Texarkana College Opens Barber Training Program

Texarkana College Trustees met today for their regular board meeting. Trustees heard a report from Brandon Washington, Vice President of Campus Operations and Dean of Workforce Training Programs, announcing the addition of a Barber Training program. Washington said the new barber program will provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to become licensed barbers.

“With a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on training, students can expect to be well-prepared for a career in the barbering industry,” said Washington. “Cosmetology and Barber students gain real-world experience in our student salon where the public can enjoy salon services at discounted prices.”

Washington said the Barber Program was established through the vision and preparation of Dr. Ronda Dozier, TC’s cosmetology program director. Dr. Dozier said the offering of a barber program at Texarkana College had been on her mind for several years.

“The demand for state-licensed barber professionals in this region has increased significantly in recent years,” said Dr. Dozier. “In just two semesters, TC will begin to bridge the gap by offering this program in a popular, hybrid format that promises to be high quality, low cost, and time-efficient for enrolled students.”

Dr. Dozier said that the passing of new legislation has enabled barber programs to share space in cosmetology educational facilities, tremendously reducing the cost of adding a new program.

“The instructional facility will share space with Texarkana College’s Cosmetology program,” said Dr. Dozier. “Barber students will learn a wide range of skills including hair cutting and styling, facial hair grooming, and sanitation and safety practices.”

For more information about the program, visit texarkanacollege.edu/programs/barber.

In other business, Dr. Donna McDaniel, Vice President of Instruction, reported that several members of TC’s Leadership Team attended the Texas Success Center’s Talent Strong Texas Pathways Institute in Dallas earlier this month. The Texas Success Center designs and manages a coherent, statewide framework for action to increase student success at the fifty community colleges throughout the state. At the institute, an emphasis is placed on the development of action plans by each community college to implement Texas Pathway strategies on their campus which will result in structured academic and career paths for all students. Dr. McDaniel said TC faculty and staff embrace the Texas Pathways philosophy to help set goals and measure student success outcomes.

“The Texas Pathways Institute provides a platform for faculty and deans to establish goals that enhance student learning outcomes and determine actions, data and timelines associated with attainment of each goal,” said Dr. McDaniel. “It is a dynamic institute where leaders from community colleges across the state gather to learn more about best practices and milestones achieved through implementation of Pathways strategies.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, TC President Dr. Jason Smith reported that TC will hold its spring commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 11, 2023.

“The coming-together of students and their families, along with our faculty and staff, to acknowledge the success of our graduates is the highlight of every semester,” said Dr. Smith.

TC’s commencement ceremony will be held at First Baptist Church, 3015 Moores Ln, Texarkana, TX, at 7:00 PM. A live stream of the ceremony will be accessible from TC’s website homepage at www.texarkanacollege.edu.