TCAT's Name Officially Changed
Members of the community celebrated changing the name of Temple College at Taylor to the East Williamson County Higher Education Center Wednesday afternoon in a special ceremony commemorating one of the first official steps toward development of the multi-institutional teaching center.

While EWCHEC will eventually be housed in a new facility going up south of Carlos Parker Boulevard, the existing building will continue to serve students taking courses until the main facility is built.

Once the EWCHEC flagship building is complete, the TCAT facility will serve as one of the main hubs for the partnership under the EWCHEC umbrella. The TCAT Foundation was instrumental in forming relationships with other EWCHEC partner institutions, including Temple College, Texas Tech University and Texas State Technical College in Waco, and thus will remain an involved part in managing the partnership, a main theme of the ceremony.

Taylor ISD Superintendent Bruce Scott, Hutto ISD Superintendent David Borrer, TSTC President Elton Stuckly and TC President Glenda Barron each took a turn at the podium sharing their take on what the partnership means and how it will affect the Taylor community as well as Eastern Williamson County.

“What started as a grocery store ... has become the realization of a common vision, to bring higher education to Taylor,” said TCAT Foundation Chair Thomas Martinez, who served as Master of Ceremonies.

Martinez explained the TCAT building originally housed the Taylor H-E-B, and was purchased in 1996 for $200,000 as the first step in developing a college-level teaching center in Taylor. After a complete overhaul of the building, TCAT was born, with 136 students enrolled in the fall semester. Fall 2008, more than 800 students attended classes at TCAT.

“With EWCHEC and the Legacy Early College High School, Taylor students have the opportunity to get a bachelor’s degree at age 20,” Barron said, to excited applause. “And the whole thing is about partnerships. All kinds of partnerships.”

Stuckly said he had never worked with a more energetic group of people than those involved in the development of the center, and that he was pleased to be a part of the project.

“This is a model for Central Texas; this is a model for our nation,” Stuckly said.

“That’s what this is all about, so that the children of Taylor will have the opportunity to become a Bill Gates, to become a Steve Jobs,” Scott said.

Borrer thanked EWCHEC Executive Director Chuck McCarter for his work in getting the partnership established, and poked a little fun.

“I don’t know when he sleeps,” Borrer said. “I’ve gotten emails from Chuck at midnight when I get home and at 5:30 in the morning when I get to work.”

Barron also introduced dignitaries from Concordia University, with whom EWCHEC directors are working to bring the college on board.

Martinez concluded the ceremony saying the changing of TCAT’s name is an “important dot on the timeline,” and that it shows the group’s commitment to the establishment of EWCHEC until its completion.