Our Girl of the Lake College is embarking on its fourth tutorial 12 months beneath the management of President Abel Antonio Chávez, who joined the Roman Catholic establishment in July 2022.
This tutorial 12 months, the non-public establishment based by the Sisters of the Congregation of Divine Windfall, is celebrating its a hundred and thirtieth anniversary, which Chávez mentioned will likely be commemorated with a sequence of occasions introduced all year long.
Earlier this 12 months, college officers introduced the choice to chop 15 tutorial applications, which additionally resulted in cuts to employees and school who had been linked to those applications.
College officers referred to those adjustments as a realignment, which was the results of a two-year analysis on the viability of all applications. Pupil enrollment had waned in not one particular division however all through a number of applications, deeming them economically unviable for the long run, in line with earlier statements.
Among the many applications that won’t return this fall are anthropology, biomathematics, English literature and artistic writing.
The non-public college reported an enrollment of 1,968 college students within the fall of 2024, down from 2,096 within the fall of 2023. A minimum of 65 % of scholars enrolled final fall reported being from San Antonio and 85 % attended the college full time.
Chavez talks about these adjustments, the various challenges in increased training and the alternatives he envisions for OLLU and its group.
The OLLU president will quickly be part of a panel of high leaders centered on San Antonio’s increased training scene hosted by the San Antonio Report on Sept. 4.
This interview has been edited for size and readability.
What’s your present outlook of the state of upper training throughout the town and the nation?
There’s simply a lot taking place in every single place the world over when it comes to increased training; how college students are excited about what training is, why an training?
In order I begin my fourth 12 months, I’m simply very excited. We have now an unimaginable group of can do, will do, spirited college and employees who’re simply so dedicated to our mission as a Catholic, faith-based, Hispanic-serving establishment.
I say this very proudly, that we right here at OLLU, have probably the most difficult job in increased training, but in addition probably the most thrilling, and probably the most promising job in increased training. As a result of we’re a personal establishment, we obtain no monies from the state. So we’ve got to suppose in a different way about pupil success, matriculating our college students, ensuring that they’ve the sources to achieve success.
What’s one of the best ways to promote the worth of a level to potential college students?
The fact of the trade of upper training is that prices are actual. Not solely the price of attendance for our households and college students, but in addition the price of working an establishment. Each proceed to extend.
And if we take into consideration our personal lives, there’s customization taking place in every single place. So our college students should expect customization of their training. How do iPads and iPhones and different synthetic intelligence applied sciences play into how we be taught? What is taken into account studying?
And as establishments, directors and leaders, we’ve got to be excited about the interweaving of these dynamics in actual time for the betterment of our college students.
In relation to the worth of upper training, there continues to be discourse about what’s the value of a credential. However information continues to indicate that if one has a bachelor’s diploma, the lifetime earnings are a number of occasions increased than in case you don’t have a better training credential. And it goes increased with the masters and even increased with the doctorate.
And that’s simply earnings. You even have civic engagement, well being outcomes, general participation in numerous social actions can also be a lot increased for somebody with a better training credential.
What does the standard pupil demographic appear to be at OLLU and has that modified over time?
Our pupil sometimes is Pell (Grant) eligible that maybe previous to coming to Our Girl of the Lake College has been advised ‘no.’
Additionally the everyday profile of an OLLU pupil is a can-do particular person with large goals who just isn’t afraid to sort out the most important, probably the most complicated challenges that they see round themselves. These challenges might be how do I elevate my household out of poverty? How do I convey infrastructure, expertise into my neighborhood? How do I elevate the well being outcomes for neighborhoods like mine?
I imply, people who are usually not shy about tackling the most important challenges that they see round them.
How do you establish along with your college students and with the challenges they face?
I noticed myself mirrored in our college students; first era, Pell eligible, coming from neighborhoods just like the West Aspect of San Antonio, the South Aspect of San Antonio.
My very own neighborhood, the Denver neighborhood of Swansea, may be very comparable. So I used to be not questioning if OLLU can be an excellent match for me, as a result of I noticed myself within the college students.
How do you suppose with the ability to relate to the scholars makes your expertise as president totally different?
All through the time period, as a lot as attainable, I dine within the cafeteria with our college students. We have now the most effective pozole, I feel. I really like to interrupt bread with them. I like to converse with them. That enables me simply in dialog to get to know them at a a lot deeper degree. And it helps me perceive the alternatives for us as an establishment to attain that excellence for them.
It’s actually our college students who’re telling us the place they wish to go. And it additionally provides me nice pleasure that even the (two-year) course of that we launched into was not led by the president. It was not led by the provost. It was college led.
How quickly will college students be capable to see the outcomes of those assessments into new applications at OLLU?
This 12 months. We’ve already launched some thrilling initiatives like our MBA (Masters of Enterprise Administration). We have now a very 12-month government MBA program the place a pupil finishes the MBA on this accelerated method with the flexibility to additionally obtain two further concentrations or certifications in two necessary areas; nonprofit administration and well being care administration.
As you put together for one more tutorial 12 months, what are you enthusiastic about?
We’re trying into inventive methods to create environment friendly pathways to diploma completion. As a result of what I proceed to listen to from households is that the time and the price to credential completion issues rather a lot. So if a bachelor’s diploma requires 120 credit for completion, then we shouldn’t be providing levels at 138 or 141 credit. It simply doesn’t profit our college students.
So we’ve got to be environment friendly within the curricula design. And in the case of price, we’re approaching that a few other ways. One is that we created a tuition-lock program. That’s our promise to college students and households. If you happen to full your credential in 4 years, our promise to you, college students and households, is that we’ll not increase your tuition for 4 years.
One other means is that we’re searching for methods to create significant, value-added partnerships is with group faculties. We introduced a current partnership with Laredo Faculty, and we created a pair of scholarships for many who want to matriculate at OLLU.
