While the University of Texas System regents continue to hem and haw about where exactly in the Brownsville area they will place their "21st Century Educational Institution," "Educational Village," or "knowledge community" within their “ Framework for Advancing Excellence,” the oil-and-gas wealthy institution continues to suck the lifeblood of the local community college district.
The upcoming 2012-2013 Texas Southmost College budget that will in all likelihood be approved by the trustees this coming week will include a "transfer of some $51.427 million from the district to the UT System.
In last year's budget, this contractual "transfer" amounted to $52.194 million.
However, even though this may seem like a steep price to pay for the burn orange cow skull logo, it does not include the financial aid monies received by TSC students, and that amount adds additional millions more to its coffers at the expense of local residents.
"With the steep tuition and student fees at the "partnership" ranked as the highest in the state, it makes it almost impossible for local students to enroll here, " said a student's parent. This annual "transfer" allowed for UTB President Juliet Garcia to get a "merit" award of $32,272 in 2011 in addition to her $304,179 salary.
"Imagine Juliet going up to Austin and asking for more funds from a legislator who is probably an attorney making maybe $100,000 or so a year," said a TSC instructor. "The median income for a family in Cameron County is $$26,155. To have someone receive a bonus of more than that amount is almost criminal."
Under a new adopted by the UT System incentive plan, campus administrators will be evaluated on certain goals set by the Board of Regents. They would be graded on a system based on the percentage of growth or savings they meet which would be stacked up against their performance goals for the calculation of their payout.
Under this system, short-term goals that could be considered under the new plan include evidence of system-wide cost savings, growth in research and philanthropic funding. Unfortunately for Juliet, the long-term performance goal would be four-year graduation rates, and that goal is weighted more heavily.
"Less than 17 percent of the students while Juliet was president of the UTB-TSC partnership graduated over six years," said the same TSC instructor. "Unless Garcia has a sudden infusion of geniuses, the fat times could be over for her."There is no denying that the cutbacks anticipated by the UTB-TSC separation will result in a downsizing of salaries for some, but in the past, a candidate for trustee said the board must look out for the greater good.
"A professor can get a $80,000 teaching job elsewhere," he said. "But a poor student may lose the only opportunity to get a trade or a certification. I was elected to look out for the greater good."
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