Entrance sign unveiled in 1999 at
Laredo Community College
The Killam dormitories at Laredo Community College near Fort
McIntosh Park were razed during the summer of 2010 and replaced
with the modern Lewis Energy Academic Center.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the
since completed Lewis Energy Academic Center were held on September
15, 2010. From left are LCC trustee Jesse Porras (a former LCC
counselor), college president Juan L. Maldonado; fourth from left,
trustee Rene de la Vina; fifth from left, then trustee Edward C.
"Ed" Sherwood, and second from right then LCC Dean of Arts Philip
W. Worley.
The three-story Lewis Energy Academic
Center, with state-of-the-art computerized classrooms, opened in
January 2012. It is named for the San Antonio oil and
natural gas industrialist Rodney Lewis, who donated the furnishings of the
new structure.
The rotunda is shown to the left in
this picture of the LCC Visual and Performing Arts Center, which
opened in January 2012.
Located on the north end of LCC is
Fort McIntosh Cemetery, a grassy field with a common grave marker
for U.S. Army personnel. The
fort was active from 1849 to 1946.
Laredo Community College, known as LCC, was
established as Laredo Junior College on September 28, 1947,
by the Laredo Independent
School District in Laredo, the county seat of Webb County in south Texas.
It adopted the present name in 1993.
Throughout a period of time the Main Campus (located at historic
Fort McIntosh) also housed both the
former Laredo State University and Texas A&I University at
Laredo, which later relocated as Texas A&M
International University to its new campus off the Bob Bullock Loop in northeast Laredo. The
district since expanded in 2004 to include two campuses — the
Main Campus and the South Campus.
As defined by the Texas Legislature, the official service
area of LCC includes the municipality of Laredo and all of Webb,
Jim Hogg and Zapata counties.[2]
Finances and enrollments
Budgets and
taxes
The 2012-2013 LCC budget was approximately $50 million. The
student tuition and fee share of the budget doubled in a decade
from 18 to 36 percent.[3]
The 2011-2012 LCC budget was $48.3 million, or a decrease of
$1.43 million from the preceding year. The state reduced its
funding to LCC from $17 million in 2010 to $13.5 million in 2011 in
appropriations, health insurance, and retirement benefits. The $3.5
million reduction represented a decrease of nearly 21 percent in
state funding for the institution. State funds are disbursed to
community colleges according to student enrollment. Because of a
decline in state revenues, the LCC board increased the property tax
rate by 1.51 cents per $100 of assessed value. Three LCC trustees
proposed a one-time $300 bonus for faculty and staff, but the
recommendation failed on a tie vote, with three other trustees
absent or not voting. Hence salaries were frozen temporarily for
2011-2012 for the first time in many years.[4]
However, in December 2011, trustees unanimously awarded faculty and
staff a one-time uniform $1,000 merit bonus payment.
On January 25, 2011, LCC President Juan L.
Maldonado announced that projected budget shortfalls by the
state would compel the institution to freeze some vacant positions,
contracted services, and equipment purchases.[5]
The college property tax rate of $0.2365 per $100 of
assessed valuation declined slightly in the 2012-2013
budget.[3]Unlike
many other community colleges in Texas which can reach into the
county or adjoining counties for purposes of taxation, LCC can levy
property taxers only within the City of Laredo. Some 40 percent of
the 2012-2013 LCC budget is derived from property taxes.[6]
Tuition
rate increases
The LCC tuition rate jumped by 42.4 percent between academic
years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011, one of the largest such increases in
the nation. The large increase was attributed to a 51 percent cut
in state appropriations to LCC over the preceding decade. In
2011-2012, LCC had the 11th highest rate of tuition for a public
two-year college in Texas, but with scholarships and grants, for
which 90 percent of the students qualify, LCC is also the 11th
most-affordable two-year institution.[6]
In March 2012, LCC trustees approved a 17 percent increase in
tuition, along with smaller pay increases for faculty and the
classified staff.[3]
Enrollment
decreases
Enrollment for the fall of 2013 was 8,732, a decrease of 602 or
6.4 percent from the 9,334 tabulation of the fall of 2012. In fall
2011, enrollment peaked at 10,046.[1]Summer
enrollment between 2011 and 2012 decreased by 12.4 percent[7]
but rebounded by 5 percent to nearly 4,800 in the summer of
2013.[8]
In 2010, LCC had 210 faculty and 300 classified staff
personnel.[9]
In the spring of 2013, enrollment had risen slightly by .7 of 1
percent compared to the spring of 2012.[10]LCC
continues to focus on outreach to students through visits by
recruiters at area high schools, community events, and businesses.
