A&M-Commerce Celebrates 20-Year Partnership with Navarro College

A&M-Commerce and Navarro College commemorated their 20-year partnership on November 14 with an anniversary celebration in Corsicana, Texas.

The Navarro College Partnership allows students to earn bachelor's or master's degrees through A&M-Commerce at Navarro College. The partnership makes quality education accessible to students in rural East Texas, allowing them to earn a degree from an A&M System university while living in or around Navarro County.

The anniversary celebration was well attended by faculty, staff, alumni, students and community partners, many of whom played a vital role in the development of the Navarro College Partnership. Navarro's noble English Bulldog, Beauregard VI, also made an appearance at the event.

President Mark Rudin of A&M-Commerce and President Kevin Fegan of Navarro College addressed the guests and reaffirmed their commitment to the partnership. Outstanding partnership graduates were also recognized, including Mr. Joseph Aguilar, Ms. Rafranz Davis and Dr. Jeanetta Groce.

Groce, executive dean of academic studies at Navarro College, reflected on how the Navarro College Partnership changed the trajectory of her life. A single mother of three, Groce attended A&M-Commerce at Navarro and lived in low-income housing across the street from campus. According to Groce, faculty and staff provided support and a “safe space” where she could study and achieve her goals. She eventually earned her Bachelor of Science, Master of Education and Doctor of Education degrees from A&M-Commerce.

A&M-Commerce currently offers five undergraduate degree programs at Navarro College, including bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice, Interdisciplinary Studies, Computer Information Systems, Computer Science and Environmental Science. A Master of Science in Mathematics is also offered.

To date, more than 2,600 graduates have received degrees through the Navarro College Partnership.