Tarrant County College Has Eyes to Future

Despite recent troubles, Tarrant County College (TCC) is working to revamp its student pathways into the labor market.

TTC Chancellor Elva LeBlanc has been striving to attract new students, forge partnerships, and boost the school’s relevance during her tenure.

After serving TCC for 17 years in other capacities, LeBlanc became chancellor in December 2022 at a time when the institution was facing a legal matter and declining enrollment figures, according to the Fort Worth Report.

While low student numbers were experienced nationally during the COVID-19 pandemic, the legal turmoil was specific to TCC.

A lawsuit was filed against TCC in early 2022 by Kristen Bennett, who had resigned from her position as executive vice president of advancement due to alleged harassment by then-chancellor Eugene Giovannini.

Bennett specifically charged that Giovannini unlawfully retaliated against her when she disciplined another female employee for problematic conduct within her team. Giovannini and this employee were allegedly having an affair at the time.

As The Dallas Express reported, TCC’s board of trustees voted unanimously in March 2022 to fire Giovannini, but he resigned before the process could be completed in June.

LeBlanc was named interim chancellor shortly after and was confirmed by the board of trustees that December.

“Regardless of what noise was out there, we were going to be focused and that’s what I did,” LeBlanc said of this time, according to the Fort Worth Report.

To help pull TCC out of a difficult time, LeBlanc launched several initiatives to boost the school and its reach.

The first was to rethink the demographic of the school’s students.

Rather than targeting just high school graduates, TCC reached out to local high schools to forge partnerships allowing students to pursue university courses prior to graduation.

Older adults already in the workforce but looking to add more skills or credentials were also sought after.

Partnerships with entities like Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County, which offers tools for local job-seekers, were made to build more awareness about the certifications and associate degrees TCC has to offer.

“We’re expanding our partnerships with entities like that in order to bring people here and help them to be successful, whereas, maybe, before we were just focusing on low-hanging fruit. Now, we’re really serious,” LeBlanc said, according to the Fort Worth Report.

Another of LeBlanc’s focuses was on improving student pathways into the workforce.

Lydia Guajardo Rickard, vice chair of the TCC Foundation, explained that TCC has been “truly developing the workforce from the inside out,” according to the Fort Worth Report.

Alongside building a better support system for students through career advisers and counselors, forging partnerships with other educational institutions and private corporations has been important.

For instance, TCC has been collaborating with Toyota to help create a pipeline of workers to fill existing labor shortages in the automotive service and repair industry, as The Dallas Express reported.

TCC is also involved in growing the local biotech workforce using grant funds from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to develop career pathways in bioinformatics, biomanufacturing, and biotechnology, as reported by The Dallas Express.

More opportunities for evolution appear to be on the horizon for TCC.

Texas community colleges like TCC will see an influx in funding from the recent passing of House Bill 8, sponsored by Rep. Gary VanDeaver (R-New Boston).

Once signed by Governor Greg Abbott, the bill will provide a 31% increase in annual funding for community colleges based on the number of students enrolled “in credentials of value,” as The Dallas Express reported.

“The new funding model will be a game changer in elevating the capacity of community colleges to build a talent-strong workforce throughout the state,” LeBlanc said in favor of the bill when it was being deliberated in April, per a TCC news release.

“More than ever, community colleges have the opportunity to be a vital partner with the communities we serve as an engine for economic development and a pathway for all to high-demand and high-wage careers,” she added.