The college also advertises through billboards, newspapers, radio,
television, and on-line.[7]
Vincent Solis, the vice president for student services, said
that an upturn in the regional economy in 2013 attracted numerous
LCC students to enter the workforce. The higher enrollments which
peaked in 2011 with 9,698 students is attributed, he said, to
unemployed persons having returned to college from 2008 to
2010.[1]
President Maldonado noted that LCC services would expand to
accommodate demand by virtue of an anticipated 60,000 to 70,000 new
jobs created regionally through the Eagle Ford Shale
exploration project.[11]
LCC enrollment dropped for the fourth consecutive year in the
spring of 2015, with 8,031 students, a decrease of 4.3 percent from
the spring of 2014. Solis attributed the enrollment decline to
improvement in the local employment market which entices some
students to take jobs instead of college courses. Plans for a new
Early College High School and a partnership between LCC and the
United Independent
School District, will add new students in the future, Solis
noted.[12]
Students mostly part-time
More than 60 percent of LCC students are part-time and enroll on
average for 6.4 semester hours. Over a three-year period, part-time
students at 6.4 semester hours pay nearly $32,000, with much of
that cost government-subsidized for those of low income through
programs such as Pell Grants. Full-time students in that
same period of time pay more than $40,000. Tuition and fees at the
institution in 2012 are $90.20 per semester hour. The Texas Higher
Education Coordinating Board determined that 66 percent of LCC
students are deficient in mathematics.[13]
Voluntary Separation Plan
In December 2012, the LCC trustees approved an $800,000
"Voluntary Separation Plan" to offer bonuses of 50 percent of the
annual contract salary to encourage higher-paid senior faculty
members with at least twenty years of service to the institution to
retire earlier than they may have otherwise intended. Upon their
replacement by beginning faculty, hired at much lower starting
salaries, the college anticipates considerable net savings. Then
board president Cynthia Mares said that LCC expects to
recover the $1.5 million in two years from overall lowered faculty
salaries. Some 120 faculty members could have qualified for the
bonuses were they to have retired in 2013.[14][15]Ultimately,
twenty-three staff members decided to retire in 2013 under terms of
the buyout package, which cost a total of $700,000. Manuel Blanco,
a long-term faculty member in the English Department, retired after
more than fifty years of continuous service.[16]In
May 2014, Veronica Cardenas, the LCC human resources officer,
reported savings of $650,000 to the LCC payroll under the
separation plan. Eleven more faculty members took advantage of the
plan in 2014, but far more were eligible to have done so.[17]
Accreditation
In 2010, LCC had a three-year graduation rate of 14 percent from
students pursuing either associate degrees or completing specialized
certificate programs. This 14 percent does not include certain
nontraditional students, transfer students, or those taking credits
for transfer to four-year institutions but who do not seek
associate degrees.[18]
In July 2012, Laredo Community College was placed on twelve
months of probation for failure to comply with standards required
by the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools. In a document reviewed by
KGNS-TV, the NBC affiliate in
Laredo, the accrediting body said that LCC had not demonstrated
"compliance with comprehensive standards." President Juan Maldonado
said that the institution will meet any deficiencies required but
that the situation would not impact instructional programs or other
operations of the college.[19]
SACS contends that LCC failed to correct deficiencies in its
reports on institutional effectiveness. If the deficiencies remain
uncorrected, LCC could forfeit its accreditation. Were that to
happen, degrees would become meaningless, credits could not be
transferred to accredited institutions, and LCC could face further
funding decreases.[20]LCC
sought the services of an outside consultant and an editor to
convert the accreditation data into narrative form.[21]Vincent
Solis, LCC vice president for student services, discounted the
possibility that the probationary status was a cause of the decline
in enrollment in the fall of 2012. Solis noted that despite the
probationary status, LCC accreditation remained fully in
place.[7]
On June 20, 2013, SACS restored accreditation after the process
was completed to correct past deficiencies in the reports LCC
submitted to the agency.[22]
Construction underway
Meanwhile, construction continues at LCC on a $120 million
master facilities plan first unveiled in 2008. Funding for the
master plan is unrelated to the $50 million operating budget but is
a separate capital outlay account. The initial phase is the
now-completed construction of the $14.7 million Lewis Energy
Academic Center, named for the San Antonio oil and
natural gas industrialist Rodney Lewis, who donated the furnishings for
the building. The Lewis Center is located at the site of the former
Killam dormitories. The three-story, 111,045-square-foot
(10,316.4 m2) facility, which opened in January
2012,[23]
offers new classrooms, computer labs, and faculty offices.
