TC says it is fully prepared to serve students amid pandemic

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic prompted discussion on crisis preparedness Monday at the Texarkana College Board of Trustees meeting.

Dr. Donna McDaniel, TC vice president of instruction, said faculty and staff have worked together to provide an easy-to-navigate distance learning environment, which allows students to attend and connect with faculty. She added that enrollment will also be available online for the upcoming summer and fall semesters.

“TC faculty and staff are accessible by phone and email or by a virtual meeting through Microsoft Teams application,” McDaniel said, according go a press release. “We have sent notifications to all students, faculty and staff about ongoing services and support available to them in order to help them navigate through these uncertain times.”

McDaniel said TC is providing online academic advising, assistance with financial aid, tutoring and library services, along with support for students with disabilities, veterans services and access to resources such as the TC food pantry and crisis counseling.

“We have also have ramp-up technology support through our

Help Desk and we’ve also installed a ‘chat’ feature on our website.”

Dr. Jason Smith, TC president, told board members that the college’s leadership team has worked night and day to assure a seamless transition to the online platform for students, faculty and staff.

“I have witnessed a complete transformation of the campus in just two short weeks,” Smith said. “When we left for spring break, we were all very uncertain of what the days ahead would bring. I’m confident in saying that our campus is prepared and equipped to navigate through this current crisis and provide excellent service and support to our students and our community.”

In other business, board members approved nine and 12-month faculty contracts for the 2020-2021 academic year.