Employees at TSC are making almost half those at UTB in the same position. Obviously, only those who can't a job anywhere else will teach at TSC. Apparently quality of instruction is part of the price for a cheaper education at TSC. JULY 24, 2013 1T 9:39 P.M.
Anonymous said...
TSC diplomas are worthless, Juan. STOP LYING!!!!
JULY 11, 2013 at 2:35 pm
By Juan Montoya
The comments above are just a few sent by those who obviously think that saving the 80-year-old educational institution called the Texas Southmost Community College was not worth it.
If we take their comments at face value, it would seem to us that at least these two individuals think that the so-called "UTB-TSC Partnership" should have gone on to its ultimate completion for the next 80 years of its original 99-year agreement.
The UT System should have continued to use the community college taxing entity as a cash cow. The assets of the college should have been handed over to the UT Regents for them to do with the real estate, buildings, bank deposits (sans bond debt) as they wished. The community college would have disappeared into the coffers of the UT System. Open admissions would have been a thing of the past and an affordable education a pipe dream.
Yet, during the time it was an independent accredited institution, TSC provided a hand up to thousands of district residents to improve their lives and the lives of their families. Those who established the community college in 1926 envisioned an institution which would provide the first rung to students which would lead them in the direction of either a technical or vocational craft or allow them to seek a four-year degree elsewhere. That was its mission, and, until 1991, it was a mission that it performed admittedly well.
Of course, we have been cursed in our community with our share of self haters who would spew the "Tamale Tech" cliche at the first opportunity.
No one is saying it was a tier-one institution. It lived within its means. But its courses were accredited and the hours the students earned there were accepted throughout the colleges and universities in the United States.
What happened after the "partnership" under the 20-year leadership of UTB-TSC President Julieta Garcia?
We had the TSC taxing district issuing millions in bonds and indebting the population into the foreseeable future. We not only had university-level salaries for instructors, but also university-level tuition rates for all students whether they were in a vocational, two-year certificate- or a four-year university track.
Each year – and it won't stop until 2015 – the TSC district will continue to "transfer" more than $50 million to UTB as part of the "partnership."
And what did all this money buy us? We had lavish spending on buildings that stand half empty. We had designs for a $640,000 mural desired by the president. We have Garcia's favorites appointed to cushy, high-paying jobs as administrators and fixers. Ben Reyna, booted from the U.S. Marshall's Office for incompetence is placed as a federal government liaison at $100,000 as a reward for his mediocrity. He rides around in a golf cart all day inspecting the real estate.
Then we have the academic achievements; A 17 percent graduation rate after six years, a 50 percent retention rate for freshmen; The highest tuition and fee rates of all community colleges in Texas; and Programs which performed so dismally that they could not even ranked with the lowest of the low.
Garcia did manage to feather her own nest. She is pulling a $360,000 salary, at one time buttressing this measly renumeration with a $30,000 "transfer" from the English Department while department heads across the university were under orders to trim 15 percent off their budgets.
Ah, yes. There was plenty of money to go around. And what did it get us?
Now, as TSC President Lily "Second to None" Tercero said recently: "TSC is back!" Tuition for a 15-hour semester full load has been slashed by $1,000. TSC will receive at least $26 million as past of the new lease and land-swap agreements with the UT System with more to come. Local students will get an accessible, affordable education with a chance to get a four-year degree without leaving home.
UT Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa said it was about time we realized that the UTB-TSC separation was "the right thing to do." And even UTB diehard and South Texas Lord of the Manor IBC President Fred Rusteberg grudgingly admitted that having both independent institutions was a "good thing."
UT Chancellor Francisco Cigarroa said it was about time we realized that the UTB-TSC separation was "the right thing to do." And even UTB diehard and South Texas Lord of the Manor IBC President Fred Rusteberg grudgingly admitted that having both independent institutions was a "good thing."
And this, anonymous writers, still sounds like a "cheaper education" to you?
18 comments:
Those people that put down TSC are either not from the Valley, are from other parts of the Valley and/or have no idea what a Community College did for this town for many, many years.
TSC had the HIGHEST AND BEST ranking and graduation rate in the R.N. and L.V.N nursing programs in the STATE of TEXAS, welders, plumbers, mechanics scored high in state certifications. All of that changed when UTB-TSC came into the picture. Students that went into the fields of medicine, law, engineering, had solid foundations to pursue careers at major universities. Many of our teachers, lawywers and doctors are products of TSC. I know a BISD teacher with a Ph.D. that was offered a job at UTB-TSC in the early 90's, the job paid 1/2 of what BISD would pay him. Needless to say, he went with BISD. He also kept the door open and worked part time (evenings) at UTB-TSC. There are many retired teachers and professors that can work part time for TSC. These retired educators can teach the new generations not for the money but for the true love of their profession.
TSC never left, they tried to buried a historical institution, but like the fenix it came back all renewed and better than ever.
It's the value of the junior college diploma, juan. Not as good as a 4-year degree. Any fool knows that. TSC is a long, long, long, long, long way from Harvard. jmho
Juan: This clown can't understand the point. You're throwing pearls before swine.