Groundbreaking for the academic building was held on September 15,
2010, in what President Maldonado referred to "the beginning of a
journey."[24]
On March 2, 2011, LCC launched construction on the $9.6 million
Visual and Performing Arts Center located on the north end of the
campus near Fort McIntosh Park. The 47,000-square-foot
(4,400 m2) structure houses studios and lecture
labs for ceramics, art metals, drawing, painting and digital art. A
large rotunda is located at the front of the building. There are
instructional rooms for the study of dance and percussion music.[11]
The arts center also opened in January 2012 at the same time as the
Lewis Energy Academic Center.
The LCC renovation plan is divided into four phases, including
$15,000 worth of work to the President's Home. The initial plan did
not propose a new academic building because of the costs, but the
LCC trustees decided to build a new permanent facility instead of
less expensive but temporary piecemeal renovations. Maldonado said
that the trustees "took a pre-calculated risk . . . and made a
decision to move forward."[24]
Former trustees president Pete Saenz, a Laredo attorney and a candidate for mayor of Laredo in
2014, said at the groundbreaking, "We can't depend on anyone else,"
a reference to declining state funds for community
colleges.[24]
Oddly, the renovation plan was designed in part to accommodate
anticipated higher enrollments in the future, but enrollment
declined by 7 percent in the fall of 2012.[7]
Bond
election approved
On February 13, 2014, the trustees voted six-to-two to call a
special election on May
10 for a $100 million bond issue[25]
to finance the third phase of major renovations to the
campus.[26]
Work on the Main Campus will include renovations to the Yeary
Library and the Dr. Leonides G. Cigarroa Science Building. Plans
call for construction on the Main Campus of new science labs and of
a building to house an oil and
natural gas program. On the South Campus
construction is proposed for a student union building and a health
science center.[25][27]
Two trustees, Jesse A. Porras, since defeated at the polls,
and Gilberto Martinez, Jr., voted against holding the
special election. Then board president Cynthia Mares, who ran
unsuccessfully as a Democratic candidate
for Webb County treasurer in the March 4 primary election,[28]
was absent from the meeting.[26]
Voters approved the bond issue in a low-turnout election, 1,671
(63.5 percent) to 961 (36.5 percent).[29]
The $100 million bond issue will finance a new building on the
South Campus for Health Sciences and the Student Union. On the main
campus will be an Oil and Gas facility and the expansion of the
Cigarroa Science building. Other pending changes will impact
the:
- Yeary Library
- Guadalupe and Lilla Martinez Fine Arts Center
- De la Garza Import-Export Building
- Lopez Nuring building
- Garcia Allied Health building
- Arechiga Hall office building
- Five units of student athlete housing.[30]
Main
Campus
The former LCC Music and Dance
Building originally served as officers' quarters at historic
Fort McIntosh.
The main campus, also known as the Fort McIntosh Campus
because of its location on historic Fort McIntosh, is situated at
the west end of Washington Street in downtown Laredo. The campus
has many of the original United States Army buildings from the old
fort along with modern buildings from the 1940s to the 21st
century. The campus is situated on a small hill on the bend above
the Rio Grande. The campus has nearly thirty
buildings.
Effective August 1, 2013, the LCC campus became smoke-free.
Previously, smoking had been banned in campus buildings but was
permitted outdoors. With one dissenting vote from trustee Allen
Tijerina, the board adopted the smoke-free policy. Tijerina instead
had advocated for designated areas for tobacco use, rather than the
outright ban.[31]
College
landmarks
Memorial Hall (previously University Hall) houses main
administrative offices, including Admissions, Financial Aid,
Assessment Center, Bursar's Office, Advising, and classrooms.
The Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine
Arts Center opened in 2003 on the campus of Laredo Community
College.
