For months, nursing student candidate Enrique Sandoval (not his name) had been told that he might be able to register for the Texas Southmost program sometime this Spring.
But although he tried to talk to the directors and admissions counselors, no one seemed to be able to tell him anything definite.
Finally, he was told that he could try to register for the program at the end of 2016.
Yesterday, during the April meeting of the TSC board of trustees, the truth finally came out.
Under an order issued January 21, 2016 the Texas Bard of Nursing – citing dismal examination pass rates under 80 percent during the last three years – ordered the change in its status from Full Approval With Warning to Conditional approval.
It was news to some of the trustees.
"We had been kept in the dark about these problems of the nursing program up until now," said one. "The administration never told us anything until now."
As a result, the TSC program is prohibited from enrolling students, will remain on conditional approval until it demonstrates a pass rate for first-time candidates of at least 80 percent on the 2016 National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN® exam). That exam has one purpose, to determine if it's safe for students to begin practice as an entry-level nurse.
The slide in the scores nursing program exams back back in 2013, when the test exam results dipped from 81.02 to 71.30 percent. They continued plummeting to 46.36 percent in 2014 to 57.14 in 2015.
And while 81 out of 102 passed in the 2011 test, only 40 out of 70 candidates passed the exam in 2015 after TSC's status was changed to Full Approval with Warning. (Click on graphics to enlarge.)Currently, there are 52 students enrolled in the program. 13 were to have graduated in December 2015, another 30 in May 2016 and nine in May 2017. Their fate is up in the air.
If the trustees were disappointed that they had been kept in the dark, the students who were trying to get into the nursing program were devastated.
"I'm going to have to change my plans in the middle of my courses," said Sandoval. "The nursing program did not accept microbiology courses that were taken with UTB-TSC. As a result, many people had to pay out of pocket to pay for them at TSC. This is so very unfair to us."
During yesterday's meeting, a majority of the board except for Adela Garza voted to extend the contract for TSC President Lily Tercero for a job well done.
Her one-year extension comes at a price tag of $228,228.
Trustee Raymond Hinojosa abstained. Along with Tercero comes the de facto TSC Co-President Leonardo de la Garza budgeted at $180,000 per year.
TSC may well be the only community college to have two presidents. De la Garza is Tercero's old boss in Ft. Worth.
"I said that I in good conscience could not extend her contract when our nursing program is in trouble and so is our EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) program and our Dual Enrolment," Garza said.
17 comments:
It is one thing to have a community college and quite a different things to have a community college that actually teaches things they can use in work.
Wow!
There are better options for an education up the valley. The state of Texas needs to investigate the wasted money at tsc. Better yet, shut it down.
Supposedly Dr. Liendo Montalvo quit because she would NOT compromise herself in giving a passing grade when it had not been earned.
And so, the demise of TSC has already begun
This is what happens when you have an inexperienced College President, an incompetent and nasty VP of Instruction and an incompetent Dean.
What a pity, For many years before and during the partnership, TSC had some of the best health programs in the state. The TSC board needs to wake up and ask the hard questions.
If need be, the TSC board needs to hire a competent president that knows how to assemble an effective administrative team that knows how to hire and retain quality faculty.
At the very least they must fire the current VP and hire a VP of Instruction that has a proven track record of excellence. This needs to be done NOW.
The community needs to think very carefully about who they are going to vote for in the upcoming TSC board elections. After all of the turbulent years and the dissolution of the partnership, it would be tragic if TSC dies a slow death, like it is currently on track to do.
STCC- Brownsville satellite campus could be the future if the staus quo remains.
Two presidents hefty salary
In bed with OP-1033 and Pizaña. What a shame
It's best if South Texas College takes over TSC
Give them a chance to make things better. Damn!
So sad to hear that the Nursing Program has gone to shit. When Ms. Baradas ran the nursing program the state passing rate was 99%. It was a tough program but when you graduated you were so prepared and the Medical community knew that. The problem is that some of these students graduate our local high schools and think that college is going to be the same, you didn't pass a test today that's Ok cause you can retest. Some have not mastered the English language and the State Nursing Exam is in English. In real life as a Medical Professional you get that one chance to save a life or do the right thing, there are no retest. I believe the problem starts with our local schools and TSC has not done anything to help correct the problem. SAD, SAD, SAD AND SUCH A SHAME BECAUSE THE NURSING PROFESSION IS SO REWARDING!
Amazing
Wow, Denial. Damn!
So currently residents pay taxes to TSC but will have to drive to Harlingen to TSTC or to McAllen to STC if they want to get in to a nursing program.
They can't blame UT for this one.
Under the late Dean Marilyn Dyer, TSC/UTB had one of the finest nursing programs in Texas. Its students regularly led the state in their scores on the nursing qualifying exam. It is a damned shame that the program has been allowed to go into decline. And, as a former TSC/UTB administrator, I can say with no little assurance that the present situation reflects badly on both the administration and the board of trustees
Art Rendon, Kiko Rendon, Ed Rivera and Dr. Rey must be very very proud of their president. The relationship with BISD is strained, The nursing program might be unsalvageable, The Auto Mechanics program is outdated, and the EMT could be shut down as well. The reality is Tercero is way over her head and she is so stubborn she will not listen to anybody and feels threatened by any good employee. Hence, the loss of Dr. Aguero., Dr. Ted Phillips, Jim Mills , Melinda Rodriguez, Angela Wolf, Arnold Trejo, Dr. Nora Montalvo. If TSC goes down we have four Trustees to Blame KIKO, ED, ART AND DR. REY
TSC will never be a success until and unless there is a change of institutional culture. The moral of the faculty and staff is scraping the bottom. Nobody really wants to be there, but they need jobs. They are willing to put up with all kinds of demands and demeaning attitudes to get the paycheck. How can an educational institution prosper when such is the culture.
This culture filters down from the top. Any change will need to start at the top.
Yes you can because the students that took the state board exams in 2013 and 2014 were 100% products of the UTB program and now their bad results are hurting TSC .
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