By Juan MontoyaRemember all the accolades that the local daily, the three trustees in the minority at Texas Southmost College (David Oliveira, Robert Robles, and Robert Lozano heaped upon the University of Texas-Texas Southmost College president?
She was named Hispanic Educator of the Year, Grand Exalted Educator of the Milky Way, Brownsville's answer to Sliced Bread, etc.), and every other sobriquet laurel her fawning sycophants bestowed upon UTB-TSC president Juliet Garcia.
Anyway, you remember.
But there's another recognition that escaped their notice: How about president of the Institution of Higher Education Where Nobody Graduates in Four Years?
We've all heard of the dismal 17 percent graduation rate in six years that the Harvard by the Rio Grande has achieved.
Click and zoom on the graphic to the right and see for yourself.
Some people have written that the $336,000 salary that Juliet commands yearly is not nearly enough to compensate her for her job. Taking her track record into consideration, some of us may want to get our money back. But how about a zero gradation rate for four years, the lowest of any in the Great State of Texas?
Some people have written that the $336,000 salary that Juliet commands yearly is not nearly enough to compensate her for her job. Taking her track record into consideration, some of us may want to get our money back. But how about a zero gradation rate for four years, the lowest of any in the Great State of Texas?
Some may say that the high percentage of minority (Hispanic) students result in these dismal achievement. But look at the results of Pan-Am and other minority-heavy universities. Even they have a higher four-year graduation rate than UTB-TSC.
(The spike in 2004 may just be a fudging of the numbers by her overpaid, 
underachieving cast of characters to make the UTB-TSC rate look good. But the ruse only worked that year. After that, the pattern stabilized to the norm.)
underachieving cast of characters to make the UTB-TSC rate look good. But the ruse only worked that year. After that, the pattern stabilized to the norm.) This is not a critic talking. These are the cold hard numbers compiled by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Unless there is some widespread conspiracy to denigrate Her Holiness, this is a disgraceful performance at our community's expense. The separation of TSC from UTB cannot come fast enough.
9 comments:
That's what happens when they arbitrarily label all the freshman and sophomore students as TSC students and the junior and senior students as UTB students. Obviously there is a problem on the reporting numbers. As the virtual separation results stated, most freshman want to enroll in the 4 year institution, they are pursuing a bachelor’s degree, they want to go to the university, but they are counted as TSC for reporting purposes. The institution graduates at least one thousand students per spring and fall semester. It’s obvious that stating that stating that UTB graduates “0%” is misleading. People should stop hating UTB. With UTB, TSC grew into the beautiful institution we had. With the separation, it only sets back the progress that was achieved in the last twenty years. What is wrong for the students to want a four year university degree, the community needs a university, why settle for certificates and associate degrees. It is going to take years for the institutions to grow back, especially for the college. We should have followed on the footsteps of UTPA, which entered the UT System in 1988, and look at what that institution has turn out to be. How long is it going to take for the institution to grow; by next year probable, UTB with half the staff that it had and half the faculty, and TSC? TSC has no faculty and a few employees, how long it takes to hire 500 employees?
No doubt Juliet has to go. She seems to have made it about her and not about education but there is something I do not understand. When people comoplain about the low graduation rate what exactly are they complaining about? Is it that unqualified students are admitted and can not do the work? Is it that high schools are not preparing students? Is it that the classes are unreasonably demanding? Is the fix that standards should be lowered? Should unqualified students be graduated for the sake of better statistics? Should there be more remidial classes. Please give me a little insight into this. My thinking is that a high drop out rate due to an inability to do the work (if that's the reason) and a low graduation rate lead right back to what is or isn't happening in our high schools. It would be interesting to know if students attending UTB/TSC that went to high school outside of the Valley have the same attrition rate as local kids.
Mescalero
But these statistics were constantly hidden by Juliet and her "friends" on the the TSC Board (David Oliviera, Bobby Robles, Mary Rose Kardenas, et al). At graduation Juliet gave us grandiose numbers, but most of the graduates were receiving TSC certificates...not four year diplomas. UTB-TSC under Juliet was a farce of "smoking mirrors" and Juliet used them to promote herself and a hollow university. Juliet exploited false statistics, in the Kardenas Klan style of corruption, to benefit herself...and did little to educate our students or provide job skills that would benefit the community. Juliet...Queen Scorpiana, has failed our community.
The first writer missed the point. Some of what was said was true, but the fact is that the University does a very poor job by any standard measure. Yes there are some valid explanations for that, but the administration has used the reporting requirements as a way to camouflage their poor planning for years. People need to look at this and understand that UTB bas been using TSC for cover for years, and they are scared shitless now that they are being forced into the open. The empress has been naked for years, but none of the sycophants she surrounds herself with wanted to dwell on it.
I am no fan of Julieta, but honesty is important. It is possible to graduate from UTB in 4 years, but most students work. They also come to UTB without the necessary foundation to do College level work. Most have to take remedial/development courses. All to often they take courses until their financial aid gives out and then they move into dead end jobs like most everybody down here.
You really can't lay this one at Julieta's feet. BISD has to take it full share of blame. They hand out diplomas like free peanuts at a ball game, to students who can't cut in a real academic world. Way to many of them are insufficient in English skills. Whoes fault is that?
El Pinche Gringo
so let me see if its not going to be utb-tsc anymore, utb oveer there and tsc over here, does that meean a cut in pay for julieta garcia, la queen scorpiana? she will now only govern half of the whole school? o no? and already they notified 20 instructors quw bye bye in may 2013. adios.
Yo soy mexicano y solo les puedo decir mis respetos para la DR.Garcia por todo lo que ha engrandecido la Universidad eso habla mas que todas las criticas negativas que escribe la gente ignorante que no la conoce su generosidad y su gran amor por la universidad yo tengo muchas evidencias de lo que ella ha hecho por nuestra familia y que DIOS la siga bendiciendo grnademente mucho mas
Let's assume that everyone did graduate??? What would Brownsville have to offer?
Thats the key point...this city has nothing to offer the graduates of a University...not that i entirely agree with the way this particular university is run in any which way shape or form...this city is a junior college city...some few degree programs merit a bachelors degree but if every person entering those programs actually graduated there wouldnt be enough jobs to satisfy demand...the real anwer is to revoke all the bonds the university has issued and dedicate that money to TSC where it will be used right to train people for the types of jobs that are available here...and cut down the university to a few acres and a couple buildings for the few programs that genuinely give the graduates of those programs a statistical advantage in the local business environment.
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