Kazen College Center (popularly called "The Kazen")
located on the Main Mall opened in 1974. It provides a central
place for student activities. The center was closed for a $6.56
million renovation project from June 2012 to March 2014. The
building is named for the late U.S. Representative
Abraham "Chick" Kazen, Jr., of
Laredo.[32]
The project includes the establishment of the Abraham Kazen Exhibit
Room, which houses archival memorabilia of the congressman's
political activities, such as office furniture, awards,
photographs, and presidential pens used for special signings. The
renovation includes expansion of the Office of Student Life and
Health Services and space for the Honors Program. In addition to
expanded cafeteria space and meal offerings, the Kazen has
television sets, an inflatable movie screen, Wi-Fi access, and pool
and table tennis tables.[33]
The first floor houses the Cafeteria, Student Activities Office,
Dining rooms, Television lounges, Meeting rooms, and in a rear
addition the Bookstore. The second floor houses the Job Readiness
Center, Game room, Student galleries, and the Office of Student
Life and Health Services. The center of the building has a
two-story atrium equipped with seating and tables for studying,
dining, and visiting. The Atrium is equipped with a stage, lights,
and speakers for performances.
Martinez Performing Fine Arts Center - Completed in 2003,
this facility is the hub of instructional activity for the LCC
Music, Dance and Visual Arts programs. It contains sculpture and
photography laboratories, state of the art music laboratories and a
500-seat auditorium for performance arts. It is named for the late
philanthropists
Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez, whose family foundation provided
financial support for constructing and equipping the facility. On
April 17, 2011, the Laredo
Philharmonic Orchestra, under conductor Brendan Townsend,
completed its 31st season at the Martinez Center.[34]
Harold Yeary Library at Laredo
Community College
Harold Yeary Library, named for Laredo businessman,
school board member, and civic leader Harold R. Yeary
(1908–1969), houses books, periodicals, references, computer
labs, and study rooms for student uses. There are about 138,050
articles in literature and about 538 current periodicals and 63
online subscriptions. The library also houses the Fort McIntosh
Gallery which features a gallery of photos and paintings of the old
fort. The library has a seating capacity of 580. Both Harold Yeary
and his son, Amber Milton Yeary, II (born 1938), also of Laredo,
served as past presidents of the Texas School Boards Association.
Harold Yeary's grandson, Kevin Patrick Yeary of San Antonio, is an
incoming judge of the nine-member Texas Court of Criminal
Appeals, the court of last resort in state criminal cases.
Maravillo Gymnasium - Named for the first Laredoan to die
in the line of duty in World War II, Corporal Quintin Maravillo,
the gym is located at the end of the main mall atop a small hill.
The building was dedicated to the memory of LCC students who have
died in war. The gymnasium and classroom building supports the LCC
Kinesiology, Athletics, and Intramural Sports programs.
David "Dave" Segler, who died in Rockport in 2007 at the age of seventy-seven,
assumed duties as the first director of the LCC athletic program in
1972, shortly after the completion of the Maravillo Gymnasium. He
also was the basketball coach,[35]
but the school later disbanded that program and now offers
baseball, volleyball, and tennis.
Dr. Joaquin G. Cigarroa, Jr., Science
Building
Shaded Arechiga Hall, originally
officers barracks of Fort McIntosh, houses faculty offices and is
named for Domingo Arechiga, the third LCC president, who served
from 1975 to 1987.
Lerma-Pena classroom building at
LCC
Dr. Joaquin G. Cigarroa, Jr., Science Laboratory
Building, a new facility, houses laboratories for the Science Department. It is
named for a Laredo physician long active in the promotion of medical
education.
Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center, named
for a deceased Laredo philanthropist, this facility is a living
laboratory for students of all ages to study mathematics, science and other related
disciplines. The center contains representations of the Rio Grande
ecosystem and live specimens of plant and
animal life. School children take part in the center's
eco-curriculum through instructional tours scheduled on weekdays
throughout the school year.
A rescued white-tailed deer named Precioso, which was
rehabilitated from an injury in 2011, will soon reside at the LCC
environmental science center. Tom Miller, the director of the
center, said that the native deer, a regulated game animal, is one
of the few kinds of deer which the state allows for display. An
8,000-square foot pen will house the animal.[36]
The LCC swimming pool is located in
Fort McIntosh Park.
Arechiga Hall, primarily an historic building used for faculty offices, is a
restoration of the officers' quarters of the former Fort McIntosh.
It is named for former LCC President Domingo Arechiga
(1926–1987).
Lerma-Pena Learning Center has a large computer-based
learning laboratory on the ground floor and classrooms on the
second level. It is located behind the LCC entrance sign. The
building is named for two Laredo firefighters who perished in a
fire on campus in January 1974.
