call 361-825-5826 or click on "Registration Forms" at http://cob.tamucc.edu/tder/developmentprograms.htm

WHALE DONE! January 22, 9 AM - 2 PM. Based on Ken Blanchard's best-selling book, this 1-day workshop highlights how catching people doing things right and redirecting negative behavior are some of the best tools to increase productivity, build trust, create high commitment and motivation, retain your best workers, promote positive customer relationships and sustain your competitive advantage. $199 for non-TAMUCC persons. Group discounts available.

SHRM ESSENTIALS OF HUMAN RESOURCES starts January 22 and continues Feb 5, Feb 12, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. The Society of Human Resource Management's (SHRM) introductory course introduces the essentials of HR management, employment law, effective recruiting, compensation, orientation & training, and ensuring quality performance. $475 for non-TAMUCC persons. SHRM and group discounts available.

NOW DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS, February 4, 9 AM - 3 PM. This revolutionary workshop uses Gallup's proven Strengthsfinder to identify your top 5 strengths, and then teaches you how use them to better manage your career and personal life. $225 for non-TAMUCC persons. Group discounts available.

SHRM LEARNING SYSTEMS: PHR/SPHR Certification Prep Course starts February 26 and runs for 7 weeks on Saturdays, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. This comprehensive Society of Human Resource Management's (SHRM) human resource professional certification preparation course is a 36 contact-hour, interactive course designed to prepare HR professionals for the PHR and SPHR certification exams. $675 for non-TAMUCC persons. SHRM and group discounts available.

Outreach News - November 16, 2004

TCEQ Commissioner Visits with Outreach
The Pollution Prevention Partnership hosted Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Chair Kathleen White and TCEQ Executive Director Glenn Shankle for briefings on local environmental projects and success stories on November 3 and 4, 2004. Highlighted local success stories included the Oil and Oily Bilgewater Pumpout Project, AutoCheck (the remote vehicle emission sensing system), the Small Business Assistance Program, and air quality public education and outreach programs. TCEQ personnel were very impressed with Corpus Christi's efforts and results; Gretchen Arnold can tell you more at 3070.

New Director of Education and Youth Development
Welcome to Victor Davila! Victor is the newest member of the Community Outreach staff, taking on the position of Director of Education and Youth Development. Victor has already been hard at work planning the 2005 Summer Youth Camps in consultation with camp coordinators and working with the GO Centers in area high schools. Please take an opportunity to introduce yourself and your programs to Victor. You can reach him and welcome him to campus by calling 5967.

Title V Grant Strengthens the Educational Pipeline
Through the heroic efforts of Dr. Veronica Guerra, TAMU-CC and Del Mar College received a 5-year Title V grant to strengthen the educational pipeline. Beginning with area high schools, the federal government is supplying the 2 institutions with funding to keep youth in high school through graduation, transition them into higher education, and support them through graduation from that level. As the coordinator for Activity One of that Title V grant, Victor Davila is working to create GO Centers in each of the 45+ high schools in the 12 county area surrounding TAMU-CC. GO Centers are a grass-roots network of high school-based college recruiting centers located across the state of Texas. These GO Centers use high school students and college students to mentor other youth and bridge the gap between high school and higher education. TAMU-CC has a Collegiate G Force which serves as the mentoring student organization to the 10 high schools in our area which currently have GO Centers. If you would like to learn more, call Victor at 5967.

Recovering Emissions from Oil and Gas Well Sites
The Pollution Prevention Partnership has embarked on a project to assess economically viable solutions to address emissions from the oil and gas production industry, particularly at the sites where that industry all begins, the well sites themselves. As part of this assessment, Jim Nunn and Mark Goodyear of Comm Engineering gave a presentation on a EVR unit that can assist with vapor recovery of emissions from well sites. Not only can the EVR technology keep our air clean, but it also can turn these emissions into profits by returning the vapors into the oil and gas systems to be piped to processing plants. The presentation included a field trip to a well site operated by Total-Fina near McAllen. So far this EVR technology at this well site has been a valuable tool to keep emissions to less than 100 tons a year and help operators stay in compliance with state regulations. Josh McDowell at 5751 can tell you more about this technology.

GO Center Scholarships for High School Students
Thanks to the Title V grant to support local students in pursuing their higher education dreams, scholarships are being made available to high school students who have been active in their GO Centers. Applications are being distributed to the 10+ local high schools which have GO Centers; scholarships can be used by these high school students to attend any college or university in Texas. Additionally members of the TAMU-CC Collegiate G Force are eligible to apply for stipends for their work in the GO Centers. Interested individuals should contact Victor at 5967.

Outreach News - October 18, 2004

Outreach Helps with Sea Fair
On the weekend of October 9-10, Outreach and the Center for Coastal Studies assisted the annual Rockport Sea Fair by providing participants with free kayak rides in Little Bay. Additionally festival-goers were able to take a trip on the Wetlands Explorer floating classroom. Members of the Wildlife Conservation and Rehabilitation Club, a TAMU-CC student organization, and their friends served as kayak guides, taking more than 500 people out for basic kayaking instruction and short rides. Jay Tarkington of Coastal Studies showed off his new floating classroom and provided interpretive tours around the bay. With a continuous stream of participants, TAMU-CC was able to provide exciting and yet educational experiences for those who attended the Sea Fair. To find out how you can access similar services, contact Jim Needham at 2708.

Facilitators Needed for Youth Leadership Forum
School districts in San Patricio County are holding their annual John Ben Shepperd Forum on October 27 from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm at the Portland Community Center. This Forum facilitates youth discussion groups and helps high school students develop their leadership skills. Volunteers to facilitate these students are needed; facilitator training lasts for 2 hours and will be conducted on October 26 at 12:00 noon at the Portland Community Center with free lunch provided by Dupont Corporation or at 5:30 pm with no meal provided. Carole Peterson at 5966 can give you more information on how to help.

AutoCheck Makes a Road Trip
On October 8-9, AutoCheck made its first road trip to Beaumont to be part of the "Car Care for Clean Air" event hosted by the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission. In addition to the free emissions check and car maintenance and tune up advice from AutoCheck, participants got a tire pressure check and free inflation and a car wash by local high school students. Because folks in Beaumont had not seen the likes of Autocheck, they were curious about the equipment, its connection to air quality efforts in Corpus Christi, and a way to get an AutoCheck system for their own city. Beaumont was pleased with AutoCheck's visit and intends to invite them back again soon. Alex McNair at 2197 can tell you how to get AutoCheck to visit one of your events.

You Can Help Improve Corpus Christi's Neighborhoods
Moody High School students are involved in their neighborhoods and efforts to improve them. They are inviting TAMU-CC as well to learn how to improve our own neighborhoods by opening their Block Captain Empowerment Training to all comers. This training will be held on Sunday, October 24 at 11:00 am Moody High School followed by the Corpus Christi Barrios Association/Moody High School Civic-Minded Students Community Convention. For more information, contact Carole Peterson at 5966.

Family Life Center Has a Successful Six Weeks
The federally-funded grant project Family Life Center completed its first 6 weeks period of its fifth year of operation recently. Through this Center, after-school activities are provided to about 65 students at Haas Middle School. On September 24, FLC staff hosted Haas students and their families for a parent night during which parents were given updates on program goals and objectives for this semester. FLC mentors who are University students have been consulting with faculty at Haas in order to identify academic problem areas for lesson plans and student enrichment. Haas participants will be rewarded on October 15 with a field trip to Gatti-Town for pizza and games to celebrate a successful beginning of the school year. To learn more about the FLC, call Joe Miller at 994-6992.