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eLearning Staff Visits Texas Tech's Costa Rica Campus

By Timothy Howard, Digital Media Coordinator

Four Texas Tech University eLearning & Academic Partnerships staff members recently visited Texas Tech's newly established campus in Costa Rica. Melanie Hart, vice provost;  Justin Louder, associate vice provost; David Hankins, senior director of eLearning Marketing; and Clay Taylor, director of Academic Partnerships. Over the course of the week, they were able to witness the amazing lengths the university is traveling (literally and figuratively) to make a high-quality Texas Tech education available to students outside of Lubbock — 1,982 miles away to be precise.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony for Texas Tech University at Costa Rica (TTU-CR) was held May, 19, 2018, making it Texas Tech's first international campus. Three groups traveled to TTU-CR: eLearning, a SACSCOC preparation group and a group from the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering

"We are beginning to conduct some continuing education activities at the campus and recently held a reliability seminar with the college of engineering," said Taylor. "The campus is very focused on meeting the needs of the Costa Rican economy (engineering, IT, hospitality services, etc.) and is providing the necessary education to meet industry needs. There are some very impressive companies there such as Intel, Amazon and L.L. Bean."

Hankins reflected on the trip as well. "There were multiple purposes for the trip," he said, "but overall it was very important that key staff members from the Lubbock campus were able to make connections with the staff at TTU-CR. These new relationships will be important going forward as the new campus grows."

"I was most impressed with the high quality of the new facilities and the passion that the staff have for what's going on there," Hankins said. "I believe this will be a truly great experience for students. There is no doubt that the Red Raider culture is a part of the campus environment."

In November 2017, the international campus received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), the regional accrediting body for degree-granting higher education institutions in the U.S., Latin America and other approved international sites. This accreditation allows students in Costa Rica to earn a degree from Texas Tech in their home country as well as have opportunities to more easily transfer college credits to other institutions in the United States and around the world.

The front of the Texas Tech University Costa Rica main building taken at an angle
Texas Tech University Costa Rica
 
eLearning & Academic Partnerships administrators looking into the corner of a room
Staff members receiving a tour of the Costa Rica campus.