Fort McIntosh Park - This recreation complex has a
swimming pool, baseball field, softball field, batting cages, H.E.
Butt Tennis
Courts, and concession facilities for student athletics and
recreational programs. The LCC tennis team in May 2009 won its
fifth consecutive national title and received recognition from the
Laredo City Council.
Crispin "Doc" Sanchez Baseball Field - Within Fort
McIntosh Park, the baseball field is named for the college's former
athletic director, dean of student services, and promoter of
Hispanic educational opportunities, Crispin Sanchez.
The South
Campus
Academic and Advanced Technology
Center at LCC South Campus
The William N. "Billy" Hall, Jr.,
Student Center at LCC South
The Raquel Gonzalez Automotive
Technology Center on the LCC South Campus is named for the former
college trustee and philanthropist who was
once in the automotive repair business with her
father.
The Laredo Community
College South Campus, located at 5500 South Zapata Highway
(U.S. Highway 83) at
coordinates
27°26'N 99°29'W? / ?27.433°N
99.483°W? / 27.433; -99.483, was
established to extend the college's mission to the growing
residential area of south Laredo. More than 80 percent of voters
approved a $50 million bond issue to construct the second campus,
which was completed in the spring of 2004. The 60-acre
(240,000 m2) campus contains seven buildings and
will be expanded in the future to develop athletic and recreational
fields and courts. The second campus sits on a small valley near
the bank of the Rio Grande.
In April 2012, the LCC trustees approved feasibility studies for
a new health science center and student union building on the South
Campus. If considered needed, LCC would add these proposed projects
to the list of some forty improvements still underway on the Main
Campus.[37]
Academic and Advanced Technology Center - Computer and
science laboratories, lecture halls, classrooms and faculty offices
fill the Academic and Advanced Technology Center. The building's
first floor contains offices for the Child Development Department
and the LCC Community Education Department. The second floor
contains offices for the LCC Computer Electronics Department,
language laboratories for the study of English and foreign
languages, and distance education classrooms.
Hall Student Center - Named for the late State Representative
William N. "Billy" Hall, Jr., this two-story
facility is designed as the hub of student life, including: Meeting
and Conference Rooms, Bursar's Office, Financial Aid Office,
Counseling Center, Admissions Office, Bookstore, Cafeteria, TV
Room, Assessment Center, Mailroom, Print Services, Student Computer
Resource Room, Student Employment Services, Campus Nurse, and
administrative offices.
Raquel Gonzalez Automotive Technology Center -- Named for
former LCC trustee Raquel Gonzalez, the center trains future
mechanics in the latest techniques in automotive repair and
maintenance.
Prada Child Development Center - The new LCC Child
Development Laboratory is a model teaching area for LCC students
who are taking early childhood development courses in preparation
for education careers in the community's child care centers. It
contains six classrooms for 2, 3 and 4 year-olds, a kitchen and two
outdoor playgrounds. This facility is named for Camilo Prada, whose
family developed the residential neighborhoods around the LCC South
campus and provided student support through scholarships and other
gifts.
Treviño Fitness Center - Named for the late LCC
trustee J.C. Trevino, Jr., this classroom and Fitness Center
contains 13,600 square feet (1,260 m2) of space
that will serve all students attending classes at LCC South with a
gymnasium, fitness rooms, locker rooms and a therapy room with
sauna. These facilities are used by the Regional Police Academy for
its physical training component.
Senator Judith Zaffirini Library - The Zaffirini Library
named for State Senator
Judith Zaffirini of Laredo is located on the
LCC South campus in Building B. It is equipped with a Circulation
Desk, Reference Desk, a Media Center, a copy room, and a computer
lab where bibliographic instruction is offered. Interlibrary loan
services are available online and through the Circulation Desk, and
bibliographic instruction sessions can be scheduled through the
Reference Desk. The library has the capacity to house 18,000
volumes. Online and Internet services are readily available
throughout the building.
LCC president and
administration
LCC commemorates Veterans Day each year with a solemn ceremony;
President Juan L. Maldonado is shown at the 2008 observation.
Maldonado announced in mid-December 2014 that he will retire after
eight years in the office in August 2015. A week later, he reversed
himself and sought evaluation by the trustees to extend his
contract past the current expiration of August 2016.
In the summer of 2007, Juan Maldonado (born November 1948), who
holds a Ph.D. from Texas Woman's University in
Denton, formerly the executive vice
president, succeeded Ramón H.
