Department Programs

The SAC Empowerment Center offers comprehensive educational supportive and retention services in a one-stop environment for both students and the community. Services are provided for women and non-traditional students including single parents, displaced homemakers, first-generation college students, residents of public housing, dislocated workers, and other individuals needing support to succeed in a college environment. 

 A wide range of services are offered for students who are on Empowerment Center caseloads.  These services include: academic advisement, childcare referrals, parenting support programs, workshops, educational re-entry services, community resource referrals, services and resources for women, scholarship resources, GED services, outreach conferences and other special programming. 

 Adult Learning Academy (ALA) 

•  Adult Dual Enrollment (ADE) – Students in our Ability to Benefit Program are individuals without a High School Equivalency (HSE) who qualify for federal financial aid.  This program allows them to start college and participate in an eligible career pathway while completing their HSE. 
  
  
• GED thru College Program – The goal of this program is to prepare students to pass the GED exam and transition into college by assisting with college enrollment steps including: TSI test preparation, academic advisement, financial aid assistance, degree planning, registration assistance, and much more. These unique classes are geared for individuals who want to enroll at San Antonio College.
  
  
•  City of San Antonio Workforce Program – The Empowerment Center has partnered with the City of San Antonio on various workforce programs for over ten years with the ultimate goal of improving the individual’s economic security and stability through continued education and training, including the obtainment of the GED/high school equivalency credential.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Student Program Support

The purpose of this program is to provide undocumented and other students enrolled at San Antonio College with services and support to assist in their enrollment, retention and transfer.  Our goal is to provide a space for DACA eligible students, undocumented students and immigrant students can feel informed, supported and encouraged in order to reach their educational goals.

Services include:

• Assistance with Dream US Applications
• Mentor Support
• Mental Health Resource Referrals
• Legal Resources
• Case Load Advising & Supplemental Advising
• Workshops, Events & Gatherings

Please see our webpage for more information:  https://www.alamo.edu/sac/admissions-aid/specific-populations/daca/

Women’s Center

Recipient  of the 2006 Model Program Award given by the American Association of Women in Community Colleges (AAWCC)

Established in 1981, the past 40 years has seen the Women’s Center grow and evolve. As shifting society, campus and community needs in relation to women have shifted, so has our Center.  However, what has remained the same is our focus: to advance gender equity on our campus and community. Areas of programming that the Women’s Center focuses on today are:

Advancing leadership for women through the following initiatives:

• Women4WomenStudent Organization- This year-long program focuses on helping SAC women students learn to identify their leadership style, their leadership qualities, while networking with other women and gaining practical experience in leading.  Mentoring opportunities are available.
  
  
• Adelante Leadership Academy (ALA) for Women Student Parents - This program provides leadership training for low-income female student parents at San Antonio College. Through a series of workshops delivered in an "academy" format, a focus is placed on creating a culture of community and caring among participants while exposing them to diverse women leaders, with the ultimate goal of developing a coalition of confident women. 

 Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Awareness

Held in October (domestic violence) and April (sexual assault awareness) both events are designed to raise awareness of these issues and among students, staff and faculty.

Empowerment/Equity Events for Women

• WE Conference

This free Conference held in May of each year was developed to provide outreach into our community to a typically underserved population: women who are considering a return to school who are often overlooked in traditional outreach ef­forts.  Conference workshops provide information on topics such as overcoming fears and gaining confidence in order to reach personal and educational goals. In­formation on GED preparation and testing, college enrollment, financial aid, and short-term technical certificate programs as well as personal and professional de­velopment is provided. Scholarships for fall enrollment are provided.

• Women’s in History Observation

Held each March, Women in History events provide an opportunity to highlight the important contributions of women in history to our students, staff and faculty.  In conjunction with this event, our department awards the Ann Richards Endowed Scholarship to qualified students who maintain a minimum of 2.0 GPA and are in good academic standing.

Support/Programming for Women

• Parenting workshops

Although this issue does not strictly affect women, we realize that it still disproportionally affects women. Through community partnerships such as Metro Health’s Triple P Program, workshops are provided on assorted topics that affect parents. This collaboration allows our department to support the student-parent population on our campus, which is under high stress and likely to be at high risk of adverse outcomes in the context of the COVID-19 crisis.