President's Commentary

Here is a commentary, written by Dr. Guzmán, President of Palo Alto College, which appears in Nov. 15's San Antonio Express-News (page 7B).

Comment: South Side needs more than ACCD win to thrive
Web Posted: 11/15/2005 12:00 AM CST
Ana "Cha" M. Guzman

The community has spoken with a resounding 60 percent of its votes approving the Nov. 8 Alamo Community College District bond package. Bexar County residents understand the importance of education.

The passage of the $450 million bond to provide new facilities at our four colleges and to build a new college in the northeast sector of Bexar County will provide the impetus, facilities-wise, for the projected growth to almost 70,000 students by 2010.

This much-needed commitment takes care of the first two years of college. What about the rest?
Since the community has invested to expand our capacity at two-year institutions, that capacity must also be expanded at the bachelor's and master's degree levels. If not, the community and its aspirations will be shortchanged. It's like offering barbecue without the sauce.

Palo Alto will receive $55 million of the bond to enhance our students' freshmen and sophomore years. What about our students' junior and senior years?

When we asked students who applied to Palo Alto College this fall if they planned to go to a four-year school, 32 percent of them — 2,619 adults — said yes.

There are those who say UTSA should receive all the public funding for higher education in San Antonio.
But look at the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It has four public universities with 639 programs.
UTSA has outgrown its space with its 27,000 students, and it offers 167 programs. UTSA and the private universities will never be able to meet the demand of all the students in our area who want an affordable education.

According to 2000 census data, only 22 percent of adults in San Antonio have a college degree. Compare that to Dallas, where 28 percent have college degrees, and Houston, where 27 percent do. How can San Antonio and Bexar County become the vital region it is destined to be without a more educated work force?
The goal of Texas' Closing the Gaps campaign is to increase the number of students who are in college. Our higher education system is not meeting this goal for our Hispanic population. The goal is to increase the college-going rate for Hispanics to 4.5 percent. On the South Side of San Antonio, only 1.5 percent of Hispanics attend college.

State Sen. Frank Madla initiated the legislation to fund a South Side Texas A&M campus. Since the fall of 2000, Palo Alto has hosted junior- and senior-level university classes for the fledgling Texas A&M campus. The minimal funding received by the system center has not allowed it to develop the programs or hire the faculty it needs to reach the goals originally set by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

The growth has been slow not because of the lack of students but because of the lack of available funds.
Hundreds of Palo Alto students have traveled across our library's parking lot to A&M's portable buildings. Of the students enrolled at the system center this fall, 62 percent have transferred coursework from Palo Alto College. More than 500 have already graduated with a bachelor's degree. Most of these graduates are Hispanic, and many of them are the first in their family to attain such an educational milestone.
Palo Alto College — now celebrating its 20th birthday — has proven that Hispanics recognize the importance of education. Built for 2,500 students, Palo Alto now serves 8,000 students, and 65 percent of our students are Hispanic.

As president of Palo Alto College, I know there are thousands of students waiting for Texas A&M to be built in San Antonio. They long to continue their education close to their families and their jobs. Lack of access is keeping the South Side from rising to its fullest potential. We need las ganas, the will, to make a South Side Texas A&M campus a reality.

Ana M. "Cha" Guzmán has been president of Palo Alto College since 2001.