Dovalina as the LCC president. A graduate of the Community
College Leadership Program at the University of Texas
at Austin, Dovalina had served as LCC president
since 1995. In September 2010, Maldonado received a contract
extension, salary increase, performance bonus, and a $5,000
contribution to his tax-sheltered annuity retirement fund. His pay
through August 2013 was set at $163,211 per year.[38]In
mid-December 2014, Maldonado announced that he would step down as
president after eight years in office in August 2015.[39]Then
a week later, Maldonado reversed himself and sought the annual
evaluation from the trustees with plans to remain president past
the expiration of his current contract in August 2016.[40]College
policy requires the evaluation to be conducted at least once a
year. There was no 2014 evaluation, as the process was deferred
until March 2015. Maldonado has claimed that trustee Rene de la
Vina, a former public school special education teacher and teacher's
union official, lacks impartiality and should refrain from the
presidential evaluation process.[41]
Maldonado ultimately received a "good evaluation" for 2015 and
the same $3,000 salary increase given to other LCC employees in the
fall of 2014. No action was taken on the current contract which
extends until August 2016. Trustee Rene de La Vina made a motion to
terminate the contract, but there was no second. De la Vina said
that LCC has received "a lot of negative publicity because of Dr.
Maldonado". New trustee Tita Cantu Vela said that she could
not vote on the issue at all because she lacked sufficient
information to reach a seasoned opinion.[42]
Former trustee president and 2015 board secretary Cynthia
Mares,[43]
was during the 1980s, when she was known as Cynthia M. Jackson, the
secretary to former LCC president Roger L. Worsley, who upon
his resignation from LCC relocated to Camden, Arkansas. In 1999, Mares became the Webb County
director of administrative services, a position she still retains
under the supervision of the four county commissioners.[44]In
October 2014, the commissioners placed Mares on a six-month
probationary period because of questions arising from her work on
the development of a wage and classification scale for county
employees. Two of the commissioners verbally reprimanded her during
a meeting.[45]
On September 28, 2007, the sixtieth anniversary of the founding
of LCC, Dovalina and his predecessor, Roger Worsley, were bestowed
president-emeritus status. At the ceremony, former trustee
Carlos Carranco, Jr., of Laredo, the former board
vice-president and himself a former Laredo Junior College student,
told the Laredo Morning Times that the
institution "from very humble beginnings has evolved to serve the
needs of the community."
Each year LCC presents the "President's Beacon Award" to a civic
figure whose contributions have led to the advancement of the
community. The 2012 winners are businessman Steve LaMantia of
Laredo and his wife, Linda. LaMantia is a founder of the South
Texas Academic Rising Scholars program, which has assisted more
than six thousand students in pursuit of higher education.[46]
On September 26, 2013, several members of the LCC Faculty Senate
appeared before the college board of trustees to call for "shared
governance" with the college administration. The Senate seeks more
input regarding such issues as salary discrepancies and evaluation
of administrators. Senate meetings are closed to the media; members
said that they cannot speak out without fear of reprisal from the
administration. Their sole avenue to bring forward grievances is
during the few minutes allowed for public testimony at open
meetings of the trustees.[47]
In January 2015, President Maldonado suspended with pay LCC
chief financial officer Nora Stewart, whom he claims misused her
staff to obtain an undisclosed college document that he considers
"confidential." Her attorney, George Altgelt of Laredo, said that
Stewart is being "retaliated against for doing exactly what her job
requires her to do." Stewart is seeking a hearing with the
trustees;[48]
she claims that Maldonado belittled her as "Miss Righteous" and
then said "you are now the auditor?", rather than the chief
financial officer.[49]
Without revealing details of the investigation conducted into the
Stewart matter by the McAllen firm of Anderson and Walsh, the
trustees on May 18, 2015, directed the administration and its
attorney to prepare an "amicable agreement" for Stewart's
separation from the college. She has been an LCC employee since
2002, having been earlier the asset management officer.[50]
In June 2015, Maldonado told the local media that he will retire
in August 2016, when his current contract expires. Board member
Cynthia Mares, however, said that she would like for him to
continue in his position until at least August 2017 so that he can
complete various pending projects on campus.[51]
Political
activities
In 2014, LCC President Maldonado became actively involved in the
