AUSTIN The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has announced the names of 10 recipients of the 2021 Star Awards for outstanding efforts to respond to COVID-19, including Odessa College.
These awards honor institutions that ensured the health, safety, and success of their campus community through innovative approaches and local partnerships. The Coordinating Board received 31 applications for this year’s Star Award program, a news release said.
Along with Odessa College, awardees are the University of Texas at Arlington; Houston Community College; Texas A&M University – Commerce; the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio; the University of Texas at Tyler; McLennan Community College; Sam Houston State University; Texas State Technical College; and Lone Star College-North Harris.
Star Award recipients were publicly recognized for their efforts on Dec. 2 during the annual Star Awards presentation in conjunction with the 2021 Texas Higher Education Leadership Conference in Austin, the release said.
The annual leadership conference brings together regents, trustees, chancellors, presidents, and other higher education leaders to discuss critical higher education issues, which this year included updates to the state’s strategic plan for higher education, 60x30TX, as well as panel discussions on COVID-19 impacts, higher education’s role in addressing workforce needs, and an update on the Federal Governor’s Emergency Education Relief (GEER) initiative.
