New TSC president on hand for board meeting

University of Texas at Brownsville President Juliet V. Garcia’s named was still called when she was noted absent at the Texas Southmost College meeting Thursday night, but the community college’s new president made very brief introductory remarks.

Lily Tercero was picked as TSC president by the Board of Trustees on Sept. 1 to lead the school into independence as it severs its educational partnership with UTB. She was then chief budget officer of the Alamo Community College District, which comprises five campuses in San Antonio.

Thursday night she kept her remarks to just a little more than half a minute, but she expressed her gratitude and happiness about being chosen as TSC president by the board.

She said she would be working with TSC staff for the next few days. She also mentioned a strategic plan for the college, something that she touched on at a public forum for her candidacy last month.

She said it would be in the works soon and alluded to other “major events” for TSC in the near future.

“Thank you for entrusting me with this wonderful and challenging responsibility,” she said. “I think we will do wonderful and I think the community will be well served with the re-establishment of Texas Southmost College."

At the meeting TSC Chairman Francisco “Kiko” Rendon said Tercero would begin her job as president sometime during the second week in October.

Trustees David Oliveira and Roberto Robles were absent, but the other five trustees present took their turns in congratulating her.

Trustee Adela Garza thanked Tercero for "taking a chance on us," while Trustee Rene Torres said he hoped providing educational opportunities for veterans could be one of the focuses for TSC. He said the next couple of years would be challenging.

“You’re gonna be great,” Trustee Roberto Lozano told Tercero as she sat in the front row of the audience in the Gorgas Board room.

Trustee Trey Mendez told her many of her references reported that she was one of the hardest workers they knew.

“So, we definitely expect a lot from you,” he said, noting he would in turn work hard as a trustee to support her as president.

On the agenda was a presentation from Barbara Baggerty-Hinojosa, a Rio Grande Valley author, titled “Are you a Ten? The Ten Characteristics of a Servant Leader."

Her presentation touched on the qualities of leadership, body language and offered strategies like “keep your emotions under control,” “bounce back from negative emotions,” “work smart” and “explore nontraditional funding” for leading an organization.

Rendon said the presentation was put on the agenda because during Tercero's interview with the board, she told the trustees that her leadership philosophy was servant leadership.

TSC Consultant Robert Furgason reported to trustees that on Sept. 6 he and consultant John Anthony met with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a state agency that dictates higher education criteria in Texas.

Furgason said the meeting went well and they discussed the transition and transfer of some programs to TSC.

“That didn't seem to be a major issue with them as long as they understood what was happening," he said. “I think they understood where we are at this particular point and what the game plan is for the program transitions over a period of time.”

He also said the consultants met with the UT System transition team this month.

"I think we got good insights as to what needed to happen,” Furgason said of the transition team meeting.

He said the schools discussed the timeline to reach the final separation and what needs to happen to get there.

He touched on faculty and staff contracts that will likely have to be discussed by TSC this spring.

"I think we all understand at this point in time that all of the faculty members, and nearly all of the staff, are University of Texas employees,” he said. “What we have to keep in mind at this moment, and for the foreseeable future, is that the partnership still dictates the policies that are in place.”

Those contracts are connected to when certain programs may be offered by TSC, he said.

He also said this is an important part of the strategic plan that will be developed for TSC soon. Furgason said TSC may begin identifying the programming it wants to prepare in January for spring decisions regarding faculty.

This process will also help TSC determine if it will be able to offer programming as early as fall 2012, he said.

Also a part of the strategic plan, is the space and equipment inventory UTB continues to work on for the two schools, he said. A space inventory should be ready by next month, he said.

Again, he stressed that both UTB and TSC wish to create better opportunities for all the area’s higher education students. He said UTB administrators echoed this sentiment in a letter about transition principles to TSC.

Tercero said she has already spoken with UT System Chancellor Francisco G. Cigarroa’s office to set up a meeting with him soon and that she has spoken with UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs David Prior.