| Sept. 2, 2008 CONTACT: Dan Garcia, vice president of enrollment managment, 806-651-2031, ddgarcia@wtamu.edu COPY BY: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@wtamu.edu University to Launch Mobile Go Center Sept. 16  CANYON, Texas—College and career planning is going to get easier for students across the region come Sept. 16.
That’s when West Texas A&M University will launch its Mobile Go Center in a special celebration at 1 p.m. at the University’s Pedestrian Mall. The 42-foot trailer, splashed with WTAMU colors and images, is specially equipped to deliver college information. Tours will be available, and WTAMU personnel will be on hand to answer questions about the mobile facility. “We are really excited about the Mobile Go Center and what it will mean to students and families across the Texas Panhandle as well as our neighboring states of Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado and Kansas,” Dan Garcia, vice president of enrollment management, said. “The Mobile Go Center will allow us to take information about college opportunities to these areas to support and encourage higher education goals for all students.” WTAMU’s Mobile Go Center is equipped with 16 laptop computers, a satellite for Internet connection and work stations stocked with college planning materials. The trailer is wheelchair accessible and is fully heated and air conditioned. The Mobile Go Center and a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado one-ton truck are possible through a $130,000 grant from the Texas Pioneer Foundation. A $15,100 grant from Panhandle-Plains Student Loan Center provided the laptop computers and a printer. The trailer will offer a comfortable setting for students and parents to ask questions and get help in the sometimes confusing process of college preparation as far as admissions, financial aid and scholarship opportunities. “We want to reach all students in our surrounding communities,” Garcia said. “We want to especially reach first-generation students and those from low-income backgrounds who can really benefit from this mobile center.” And plans are under way to reach as many students as possible. In addition to the University’s regular recruitment schedule, the Mobile Go Center will cover 5,000 to 8,000 miles this year, traveling to county fairs, high school athletic events, community festivals, major livestock shows, UIL activities and other family-oriented events throughout the region.
The Mobile Go Center fits well with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s “Closing the Gaps” initiative, and several WTAMU student outreach programs are involved in supporting the goals of the trailer. The programs include College Talent Search, Upward Bound, College Assistance Migrant Program, University Success Academy, Go Team, Go Theatre Group, Collegiate G Force and Buff Promise. “The Sept. 16 launch is just the beginning for our Mobile Go Center,” Garcia said. “It’s going to be a visible and valuable presence throughout the region.” For more information about WTAMU’s Mobile Go Center, contact Garcia at 806-651-2031.
—WTAMU— | 
