From left, Tyler Junior College President Juan E. Mejia and Weatherford College President Tod Allen Farmer

Students from Weatherford College will soon be able to seamlessly transfer to Tyler Junior College to complete their Bachelor of Applied Technology in health care administration degree, after TJC and Weatherford College held a signing ceremony on April 23 to establish the agreement that would make this possible.

Students who receive the Bachelor of Applied Technology in health care administration at TJC may consider earning the Executive Master in Business Administration in health care administration offered through UT Tyler or a Master of Health Administration degree at the UT Health Science Center at Tyler.

In the field of health care, UT Tyler currently offers six baccalaureate degrees, 12 master’s degrees and four doctoral programs, and is in the process of adding a doctorate of health administration as well as a school of medicine.

“The concept of baccalaureate degrees by community colleges began during the 78th session of the Texas Legislature,” TJC President Juan E. Mejia said. “Community colleges are credited for being the catalysts for economic development, social mobility and regional prosperity, and we choose to be at Tyler Junior College or Weatherford College because we know the impact we have. We have the ability and are entrusted to do great work within our communities,” he said.

Mejia was among those who signed the agreement along with Weatherford College President Tod Allen Farmer, TJC Provost Deana Sheppard, WC Vice President of Instruction and Student Services Michael Endy, TJC Dean of Professional and Technical Programs Loretta Swan and WC Dean of Health and Human Services Katherine Boswell.

“As we looked toward adding baccalaureate degree programs, we looked to our friends at Tyler because we wanted the best,” Farmer said. “And when it comes to the best, we know that Tyler Junior College and UT Tyler are truly among the very best in the entire world at what you do here, and you are the kinds of professionals that we, at Weatherford College, want to align ourselves with. We are thankful and grateful that we are able to enter this highly valued partnership with you. We hope this is the beginning of many more future collaborations between our two noble institutions, both east and west of the rapidly growing Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex.”

Community colleges do not duplicate what is offered by universities unless there is an unmet need for the program in the college’s service area. TJC is the fourth community or junior college in the state of Texas to offer baccalaureate degrees, and is uniquely positioned to serve this need with its strong programs in health care technology and medical office management.

In addition to officials from TJC and Weatherford College, UT Tyler Provost Amir Mirmiran was also on hand to celebrate the partnership.

“This is a great opportunity to expand the healthcare education in East Texas. Tyler is considered to be the health care capital of East Texas, so this makes Tyler also a college destination for training future healthcare professionals. For us at UT Tyler, with the merger of Health Science Center and UT Tyler, we actually have a significant health care education portfolio,” Mirmiran said.

Mirmiran added, “It is a partnership, and I congratulate our colleagues from Tyler Junior College (for their) tremendous impact on health care education in East Texas. It is all about students’ success; that means that we need to align our institutions to serve our students.”

In closing remarks, TJC Board of Trustees First Vice President Peggy Smith said, “It is an honor to be here today to welcome our guests from Weatherford, and to let you know how committed our board is to the mission of community colleges in our region, state and nation.”

Sheppard explained what this means for students and how it will benefit them.

“These programs will provide students at both Tyler Junior College and Weatherford College access to an education that will prepare them as healthcare leaders and for master level programs in the Tyler area. Both TJC and WC are committed to training healthcare professionals to address the significant need for health care workers, and students who earn this bachelor’s degree will help meet the leadership needs in healthcare in Texas,” she said.