P16 coordinator

Chevron has teamed with UTPB to spread the word: Odessa needs to develop a culture that values a college education.

A two-year funding deal between Chevron and UTPB is paying for a full-time position to spread that message. As of last week, Jo Lyn Jones is the new coordinator for the West Texas P-16 Council, which is a program working with school districts, local universities and junior colleges to promote higher education in the area.

The council's goal is to improve the college-going culture in West Texas, said Ed Mills, the dean of UTPB's Department of Education. The council just formed within the last year to create new initiatives, and it now has more than 200 members stretching northeast to Snyder and southwest to Presidio.

The deal gives the council $100,000 - $50,000 from Chevron and a matching $50,000 funded jointly by UTPB and The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Iris Foster, interim public information officer at UTPB, said Jones' salary is divided into thirds - a third from Chevron, a third from UTPB and a third from the coordinating board.

Jones' salary is only a portion of that $100,000 - though she wouldn't say what her salary is. The rest goes toward expenses associated with road trips to places like Crane, Pecos and McCamey to spread the message and toward council conferences and other initiatives.

All of those things fall under Jones in her position as the coordinator for the West Texas Council.

And all of that is geared toward creating a culture where higher education is valued more in the area. Pointing to the oil industry, Jones said the P-16 council and Chevron Corp. would like to see people get college degrees and work on the business side of the oil boom in West Texas.

While the paid position is new, Jones is not a new face - she's been working with Mills since the council started last year. Jones had an office out of Odessa College working on the same initiatives but was paid through funding from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and help from OC.

The Chevron deal helps solidify the council's funding for the next two years - though what happens after this two-year commitment is over isn't yet decided.

Jones' job is to educate residents about higher education. That includes teaching parents and students how to navigate the college application process, passing on information about programs offered at various institutions and making sure students know what they need to do to prepare for college.

Mills and Jones said they had success with their first West Texas P-16 Conference last fall, where educators discussed common problems and themes all across the West Texas area. They drove throughout the larger cities of West Texas to pitch ideas on how to teach high school students to prepare for college.

Jones said some parents in West Texas struggle with getting their kids in school because they didn't go to college themselves. Foster said about 64 percent of students at UTPB are first-generation college students.

Jones' visits will educate counselors, teachers and parents of the opportunities available at different colleges in the region, she said.

For instance, if a student wants to become a dental hygienist, he or she could learn about a program at Howard College while those interested in cooking could learn about OC's culinary arts program and would-be teachers could be directed toward UTPB's education program, Jones said.

"I do not support any specific institution - I'm here to promote higher level learning at all institutions," she said.

FUTURE PLANS

>> To continue to sponsor the fall West Texas P-16 Conference.

>> To continue spring speaker's series.

>> To continue to provide support to area high school counselors in the area to enable them to successfully enroll in higher education.

>> Begin the collection of date for West Texas school districts. The council will share the date with interested groups within the region to further the council's goals.

Sources: Information provided by Jo Lynn Jones and Edward Mills.