trustee elections when he wrote two letters to the Laredo
Morning Times to express support for Jackie L. Ramos and
Ed Gonzalez, the opponents, respectively, of trustees Jesse Porras,
a former LCC employee, and Hilario Cavazos, Jr., a former
educator with the Laredo Independent School District. Maldonado
also endorsed Carlos Carranco for a seventh term as trustee, but
Carranco was unseated by former LCC employee Tita Vela.[52]
Porras and Cavazos subsequently lost their reelection bids to
Jackie Ramos and Michelle de la Pena, who were sworn into office in
late December.[53][54]
Maldonado took leave time from his LCC duties while the trustee
campaign was underway. He attributed his involvement to the need
"to reinstate a sense of professional decorum and integrity to our
beloved LCC and its governing board."[52][55]
Maldonado denied that his leave time was taken to engage in
political activities.[56]
Earlier, on August 9, 2014, Maldonado hosted Wendy Davis, the unsuccessful
Democratic gubernatorial nominee on a tour of the LCC campus. Davis said
in her appearance that she could not have reached the political
success as a member of the Texas State Senate without the
availability of community colleges. In her words, Tarrant County College "provided a
door to higher education, making the first step possible."[57]Maldonado
stopped short of an actual endorsement of Davis but said that Davis
"has a track record as a champion for education. We're very glad to
bring her here to highlight our community college." Davis told the
gathering at LCC that Texas needs greater funding of education.
While Davis claimed that she is "always looking out for the real
people," she took the occasion of her visit to Laredo Community
College to blast her Republican opponent,
Greg Abbott, who was elected governor on
November 4, 2014, as one who "defends and protects chemical
companies."[57]
Allen Tijerina succeeded Carlos Carranco as vice-president.
Jesse Porras, whose board service extended from 2010 to 2014, was
named secretary, but his defeat brought forth Cynthia Mares as
secretary.[58]our-member
committee of the trustees has been named to develop the protocol
for the evwasation of President Maldonado. At the January 22, 2015,
board meeting, former president Hilario Cavazos was escorted from
the building when he objected to the lack of a public forum at the
start of the proceedings, which has been the normal process from
gaining citizen input. He was later allowed to return to the
meeting. A small number of protestors outside the building carried
placards questioning Maldonado's salary. Signs read, "Resign
Maldonado, "Our Taxes Our Voice", and "No More oppression".[43]The
new trustees president, Mercurio Martinez vowed to "bring
professionalism to the board. ... I will not, and I mean this, will
not tolerate any yelling. ... It is our responsibility to set up
policy and not micromanage as it unfortunately had been done on
previous occasions."[43]In
April 2015, Maldonado banned Cavazos from being on the LCC campus
for fourteen days because of Cavazos's behavior at the January 22
meeting. LCC policy indicates that a speaker cannot mention college
employees while speaking during the public hearing prior to board
meetings.[59]
The West
End Post
In May 2012, a group of students and their advisor, Virginia
Rodriguez, established The West End Post, a student
newspaper publication. The West End Post reports on
activities on and off campus affecting students and the community.
Working alongside LCC's quality enhancement program, The West
End Post promotes literacy. In April 2013, The West End
Post received the Outstanding Organization award along with an
"Outstanding Advisor" award for Rodriguez.
Trustee J.C. "Pepe"
Treviño, Jr.
Jose C. "Pepe" Treviño, Jr. (May 31, 1930 —
March 27, 2007), was a Laredo businessman, who served thirty-two
years on the LCC board of trustees. He was particularly known for
his promotion of youth activities but discouraged attention to his
philanthropic endeavors, such as support for the Sacred Heart
Children's Home orphanage and the Boys Club and
Girls Club of Laredo.
The Laredo Morning Times named him "Laredoan of the Year"
for 2007.
Treviño was appointed to the LCC board by his future
colleagues effective January 15, 1975, to fill the Position 4 seat
vacated by Carlos H. Mata. He was then elected to five
six-year terms, beginning on April 3, 1976. His last election was
in May 2006, when he faced a stronger-than-usual opponent in
businessman and former trustee Sabas Zapata, III, for a term
of which Treviño completed less than one year. His last term
would have extended until 2012. He was the board vice-president in
1986, 1990, and from 1992-1994. On the board, he was known for his
attention to details and was a constant advocate to keep down taxes
and tuition.
Treviño established his Southern Enterprises beverage
company in 1957 and was heavily involved in business ventures in
both the United States and Mexico. He
was a director of the former Laredo National Bank since 1975.
