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Dr. García is responsible for leading the development of the unique partnership between UTB, then an upper-level university, with TSC, a community college. The Partnership was designed to consolidate resources, increase efficiency, eliminate transfer barriers for students and provide improved higher education opportunities for the people of the Lower Rio Grande Valley in South Texas. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools lauded the first Partnership of its kind in the southern region of the nation, commending “the entire university community—faculty, staff, students, and community leaders—for its vision and courage in creating the UTB/TSC Partnership.” SACS continued its praise by pointing out that the Partnership’s “comprehensive, seamless educational opportunities...will serve the citizens of this area well for many years to come.” The Partnership known as UTB/TSC offers a full range of occupational-technical, continuing education, and community education programs with certificate and associate degrees traditional to the community college. In addition, UTB/TSC also offers baccalaureate and masters degrees traditional to a university. Students move through the seamless partnership without need to transfer. As TSC President, Dr. García’s achievements included directing a successful $13.5 million general obligation bond issue used to double classroom space and double the capacity of the library. In addition while President of TSC, Dr. García led a campaign to raise $1 million in private donations in 18 months, which was matched by $2 million in federal funds. The successful community based effort produced a $3 million endowment to provide scholarships to college district students who took the more rigorous junior-high and high school courses, made A's and B's in those courses, and attended TSC. The endowment has since grown to over $5 million dollars and has awarded approximately 9,500 scholarships to students. The scholarship endowment program has received state, regional and national awards for its innovative approach and successful implementation. During her tenure as president of UTB/TSC, the campus has grown from 49 acres to over 382 acres, with an increase in construction value from $44.9M to $114.5M. The budget has increased from $31.4M to $76.8M and the number of full time student enrollment has increased from 7,358 students to over 11,500 students, an increase of about 56%. Student performance has also improved dramatically, as reflected by the increase in degrees awarded: certificates awarded have increased by 44%, associate degrees by 34%, baccalaureate degrees by 115%, and master’s degrees awarded have increased by 347%. The number of baccalaureate degrees offered has more than doubled, while the number of master's degrees offered has tripled. In addition, Dr. García was voted Outstanding Alumnus by The University of Texas at Austin's College of Communications, Outstanding Young Texas Ex by The University of Texas-Ex Association and received the National Network of Hispanic Women Hall of Fame Education Award. In 1993, she was named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the nation's 100 Most Influential Hispanics. In 1994, she received the American Association of Higher Education Hispanic Caucus Award for Distinguished Leadership in Higher Education and the Outstanding Texas Leader Award from the John Ben L. Sheppard Leadership Foundation. She was also voted Hispanic Woman of the Year by The Valley Morning Star newspaper in Harlingen. In 1995, the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders named Dr. García as a Woman of Distinction and she received the first-ever VIDA Award from NBC and Hispanic Magazine for her contributions in education. Also in 1995, she was recognized as being among the Most Influential Hispanic Women of Texas by Texas Hispanic Magazine. In the fall of 2000, Dr. García was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame for lifetime achievement in education. In the spring of 2001, Dr. García chaired a conference hosted by Harvard on Access Denied, a publication of the Advisory Committee to Congress on Student Financial Aid. Most recently, Dr. García was part of a delegation that featured the partnership between the community college and the university in a nationwide competition to win recognition for Brownsville, Texas, as an All America City in Atlanta, Georgia. She is featured in multiple issues of Hispanic Business as one of the 100 Most Influential Hispanics. Dr. García has served as Chair of the American Council on Education, the nation’s foremost educational policy organization representing members of 1,800 colleges and universities. Dr. García also served on the National Advisory Council on Institutional Quality and Integrity and as a Commissioner on the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, the San Antonio Branch of the Federal Reserve Board and as a participant in The Aspen Institute’s Program on Education in a Changing Society. Dr. García was also selected to participate in the South Africa Project by The American Council on Education, USAID, and Ford Foundation to assist universities in South Africa after the end of apartheid. Dr. García currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Ford Foundation, Campus Compact, JP Morgan Chase Rio Grande Valley, Public Welfare Foundation, and the Kenedy Memorial Foundation. She is Vice Chair of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and former Chair of the Advisory Committee to Congress on Student Financial Assistance. Since 1995, Dr. García has been invited to speak annually to the Harvard IEM program for higher education leaders. Dr. García received her Ph.D. in Communication and Linguistics from The University of Texas at Austin and her M.A. and B.A. in Speech and English from The University of Houston. Her postdoctoral studies include work at the Institute for Educational Management and the JFK School of Government at Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the London School of Business as a member of the Society for International Business Fellows program. Dr. García was most recently appointed to the Ford Foundation Board. Dr. García is married to Oscar E. García. Together they have to two grown children and four grandchildren.
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