On Oct. 28, the Lone Star College System formally signed its Guaranteed Transfer Partnership Agreement (GTPA) with five higher education institutions.
The framework
Established in partnership with Prairie View A&M University, Sam Houston State University, Texas State University, Texas Tech University and the University of Houston-Downtown, Lone Star College’s GTPA program is one part of the college's Do the Thing & Be the Bridge: 2025–2030 strategic plan. Creating pathways for Lone Star students to gainful employment and transfer opportunities is a key goal for the five-year plan, according to its website.
The new GTPA will create 50 different guaranteed transfer pathways to degrees with the five partnered universities.
With this new program, students will know which credits transfer toward their degrees from the start for up to six years and those who remain continuously enrolled will not lose ground if course requirements change during that time.
According to its website, high school students taking dual credit courses can also benefit from established transfer pathways.
Now, the dual credit courses they take in high school not only count toward a high school diploma and LSC degree but can also apply toward a bachelor's degree at one of the five partnered universities.
Lone Star College Chancellor Mario Castillo said that creating a seamless path for students to continue their higher education careers is the primary goal at Lone Star. The agreement is a representation of the commitment each university has to supporting student growth at the next level.
“One of the things I underestimated, and I’ll fully admit I miscalculated, is the concern and love that our university partners have for their students," Castillo said. “They care about our students as much as we do. That is our cause. At the end of the day, they are not my or your students; they're all our students.”
What they are saying
Deborah Bordelon, University of Houston-Downtown interim president, was one of the five signees at the ceremony. During her speech, she noted that the new agreement is about accountability for all universities that sign the document and that they will not be lowering the standards they expect for students.
“We are not watering down standards; rather, we are holding each other to higher standards," Bordelon said. “We are making the promise that if a student takes a course at Lone Star College, they're earning credits toward an associate's degree and that those credits have meaning and that those credits are important.”