Treviño was born in Nuevo Laredo,
Mexico, across the Rio Grande from Laredo to Jose C.
Treviño, Sr., and the former Victoria Salinas
(1902–1981). He was a brother of Olga Trevino Barnes and
Maria "Bebe" Zuñiga, who made a strong race for mayor
of Laredo in 1990 but lost to Saul N. Ramirez, Jr., and brother-in-law
of Carlos Alberto Zuñiga, Sr. (1927-2011), a former
member of the Laredo City Council. He graduated from Martin High School
in 1947. That same year he married the former Rose Ella
Tarver. The couple reared six children: Laredo attorney J.C.
"Pepe" Treviño, III (born 1949), and wife Adrienne,
Diana T. Garcia and husband Ricardo, Roberto Treviño and
wife Prissy, Anna Laura Treviño, Guillermo Treviño
and wife Tammy, and Carlos F. Treviño and wife Pauline.
There were also fourteen grandchildren and one
great-grandchild.
Treviño died of cancer.
Services were held at St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Cathedral
in Laredo. He was interred at the Calvary Catholic Cemetery in
Laredo. Monsignor Thomas A. Davis described his friend
Trevino as a man of "deep faith", prayer, and courage. We always
turned to Pepe for help. Most people will never know the good work
he was doing because he did not seek notice or
recognition."[60]
The J.C. Treviño, Jr., Fitness
Center at LCC South
The Treviño Fitness Center on the South Campus of Laredo
Community Center is named in Treviño's honor. Treviño
was succeeded on the board by Edward Charles "Ed" Sherwood
(born 1941), a Laredo businessman formerly from Dayton, Ohio, who was
named in 2010 as board vice president. Sherwood, however, was
unseated by Allen Tijerina (born 1987) in the election held
on November 6, 2012.[61]
Tijerina, an LCC graduate, is a biology teacher at Martin High School
and is the youngest person thus far ever elected as an LCC
trustee.[62]
Notable
alumni
- Louis H. Bruni – Laredo businessman,
former Webb County county judge and former member of the
Laredo City Council[63]
- Esther Buckley (Class of 1965,
1948–2013) – Martin High School science educator,
member of the United States
Commission on Civil Rights from 1983 to 1992, former chairman
of the Republican Party in
Webb County[64][65]
- Kaleb Canales – Assistant coach of the
Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball
Association; former interim head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and at the time
the youngest active head coach in the NBA, the first Mexican American NBA coach
- Alberto P. Cardenas, Jr. — Attorney at Vinson and Elkins
in Houston; formerly the general counsel to former
U.S. Senator
Kay Bailey Hutchison[citation
needed]
- Carlos Carranco, Jr. – Laredo businessman and LCC trustee
since 1990[citation
needed]
- Henry Cuellar – U.S. representative
from Texas's 28th
congressional district since 2005
- Ramon Dovalina – LCC president, 1995-2007
- Rick Flores – Webb County sheriff,
2004–2008[citation
needed]
- Jerry Garza – Webb County Commissioner,
2005–2012[citation
needed]
- Judd Gilpin – Laredo engineer and United Independent School District
trustee since 2009
- Hector J. Liendo – Webb County Justice of the Peace,
Precinct 1; the overpass on Lafayette Street is named in his
honor[citation
needed]
- Mercurio Martinez, Jr. - Webb County
administrative judge (1991–2002) and current LCC
trustee[66]
- Alicia Dickerson Montemayor
– Latino political activist,
feminist, and community
organizer
- Rodolfo "Rudy" Rodriguez, Jr. — Webb County Precinct 1
constable
- Mario Santos, Jr. (Class of 1961) - sheriff
of Webb County 1977–1988[67]
- Allen Tijerina – Laredo educator and LCC trustee since
2012[citation
needed]
- Rosaura Palacios "Wawi" Tijerina (Class of 1978), Webb County
Precinct 2 commissioner since 2007; Laredo municipal judge,
1998-2002; LCC criminal justice faculty, 1988-2008; Laredo attorney
in private practice[68]
- Tano Tijerina, former minor league pitcher for
Milwaukee Brewers, incoming County Judge of Webb County,
effective 2015[69]
- Danny Valdez – Webb County
(administrative) judge 2007 to December 31, 2014[70]
- Raul Vasquez — former Texas state district
judge[citation
needed]
- Judith Zaffirini – Texas state senator from District 21 since 1987