Continuing and Innovative Education, The University of Texas at Austin

Commissioner Baker, Valued Students, and Guests…

Commissioner Baker, I think you are really a continuing educator!  Nominated by President Obama in June, appointed in July, and already building communities and lighting up conversations about broadband, you are showing your commitment to access, education, and action.

Today, it is my honor to welcome you to The University of Texas at Austin and to the Thompson Conference Center, the home of Continuing Education.

Today we focus on three of the innovative K-16 Education Center programs for high school students:

1.  The University of Texas at Austin Online High School offers a state-approved high school diploma to those that need or prefer an educational alternative to a traditional education. Our student body is throughout Texas, the United States and the world;
2.  The Migrant Student Graduation Enhancement Program provides online courses to Texas migrant students with the goal of high school graduation; and
3.  The LUCHA Program  facilitates secondary English language learners as they transition into public schools thereby helping them achieve success in public school, college, and life.

Shortly, you will learn about these programs in detail and hear how these programs fulfill the university’s purpose of transforming lives for the benefit of society.  We are proud to share information about our online education programs for high school students, and we believe the success stories our students will share today reflect the skill today’s students bring to online learning and the role that online communication occupies in the world in which our students live.  The technology that allows this freedom of access is broadband, and without it, these and many other students would have a different story to tell.   

Our students reflect the diversity of education: multi-taskers, non-traditional, disadvantaged, mobile, gifted, disengaged, temporarily displaced—the list is as individual as each student. Our programs provide students with solutions; solutions that provide them with a solid educational opportunity that prepares them for stellar academic careers in colleges and universities across the United States. Online courses are the catalyst for students to keep advancing! 

We provide a link in the education continuum—from successful high school completion on to higher education.

It is now my pleasure to introduce Dr. Amy Pro.  She is the principal of our online high school and the supervisor of our Migrant Graduation Enhancement and LUCHA programs.  Dr. Pro will provide greater detail about each of the programs and introduce students that have experienced success in each of these programs.

View Amy Pro’s comments