Project purpose:the south texas college (STC) connecting minority communities project will increase network capacity and resilience by adding additional fiber connections between campus locations,…

The South Texas College was awarded a $2,850,148.35 Project Grant from the Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration under the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program (CFDA 11.028). The grant will support improving broadband connectivity and digital learning infrastructure at the College's Mid-Valley and Starr County campuses in Texas. Key activities include upgrading fiber optic bandwidth between campuses and IT hubs, converting 15-38 classrooms per campus from analog to digital, expanding remote access for 400 students through mobile devices, and virtualizing specialized desktop software for 700 concurrent users in Year One growing to 1,190 by Year Two. Outcomes include improving student home access by 25% within the first year and fully converting targeted classrooms by Year Two. No subawards are planned.

Project purpose:the south texas college (STC) connecting minority communities project will increase network capacity and resilience by adding additional fiber connections between campus locations, transform more classrooms to support digital learning, and support low-income students with limited resources by providing more ways for students to connect to STC faculty and learning opportunities. Activities:south texas college (STC)'S connecting minority communities project will execute project activities based on four goals. (1) connectivity and enhancement of fiber optic infrastructure. STC will upgrade fiber optic bandwidth connectivity between the mid-valley campus, the starr county campus and STC's information technology hub. (2) analog to digital. STC will upgrade existing classroom infrastructure and equipment increasing our digital classroom capacity from 15 to 38 at the mid-valley campus and from 5 to 17 at the starr county campus. The new digital classrooms will enable our faculty and students' better access to curriculum in class and remotely. (3) remote access devices. STC will increase the adoption of broadband internet services by expanding access to remote instruction and student support. IT will do so by providing mobile gateway devices and student services for at least 400 students. (4) virtual desktop interface. STC will expand instruction and remote learning opportunities for students by virtualizing specialized desktop software. Outcomes:as a result of implementing the proposed project activities, the following outcomes will be realized. As a result of the campus broadband upgrades, STC will improve response time and bandwidth traffic between campuses which will improve student access from home by 25% by the end of the first year. As a result of the analog to digital technology upgrades, STC will convert 100% of mid-valley and starr county campus classrooms identified as needing to transition from analog to digital by the end of year 2. As a result of providing academic coaching, library instruction, and mobile gateway devices to students, program participants? Pass rate will meet or exceed the pass rate of the general student population. As a result of virtualizing specialized desktop software, STC will provide access to 700 concurrent virtual computers by the end of year one and 490 additional virtual computers by the end of year two for a total of 1,190 virtual computers to be used by STC students. Beneficiaries:all students, faculty, and staff at south texas college (STC)'S mid-valley campus in weslaco, TX and starr county campus in RIO grande, TX will benefit from the improved performance of the campus broadband network and improved delivery of technology services. Students from vulnerable populations will benefit from the opportunity to participate in learning opportunities focused on supporting their academic success, and will have access to remote teaching and learning. Students in need and students without equipment or broadband access will be prioritized to receive devices. Additionally, all STC students will be able to leverage the computing capacity of the virtual environment when off-campus through the use of personal devices remotely connecting to campus-based, high-performance computers. Subrecipient activities (if applicable):the recipient does not intend to subaward funds.