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Paul Quinn College Names Plano, Texas as First Site of Urban Work College Network
[July 26, 2018]

Paul Quinn College Names Plano, Texas as First Site of Urban Work College Network


Paul Quinn College (Paul Quinn), the creator of the Urban Work College and one of the most innovative colleges in America, will open the inaugural site of its Urban Work College Network in Plano, Texas beginning the 2018-19 academic year.

PQC-Plano represents the first site in the planned national expansion of Paul Quinn's Urban Work College Model (Model). The Model aims to eradicate poverty through combining higher education with access to quality jobs, secure housing, and reduced student loan burden. Paul Quinn first experimented with the Model in 2013 and was designated by the Department of Education as the ninth federally-recognized Work College in 2017. Since the implementation of the Model, Paul Quinn has reduced tuition and fees by almost $10,000, lowered the average debt of its graduates by more than $30,000, and significantly improved student retention and graduation rates.

PQC-Plano also marks the debut of a new college campus experience. PQC-Plano eschews the typically high overhead costs associated with maintaining a traditional college physical plant. Instead, Paul Quinn will house its students in apartments and appeal to its corporate partners to provide both internships and classroom space. The savings generated by this Model will go directly to its students.

"We are incredibly grateful to have found such an amazing partner for our first expansion site," stated Paul Quinn president, Michael Sorrell. "Mayor LaRosiliere and the corporate community in Plano have been both welcoming and visionary. With these types of friends and partners, there is no limit to what can be accomplished. We are truly excited about what the opening of PQC-Plano and the implementation of our new campus experience will mean for both our students and the rest of the country."

Plano Mayor Harry A. LaRosiliere shared, "This announcement marks yet another reminder of Plano's excellence and why we are the city of choice for innovation, inclusion, and prosperity. What's most exciting with Paul Quinn College's Plano arrival is the demonstration of educators, businesses, and civic leaders collaborating to transform the lives of our youth."

PARTNERS



NTT (News - Alert) DATA Services, Liberty Mutual, Ampex Brands, FedEx Office, JCPenney, JPMorgan Chase, McDonald's, and Aimbridge Hospitality are the founding foundational partners for PQC-Plano. These corporations have committed to offering paid internship opportunities for Paul Quinn students. By participating in the educational development of Paul Quinn students, these corporate partners will not only expand their footprint in the DFW area, but they will build a talent pipeline that generates access to a diverse group of motivated and talented students.

"When we think about growing Liberty Mutual, we leverage our university partners to sustain the growth needed to keep candidates coming to the company. We want to fuel innovation in the classroom; so we build partnerships with schools like Paul Quinn College," said Maura Quinn, AVP, Campus Recruiting Programs for Liberty Mutual Insurance. "When we get these types of opportunities, it is most beneficial because we provide real work experience that will compliment what they are learning in the classroom."


CORPORATE WORK PROGRAM

The Model is built upon the Paul Quinn Corporate Work Program that provides students with substantive, paid work experiences. The majority of the funds that students earn are used for tuition and living expenses. In addition to providing students the option of graduating from college with less than $10,000 in student debt, the Program helps students develop the necessary skills, habits, and experiences to be competitive in a 21st century job market.

"The Urban Work College Model developed by Paul Quinn College is a groundbreaking innovation in higher education, and we are excited to be part of it," said John McCain, Chairman of NTT DATA Services. "The program will bring benefits not only to our company and students but also can enhance quality of life in the broader community. We support this model whole-heartedly and encourage other companies to get involved."

When PQC-Plano is functioning at full capacity, it will create hundreds of internship opportunities for Paul Quinn students and connect the college with the growing corporate communities in the City of Plano and Collin County.

ABOUT PAUL QUINN COLLEGE

Paul Quinn College, one of the most innovative small colleges in America, is a private, faith-based, four-year, liberal arts-inspired college that was founded on April 4, 1872 by a group of African Methodist Episcopal Church preachers in Austin, Texas. The school's original purpose was to educate freed slaves and their offspring. Today, Paul Quinn has become a model for urban higher education by focusing on academic rigor, experiential learning, and entrepreneurship. The College proudly educates students of all races and socio-economic classes under the banner of its institutional ethos, WE over Me. Its mission is to provide a quality, faith-based education that addresses the academic, social, and Christian development of its students. The College's president, Michael Sorrell, was recently named one of Fortune magazine's World's 50 Greatest Leaders in 2018 and the HBCU Male President of the Year by HBCU Digest for a record third time.

For more information on enrollment in either the Plano or Dallas campus or for how to partner with Paul Quinn College, please visit http://www.pqc.edu/.


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