By Juan MontoyaA Washington D.C. think-tank billing itself as a "not-for-profit organization," Excelencia, rated Rio Grande Valley colleges (and universities?) among the top institutions in graduating Hispanic students.
Excelencia, whose report, "Finding Your Workforce", was released with much fanfare and local coverage by the local daily who trotted out the usual suspects mouthing the sweet nothings and platitudes about their "achievement" being a "testament to the hunger for education in our region."
That was UTB-TSC president Juliet Garcia, who has racked a dismal track record after 20 years at the helm of that hybrid institution. But, before you judge her on the 17 percent graduation rate over six years, the less than 50 percent freshman retention rate, or even the zero graduation rate over four years, the newspaper report states that that's not what the study was measuring.
The writers of Excelencia, who state up front that they are "building a network of results-oriented educators and policymakers to address the U.S. economy’s need for a highly educated workforce and for civic leadership," say that the characteristics of the Latino population apply across the country.
"Latinos are making progress in college attainment and workforce participation," they said. "They have the fastest growth in post-secondary enrollment and completion, and their labor force participation is the highest of any group. However, as long as the Latino educational attainment gap remains and labor force participation tends to be concentrated in lower paying jobs there is more work to be done."
Then, the caveat: "The data and analysis in this series does not speak to the quality of the post-secondary education nor address the productivity of higher education through metrics such as graduation rates."
Then the story goes on to point out that UTB (Not TSC? How can one be and not the other since they are, apparently, a "partnership?") ranked eighth among the 25 top institutions awarding associate degrees and next-to-last (24th) in awarding bachelor's degrees.The statistics in the report speak to the sad state of affairs in Hispanics' secondary education, the slights gains from 2001 to 2011 notwithstanding.
"Recent Census data show Latino adults’ educational attainment over the past decade (2001 to 2011) increased overall (from 11 to 14 percent) and the number of Hispanics with a bachelor degree or higher increased 80 percent (from 2.1 million to 3.8 million).
"However, educational attainment gaps remain. Only 21 percent of Hispanics had an associate degree or higher, compared to 57 percent of Asians, 44 percent of Whites, and 30 percent of Blacks. Further, in 2009-10, Hispanics represented 13 percent of students enrolled in post-secondary education and earned 10 percent of certificates and degrees awarded."
In the Herald article, the reporter quoted Garcia saying Hispanics will comprise about 75 percent of the nation's workforce, one of the findings stated in the Excelencia report.
"Hispanics are projected to account for 75 percent of the growth in the nation’s labor force between 2010 and 2020," the report states."
Among people age 25 and older, only about 69 percent of Hispanics in the labor force had completed high school compared to 90 percent of Whites, Blacks, and Asians in the labor force.
"The reading of UTB's ranking is, to put it kindly, very charitable to Juliet's UTB.It doesn't rank among the top categories in certificates awarded with less than one year of study. However, Kaplan College, in Brownsville, did. It awarded 440 of 460 certificates to Hispanics (96 percent). And UTB didn't cut the mustard in the category of certificates of more than one year but less than two-year course of study. South Texas College did. It awarded 507 out of 542 certificates to Hispanics (94 percent).Neither did it rank among the top 25 in the awarding of masters' or doctorate degrees, nor among the top in awarding first professional degrees awarded to Hispanics.However, Garcia assured the Herald readers that once the UTB and TSC separate, that should "help narrow the gap in the educational attainment of Hispanics."
8 comments:
For the last 20 years, Juliet Garcia has "managed" educational statistics at UTB-TSC to support her grandiose "plan" for the future. In doing so, she has used her statistics as "smoke and mirrors" to promote herself and fool the public. Twenty years ago she projected a student body of 20,000 in ten years. That never was realised and really never came close. Why, because those successful at TSC moved on to other universities to complete their degrees; and Juliet raised the financial requirements to build her educational "palace"....a library that couldn't hold all the books from the old library, and an arts center with no public parking and no storage. Juliet was given many honors,,,,but UTB has a ZERO % of students graduating in four years. Juliet Garcia, has failed and the community is worse off for it. The quality of education is low and yet her pay keeps going up. Time for a new UTB President.
AMEN!!! Enough with the smoke and mirrors. Faculty who have given their professional lives to UTB are being thrown under the bus by the self-serving minions of El Reina. Accountability, it seems, cuts only one way. Time for a new administration!
The level of education is beyond believe as many in the faculty are ill prepared to present knowledge properly because the know only to teach from a book. They are very limited in self knowledge and struggle from day to day with their presentations.
I am so glad I am getting my education elsewhere.
The majority of BISD graduates have to take remedial classes because they are so ill prepared for colledge.
The whole educational system needs a major overhaul.
University institutions do not offer certificates of proficiency. Only colleges award such a certificate. Thats why Utb did not get such recognition. Get your facts correct. If you would have called Adela Garza she could have gotten your article's facts correct.
For those that are "colledge" students....they prove the poor quality of education.
@ 3:50 PM
Hahaha the English 101 police.
This is a blog and not an English class.
BTW YOUR comment is incorrect the way it is written. So stop giving English lessons.
I think the "colledge" writer made a typo, GENIUS.
Glad someone else caught the unintentional irony in the illiterate assault on local faculty above. The cretin that penned it doubtless remains blissfully unaware of his or her inadequacies. The rambling and disjointed attack on local faculty was correct only in that BISD is a disaster and a never ending pool of local talent for remedial coursework.
@5:54 PM
I hear ya loud and clear!
Studying in the east coast where faculty can teach above a third grade level without having to constantly summarize from a book.
@9:16
"The cretin"?
Have you met your freshman vocabulary quota for the day?
You sound like an illiterate faculty member ranting about another person's opinion.
Maybe the shoe fits!!!!
@3:50 PM
Luv your comment.
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