FORT WORTH, Texas (April 17, 2015) – As part of its commitment to helping remove barriers to education, Tarrant County College has joined with four community partners to host the Poverty Summit: Cultivating Education in the Midst of Poverty on Thursday, April 30, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Student Center at TCC South Campus, 5301 Campus Drive.
The city of Fort Worth, Community Action Partners, Fort Worth Independent School District and TXU Energy are working with TCC to provide a forum that promotes discussion and a place to network for academicians, administrators, educational leaders, industry leaders, policy makers, professionals, researchers, students and other interested partners.
John Otis Turntine, director of the Transfer and Career Center and the Educational Talent Search program at Weatherford College, will discuss “The Journey That Turn Tine” as the keynote speaker.
“It is fitting and timely that TCC South Campus hosts the State of Texas Changing the Face of Poverty Conference in conjunction with key partners,” said TCC South Campus President Peter Jordan. “The South Campus service area includes some of the lowest socio-economic households in Fort Worth. More than 40 percent of the students attending South Campus are Pell Grant eligible. This criteria commonly is used by colleges and universities to determine the socio-economic status of their students.”
Jordan said several South Campus programs are designed to help students such as the Family Empowerment Center, Empowering Links, Visions Unlimited and Women in New Roles, which originated at South Campus. Students also have access to District initiatives including Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language, Men of Color Mentoring and STARS/TRIO Programs.
”These programs help residents within our service area improve their stations in life and gain economic stability. We are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with such valuable community partners to bring community leaders together to share information and resources that help us address chronic public health issues associated with poverty,” Jordan said.
Kennedale Mayor Brian Johnson, a key organizer and chair of the Social Sciences Department at South Campus, agreed that poverty is a problem plaguing not only the state but the nation. “One path out of poverty is education. TCC can help those stricken by poverty to explore ways to achieve success and economic independence,” Johnson said. “The goal of this summit is to explore the challenges students from disadvantaged economic background face and show that schools can help with these challenges.”
