EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Three El Paso Community College (EPCC) English faculty members have been selected to join a prestigious, competitive national program.
English professors Margie Nelson Rodríguez, Yasmín Ramírez, and Jorge Gomez were chosen as part of the Great Questions Foundation 2025–2027 Faculty Fellowship team, according to EPCC in a news release.
This year, EPCC said 26 teams representing 79 individual faculty members from community colleges across the country applied, with only six teams selected to participate.
“I’m very proud of our team earning this highly competitive and prestigious fellowship. I’m also very proud to be working with my colleagues, Jorge and Yasmín, who are extremely hardworking, creative, and committed to student success,” Nelson Rodríguez said.
“It’s an honor to work with Margie and Yasmín and proudly represent the college statewide,” Gomez said. “To be among one of the few colleges across Texas selected tells us the work we are doing for our students is having an impact.”
EPCC said this program seeks to strengthen general education at community colleges by helping faculty focus core-curriculum courses on the discussion-based study of transformative texts.
The program provides training, mentorship, and resources for faculty from all disciplines to continue exploring works that address timeless human questions while engaging students through conversation and critical thinking.
Over the next two years, EPCC’s faculty team will work alongside a national cohort of fellows to learn innovative teaching practices, redesign curriculum, and expand discussion-based educational opportunities for community college students, according to the news release.
As part of the fellowship, these participants will also have the opportunity to apply for curriculum redesign grants of up to $50,000 to enhance EPCC English courses.
“We want to transform ENGL 1302 into a course where research, reading, and discussion connect to our students’ lived experiences,” Ramírez said. “Our goal is to build a more inclusive, engaging curriculum, one that sparks curiosity and empowers students to think critically about their world.”
“I hope to learn from colleagues from across the country and bring back practical ideas to campus that will help our colleagues in English and other humanities disciplines enhance their teaching and elevate our collective commitment to student success,” Nelson Rodríguez added.
The program will officially start with an in-person convening on Nov. 6-8 in Austin.
“Through this collaboration, EPCC continues to lead in advancing educational opportunities for its students and strengthening its role as the best place to start and finish a quality education,” read the news release.
For more on the EPCC English Department, visit: https://www.epcc.edu/Academics/English
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