Three modern campuses in Del Rio, Eagle Pass, and Uvalde make up Sul Ross State University Rio Grande College, which, as of the fall 2010 semester, became one of the few colleges in the nation to equip all of its classrooms with the finest education technology systems available.
Because its three campuses are charged with providing higher education opportunities across 13 southwest Texas counties, Rio Grande College (RGC) has always sought to link students and curriculum through remote teleconferencing technologies and internet courses.
Now, RGC’s 1,100 students enjoy so-called “SmartClassrooms,” where instruction is enhanced by devices that put at a professor’s fingertips any materials needed to enliven or reinforce a lecture. Using touchscreens at special lecture consoles, RGC faculty can instantly download Internet programming, play information stored on Blue-ray and DVD discs, and project course presentation papers onto 65-inch plasma TV screens at the front of the classroom.
Additionally, four Distance Learning Centers at each campus provide real-time interaction between a professor and students assembled in disparate classrooms. Each DL Center is equipped with five 65-inch high-definition plasma TV screens and sound systems that can amplify a pin drop.
For work or family-bound students unable to attend regular classes, RGC provides internet coursework for nearly half the bachelor’s and master’s degree credit requirements of its three disciplines: education, liberal arts and business administration.
The college offers 13 bachelor’s and seven master’s degrees that range from international trade with Mexico and counseling, to criminal justice and biology. Organic and forensic chemistry were added to RGC’s curricula this fall.
The college’s small class sizes and accessible faculty contribute to high academic success rates, including a 99-to-100 percent Teacher Certification Test passing rate among RGC’s Education students.
The Del Rio campus features new buildings and facilities for laboratory science courses, in addition to traditional classrooms. All campuses have two computer labs, “Go-Centers” that loan teaching materials to education students, Student Service and Academic Support offices, and writing centers where students are tutored to master written and oral communication skills.
The vast waters of Amistad Reservoir near Del Rio, the scenic Texas Hill Country near Uvalde, the allure of the Texas-Mexico Borderlands and, of course, the fact that RGC offers the most affordable tuition rates of any Texas higher learning institution, are ample reasons for joining this small yet progressive college.
