Building a Presence
In 1996, Southwest Texas State began offering night and weekend classes at Westwood High School that focused on science and engineering. SWT's goal was to provide at least 50% of its courses on a once-a-week basis from 5:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. along with Saturday classes and labs.
The incentive for the MITC began when companies like Dell Inc. and IBM sought to "hire [a] more educated workforce" in Austin.
In 1998, portable buildings were placed outside of Westwood to begin operating the North Austin/Williamson County Multi Institution Teaching Center (MITC).
The center was a collaboration between Southwest Texas State, Austin Community College, Concordia University, St. Edward’s University, and Temple College at Taylor. SWT was established as the main institution of the MITC. This project was coordinated and directed by Dr. Edna Aguirre Rehbein, who was the first director of the Round Rock Higher Education Center (RRHEC).
Dr. Edna Aguirre Rehbein, the first Director of RRHEC, appointed in 1998.
5 years after the MITC started St. Edwards University and Concordia had dropped out of the program.
In 2005 the campus underwent a name change and became the Round Rock Higher Education Center (RRHEC). The campus was now a collaboration between Texas State University, ACC, and Temple College at Taylor. TCAT never operated out of the Westwood portables, but offered the same opportunities in Taylor, TX.
TXST courses were only at the junior and senior level or for graduate work, while ACC and TCAT offered the beginning course for freshman and sophore level students.
However in 2008 TCAT dropped out of the RRHEC as by then "its service area [only extended] from Hutto east to Taylor."
SWT offered five ungraduate programs and 15 master's programs at the RRHEC. The other colleges offered associate degree programs that connected students to SWT undergraduate degrees.
Around this time there was an increase of attention on education in Central Texas-especially Austin. The Education Board began pushing for higher education satellite campuses in Austin to increase the number of courses they provided.
Due to this support the RRHEC program was getting from county officials, they received a $5,000 donation in 2003 from the USB Financial Services in prospects for a new building.