The Brownsville Observer 2016 Persons of the Year~TSC Board of Trustees Majority

Déjà vu.  It was February 2011 when a courageous TSC board majority voted to separate from the University of Texas system and function as a stand-alone community college.  

Not only were the traditional community college roles of job training and college preparatory courses being overshadowed, but students were paying $208 per credit hour, three times the $73 per hour average of community colleges in Texas at the time.

So, four gutsy trustees, Adela Garza, Trey Mendez, Kiko Rendon and Rene Torres voted to separate from UT-B and the UT system.

State Representative Rene Oliveira

In a traitorous move to backstab the community, State Representative Rene "Linebarger" Oliveira, initiated a bill in committee to overturn the vote of the TSC trustees, totally misrepresenting the local will.

Adela Garza raced to Austin, talked to committee members, explaining that the bill Oliveira was tendering did not represent the will of of the TSC board.  It was squashed in committee.

This past year, a new TSC board majority has acted courageously, taking control of their institution.  Adela Garza and Trey Mendez, now joined by Dr. Tony Zavaleta, Ruben Herrera and Ramon Hinojosa, constitute a new board majority, acting to firm up TSC as an institution.

Dr. Lily Tercero

The board made the difficult decision to terminate the contract of TSC President, Dr. Lily Tercero with two board members dissenting, Reynaldo Garcia and Art Rendon.

Tercero was hired after serving as Budget Officer and Vice Chancellor for Technical Services at Tarrant County College, better never meshed with the Brownsville community or the TSC faculty and only guarded communication with the Board of Trustees.

Faculty complained of micromanagement by Tercero, not good in combination with lower than typical salaries.  

Tercero's dependency on her Fort Worth mentor, Dr. Leonardo de la Garza, brought along for the ride at $180,000 annually, was also problematic. It was as if TSC was getting one president for the price of two.

Perhaps the final two straws were the decline and eventual suspension of the nursing program and the signing of a windstorm protection contract without board approval.  Tercero had not let the board know the nursing program was in danger and did not consult them on the windstorm contract.

Interim TSC President Mike Shannon

The Board of Trustees may not be in a huge hurry to find Tercero's permanent replacement as Interim President Mike Shannon, who lacks the requisite doctorate to qualify but has functioned seamlessly with the board to date.

Reports indicate the nursing program is being revived, tuition has been reduced, enrollment is up.  A memorandum between the City of Brownsville and TSC to provide paramedic training has been signed.

Once again, TSC is rising from the ashes.

We declare the Texas Southmost College Board majority are the Brownsville Observer 2016 Persons of the Year!