On Wednesday, April 5, 2023, Colorado Community College System (CCCS) officially celebrated a new agreement regarding the transferring of credits with two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Texas Southern University (TSU), located in Houston, TX, and St. Augustine’s University (SAU), located in Raleigh, NC. With 101 HBCUs in the country, Colorado, sadly, does not have its own, making this an even more historic moment in Colorado Higher Education. 

In 2020, CCCS created the “Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree Program.” This revolutionary partnership with TSU and SAU means students will be able to transfer all community college credits to these 4-year, out-of-state HBCUs with ease upon completion of an associate degree. Texas Southern and St. Augustine’s are the first HBCUs to join not only the program and the first out-of-state universities to get on board. 

The signing ceremony was hosted at the Community College of Aurora. In attendance were many prominent figures in Higher Education, including CCCS Chancellor Joe Garcia, Dr. Needha M. Boutte-Queen, Acting Provost & Senior Vice-President of Academic Affairs of Texas Southern University, Dr. Christine Johnson McPhail, President of Saint Augustine’s University (SAU), Dr. Angie Paccione, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education, and Dr. Roberto Montoya, Chief Educational Equity Officer (CCCS).

Also, there was the Community College of Denver’s mascot, Swoop the CityHawk, Red Rocks Community College’s red fox mascot, Copper, and Community College of Aurora’s red fox mascot, Foxy. 

Dr. Christine Johnson, President of St. Augustine’s University, spoke at the event, acknowledging why this partnership is so important. “Both the Community College sector and the HBCU sector were founded on the inequities in America’s Higher Education System.”  

Representing Texas Southern University, Dr. Needha Boutté-Queen, Interim Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, also had the opportunity to speak about the historic partnership with CCCS. “I assure you that TSU takes this seriously and looks forward to years of engagement, as we wholeheartedly commit to a partnership grounded in education, centered in excellence, and focused on the success of every single one of our students,” Dr. Boutté-Queen shared passionately with guests.  

Community College of Denver was proud to host St. Augustine’s University on a tour of the Auraria Campus the following day. Our guests from SAU were thoroughly impressed with the fact that the Community College of Denver is the only higher education institution in the country to share a campus and resources with two other universities, giving students from all three institutions access to the same resources. 

We are proud to be a part of offering community college students across Colorado better access to continuing their higher education journey and look forward to more historic partnerships in the future with colleges and universities across the nation.