Del Mar College News

The community room at Del Mar College’s Oso Creek Campus was full of giant checks on May 17. One after another, the Texas Workforce Commission presented to 12 Coastal Bend recipients, including 11 independent school districts and Coastal Bend College, 17 Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grants to support their career and technical training programs. Dell Mar College is a training partner for nine of the 11 ISDs that received grant funds.

A multi-million dollar grant effort is moving toward the education of trade school students in the Coastal Bend. Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Bryan Daniel presented 17 Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grants to 12 recipients at a ceremony attended by state and local officials, school staff, and CTE students at Del Mar College’s Oso Creek Campus. DMC is a career and technical education traning partner with nine of the 11 independent school districts that received grant funding.

Around four years ago, Del Mar College partnered with Sinton High School for their health science class. Sinton Independent School District students took their phlebotomy certification test this week. 100 percent of them passed, which means they're one step closer to working in the medical field.

Del Mar College has added a new resource for students interested in anatomy — and virtual reality. The college Student Success Center recently unveiled new virtual reality software that allows students to explore human anatomy to supplement the physical models in the center's anatomy lab.

Del Mar College opened the new Oso Creek Campus to the public April 21 with a grand opening featuring tours of the facilities, including the Culinary Arts Building, where students offered attendees a taste of their work. It is the first new campus Del Mar College has built in 60 years. The land was purchased in 2013 for $6 million. Voters approved a $139 million bond to support construction of the campus in 2016.

It was a big day for Del Mar College. On April, the community gathered for the grand opening of its new Oso Creek campus. Located on Yorktown near Rodd Field Rd., this is the first new college grounds built by Del Mar in more than 60 years. The new campus was part of a $139 million referendum approved by voters in 2016.

Del Mar College officially opened their Oso Creek Campus on April 21. It's the college's first new campus built in 65 years. 3NEWS was able to capture the new state-of-the-art facilities, that include the culinary arts and STEM buildings. The process to introduce the campus began over a decade ago with the facilities master plan in 2012.

As the school year winds down, parents can start planning for summer camps, including DMC Music Department camps available during part of the summer.

Tax Day is on Tuesday, April 18. Residents are encouraged to not file for extensions, if possible, because they could potentially come back to haunt you.

Del Mar College will host two free book author visits and book readings this Thursday and next Thursday (April 13 and 20). Guest poet and Corpus Christi native Alex Z. Salinas will share his work April 13 for National Poetry Month. Many of Salinas’ poems and short stories take place in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. On April 20, author E. M. Tran is scheduled to visit through the Del Mar College Cultural Programs Series to read from her debut novel, “Daughters of the New Year.”

Just over $870,000 was handed out Wednesday by the Texas Workforce Commission. The money is from the Commission's Skills Development Fund. The checks were presented to Gulf Island Services and ArcelorMittal Texas HBI. They will use the money to pay for their employees to get special skill training at Del Mar College.

Moving quickly up a wooden pole shaking in the wind, Del Mar College student Rudy Landeros made it 40 feet above ground and rescued a training dummy in one minute and 11 seconds. Landeros was one of four Del Mar College Continuing Education students completing the college's new electrical lineworker program Tuesday with a "skills rodeo."

Labor shortages are plaguing every industry, but electric company linemen are critical first responders for many severe weather events that are common in South Texas. Rudy Landeros is graduating from Del Mar College's new Entry Level Electrical Lineworker Program and is taking part in a skills rodeo co-sponsored by Nueces Electrical Cooperative.

Four students who participated in the line-workers Academy at Del Mar College are getting ready to enter the electrical lineworker workforce. The program was developed to expose more people within the industry, because of a shortage of lineworkers in Texas.

Del Mar College history professor Mark Robbins and Texas A&M University-Kingsville anthropology professor Christine Reiser Robbins lead students attending both institutions to a rural Nueces County cemetery east of Driscoll to care for the forgotten graves of farmworkers who lived on the Flinn Ranch.

While many underrepresented communities can fall between the cracks when it comes to higher education funding, the Port of Corpus Christi has donated $100,000 to Del Mar College Foundation to provide scholarships to students in these underrepresented communities.

An extraordinary event happened between Corpus Christi's major education institutions and America's aviation depot. An outreach agreement was signed as the depot continuously seeks to recruit and train the next generation of artisans and employees Students and recent graduates from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Del Mar College, and the Craft Training Center of the Coastal Bend will have the opportunity to participate in employment programs with Corpus Christi Army Depot.

"One of our big education initiatives is at our partner institution, Del Mar College in Corpus Christi. They’ve developed one of the nation’s first AI occupational skills awards for students to learn new technologies and skills."

2022 was a significant year for Del Mar College. During the second summer session held in July and August, students took credit courses for the first time on Del Mar College’s new Oso Creek Campus while construction continued for a full opening in January 2023. The new campus is the first the College has built in over 60 years.

Business is booming in Texas. The Lone Star State ranks first in the nation in over-the-year jobs added according to the Texas Workforce Commission. However, we have a shortage of skilled workers that continues to concern our employers. Thankfully, our state’s community colleges are poised to help us build the workforce of tomorrow with the help of the Texas Commission on Community College Finance’s final recommendations.

The next generation of law enforcement, firefighters or EMTs are well trained and ready to take on the challenge. Over 600 high school students who feel they were called to be emergency responders competed in the Texas Public Service Teacher Association's annual competition at Del Mar College’s Windward campus on March 11.

Del Mar College is one of three area institutions working with the Depot to help recruit new employees among students who may want to seek jobs with CCAD, including those in the Building Maintenance, HVAC and Electrical Programs.