Houston Endowment awards Lone Star College System $4.9M grant to support student success

HOUSTON, TX -- Strengthening dual credit, college completion and transfer pathways is the top priority for Lone Star College System’s Building Bridges to Credentials and Careers (BB2CC) initiative.

BB2CC will connect advising, academic support, and student success technology to help LSCS students maintain progress toward credentials of value and successful transfer to a university.

“Every student who comes to Lone Star College System brings aspirations for a better future. Our responsibility is to make the path toward that future clear and to provide consistent support as students move from one stage of their education to the next,” said Rigoberto J. Rincones Gómez, Ph.D., LSCS vice chancellor, Academic Affairs and project lead. “Through Building Bridges to Credentials and Careers, we are strengthening the connections among our schools, colleges and university partners so students have someone who knows their goals, helps them navigate challenges and follows through on their progress.”

BB2CC begins during students’ dual credit years and connects mentors, campus advisors and transfer navigators through a shared student success platform. Defined handoffs help maintain continuity of support as students progress toward college completion and transfer.

• A dual credit academy mentor supports students throughout their dual credit years.
• When students enroll at LSCS, a campus advisor assumes responsibility for their advising, with support from a retention and gateway success director as students work through first-semester English and math courses.
• A transfer navigator assumes responsibility at the transfer-application milestone and supports the student’s transition to a four-year partner university.

The initiative will focus support on students who may encounter additional barriers to completion, including Pell-eligible students, students who need additional preparation in English or math, and adults returning to college after time in the workforce.

“Many students arrive at Lone Star College System with great ambition but end up leaving before they earn credentials that could transform their economic trajectories,” said Nicole Robinson Gauthier, CFRE, LSCS associate vice chancellor, Foundation Advancement and Donor Engagement. “This grant will allow the college system to build people and technology capacity to propel those students forward when they most need our support.”

Aldine and Klein ISDs, as well as Sam Houston State University, Prairie View A&M University and University of Houston-Downtown, are confirmed BB2CC partners, and LSCS may expand the program depending on demand.

This $4.9 million multi-year implementation grant follows a $500,000 planning grant from Houston Endowment in fall 2025. The investment will strengthen staffing, technology, and data analysis across LSCS campuses to support lasting improvements in student progression and completion.

“Houston isn’t short of jobs. It’s short of rungs on the ladder, and credentials of value can be those rungs,” said Elisa Villanueva Beard, president and CEO of Houston Endowment. “Community colleges form the biggest on-ramp to economic mobility in our region, and the people closest to the work are the experts. Our role is to help create the conditions for them to design solutions and learn from one another so that students across our region benefit.”

Learn more at HoustonEndowment.org.