2018 was an historic year at Temple College as the college won its first national championship in softball and prepared to welcome a new president. Here are some of the highlights from the year:
In May, the Temple College softball team capped its 20th season by winning the NJCAA Division I championship. The championship was the fifth one for a Temple College athletic team.
- President Barron retires
After serving as president of Temple College since 2008, Dr. Glenda O. Barron announced plans to retire from the college at the end of 2018. Highlights of her presidency included the construction of several new buildings on campus and several new student success initiatives.
- Christina Ponce named the next president of Temple College
In late October, the Board of Trustees selected Dr. Christina Ponce to be the 11th president of Temple College. She will start Jan. 2, 2019. Dr. Ponce was selected following a national search that drew more than 70 applicants.
- College launches mobile app
After more than a year of planning, Temple College launched a new mobile app to help students connect with the college from their mobile devices. The app can be downloaded for free from both the iStore or from the Google Play store. The app enables students to register for classes, pay bills, view their class schedules and grades, find buildings on campus and look up important phone numbers.
- College starts new initiative to help students
Inspired by a similar program at Amarillo College, Temple College launched a new initiative to address some of the non-academic issues that can keep students from meeting their educational goals. The initiative formally kicked off in November with a visit from Amarillo College President Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart.
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In July, Temple College and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor signed an articulation agreement that will make it easier for students who complete an associate degree at Temple College to pursue a bachelor’s degree at UMHB.
- Associate Degree Nursing program celebrates its 25th anniversary
Temple College’s Associate Degree Nursing program celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018 and also prepared to take additional students beginning in January 2019.
- Respiratory Care program receives national award
The Temple College Respiratory Care program received national recognition in 2018 for the percentage of its students who pass an advanced credentialing exam.
- Nursing professor receives national recognition
Claudia Turner, who teaches in the Associate Degree Nursing program, was among the first recipients of the Dale P. Parnell Distinguished Faculty recognition presented by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Turner also received the 2018 Claudia and W.T. Barnhart Teacher of the Year Award.
- Students earn recognition
Temple College students earned a variety of recognition in 2018:
- A total of 93 students were inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honor society – 45 in April and 48 in December. Five students also were inducted into the college’s new chapter of Sigma Kappa Delta, the English honor society for two-year colleges, and 14 students were inducted into Psi Beta, the psychology honor society.
- Temple College student Joshua Lipp was named to the 2018 All-Texas Academic Team.
- Twelve students from Temple College were selected for All-State music ensembles that performed at the Texas Music Educators Association Convention in San Antonio.
- Temple College student Diamond Ford was named a 2018 Coca-Cola Military Leaders of Promise Scholar – an honor that comes with a $1,000 scholarship.