The public is invited to the ground breaking on August 21 for site work on the Hill Country University Center (HCUC), located next to Fort Martin Scott on East Highway 290 at the eastern edge of Fredericksburg. The program will begin at 11:00 am and a free barbecue lunch will be served at noon. Guests are invited to begin arriving at 10:00 for displays and music.

The HCUC is an innovative partnership of Austin Community College offering core curriculum, Texas Tech University at Fredericksburg offering the upper division curriculum to complete undergraduate degrees and graduate degree programs, Angelo State University offering graduate Education degree programs, Concordia University offering a business degree program, and Schreiner University.

A permanent building with classrooms, computer and science labs is important for students and for the programs to continue to grow. Angelo State University will add two new graduate programs in 2009.

Graduates of these programs are working in school districts across the region.

Adrienne Grubb will start the new school year at Hunt School as the principal rather than as the third grade teacher. Mrs. Grubb applied to Texas Tech University to do her graduate work in Fredericksburg for the Master of Education with principal certification preparation program. She chose the program because it was close to home with evening and Saturday classes and it was affordable.

She joined local teachers from Kerrville, Ingram and Bandera to drive to Fredericksburg for classes. After graduating in May from Texas Tech University, the payoff for two years of work was a new job as principal of Hunt School. “I could not been selected for this job without my new degree,” said Grubb.

Michelle Valderaz graduated this month from Texas Tech University with a Bachelor of General Studies (BGS). She and her sister, Lydia Storey, work as paraprofessionals (teaching assistants) at Comfort Middle School and have been students at Texas Tech since 2003. Valderaz will start work on her alternative certification in the fall so she will be prepared when a teaching position opens up. Storey attended Austin Community College and is also working towards her BGS. She should finish next year.

The Texas Tech Teaching Teacher Education Program begins this fall for paraprofessionals and others to finish their undergraduate degree and become certified teachers.