The new reborn TSC will not resemble the old TSC in any way other than the name. As of yet they have no hired a single faculty person and most teaching will be done with part time (adjunct) instructors. They have entirely eliminated full time instructors in at least one area and perhaps more. They want a certain enrollment number in classes to use full time because of the higher salary and benefits, so they prefer to use part time which gets paid only about $1,500 per course with no benefits. They are using the mid-summer enrollment numbers to justify the reduction of full time instructors. Certainly they know that the bulk of enrollment will come in the last ten days before class starts. They are trying to do this on the cheap and the students will suffer.It is very hard to get good part time instructors, for the most part they are just looking for a few bucks after they get off work of their day job.
We don't yet know what TSC will be, but it certainly will bear little or no resemblance to what it once way. Past TSC history is not relevant to present TSC rebirth. I hope it succeeds, but it is off to a very slow and timid start. Things do not look good.
Community Colleges focus on teaching over research, which explains why the quality of the 2 year courses there are often better than universities. More than half of all university graduates have community college credits. First generation college students start overwhelmingly in community colleges. Ever wonder how many university faculty came from community colleges? Hmmmm.
The posts above: Arrogance enhanced with ignorance?
@July 31, 2013 at 2:40 PM
Can you inform us where in the article Montoya compared TSC to Harvard? Are you allergic to reading comprehension? Better yet, how did Julieta's Harvard by the Rio Grande compare to Harvard?
Juan
You make valid points in which I completely agree with you, but you're failing to see to see the big picture here. Why is the staff getting paid peanuts?! Some salaries at UTB are BELOW cost of living in Cameron county let alone statewide, so why TSC is paying an even LOWER salary? You're throwing roses at Tercero and yet you're ignoring the real problem. Or this is a case of "It's ok if the person I like does it"?
Come on stand for the people if you really believe that these individuals deserve proper pay. Ask questions like: how long will they be paid this salary? What are their plans to change that? How many people are they REALLY going to hire etc. Stop kissing up to Tercero and man up.
Wounds don't heal over night and TSC was badly wounded by the UT cabal. It is going to take time to put it back together.
Those who pander for Juliet Garcia seem to be ignorant of what has gone on here for the last 20 years. Juliet used TSC tax benefits to build on behalf of UT to promote herself...and screw this community. She used the TSC Certificates to blow smoke up the public's ass about graduation rates....most certificates issued at graduation were really from TSC and not reflective of the ever diminishing 4-year and graduate rates. Juliet had an open enrollment system which she dumbed down to benefit herself. Most graduates of UTB-TSC should have never been put on the streets....just reflection of a social promotion process. Juliet transferred faculty positions to pad her administration...people like Ben Reyna who serves no academic or staff purpose....just another of Juliet's high paid "GO FERS". At the same time Juliet used tax dollars to feather her nest, she ignored the community need for skills that should and could have been provided from TSC to develop job skills. We need TSC much more than we need UTB and Juliet. The only thing that is going to stop this community from swirling down the toilet is jobs...and TSC can develop skills that will attract jobs.
You're an educated man and know damn well where one goes to school matters. An associates degree from TSC may impress in the valley but good luck trying to get a good job with it outside of it. I'm not saying this to put TSC down. I'm saying it because it's true. I refuse to believe you're so naive as to think a community college education is viewed equally as one from a four-year-brick-and-mortar University.
"First generation college students start overwhelmingly in community colleges."
Community college is actually a well known barrier for first generation college students. Look it up. Students who start at a 4-year University are much more successful.
I posted the quote you started this article with and I actually think the separation of UTB and TSC is a good thing. The point of that statement is not that UTB-TSC should not have separated or that TSC should cease to exist. It is simply the unavoidable fact that when an institution offers lower compensation you get poorer quality work. There can be rare exceptions to this, but overall the quality of instructions will be low if the compensation for instructors is low. You don't even seem to dispute this in your article. You are correct, however, in stating that TSC will be offering lower tuition. UTB certainly has grave problems of its own and many faculty who currently work there are seeking jobs elsewhere.
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Great comments on this article.
And ... most of the time, you do get what you pay for. Professors included.
I graduated from UTB-TSC in 2006 and have to say I loved it. I'm not from the Valley, I'm from Arlington.
I spent six years in the Valley in my early to mid 20's and in many ways became a man there. During my time in the Valley I got my degree, started a rewarding career and got married. I paid the tuition through grants and by slanging suntan lotion and umbrellas on the island while I was a full-time student. I owe a lot of my success to the faculty in the Communication dept.
I have to admit I'm not up on all of the current politics but I do know I walked into an interview in DFW with nothing but my work experience in Brownsville and my degree from UTB and landed a dream job.
When I heard of "the breakup" I was very disappointed but not that surprised.
In my humble, outsider, opinion Brownsville's biggest problem is it hates itself.
If given a few minutes in a motel room with that woman, I would so tear that up.
Dags.
TSC "legacy" faculty are receiving 57,000 on average as a starting salary. Half of UTB; hah, what planet are some of you living on? For some few, I know of at least one, this is a RAISE over the salary UTB paid them. Get your facts straight. TSC is a Godsend for our community!
If TSC were to spend 100% of the tuition it will receive over the next year (based on current registration numbers) they would have sufficient revenue to pay their current 100+ employees $52,000 per year or less. Of course, as it isn't possible to spend 100% of revenue on employees the average salary will be drastically lower than this.
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