The Ranger (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 2007 Page: 24 of 31
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Your Official Campus Bookstore
SAN ANTONIO
COLLEGE BOOKSTORE
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SAC FALL REGISTRATION REGINS APRIL 23
Loftin Student Center 210-733-5960
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By Jonathan Munson
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St. Philip’s president faces
decreasing enrollment
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Dr. Adena W. Loston’s first day as president of St. Philip’s
College was March 1, and only six days later, her college was
scoring negative headlines on the front page of the San Antonio
Express-News — “St. Philip’s College dean under fire.”
Loston also addressed faculty responsibility, stating that every
employee is accountable for what they do; and that their actions
must be transparent.
“I’m expecting everybody to come to work everyday with your
moral compass intact,” she said; otherwise, she’d prefer that they
just stay home. “We’ve had the spotlight on us, and we’re going
to demonstrate that we have integrity.”
On top of that, the college faces dwindling enrollment in almost
every department, as well as future competition for enrollment.
“It’s appropriate, I thought, to begin to have a call for conver-
sation,” Loston said in a series of call-to-action speeches at both
St. Philip’s campuses. She spoke at the main campus March 27
and Southwest Campus March 29. “To begin to talk about strate-
. gic direction; architect where we are going, where we think we are
going and where we need to be; and then some expectations. The
president’s agenda; how she feels about how we should think,
act and behave.
“Because when she got here,” the new president continued'
“because when she got here we were already making headlines
on the front page of the paper.”
Loston was referring to alleged questionable ethics of St.
Philip’s dean of continuing education, Alvoid R. Bennett, regard- •
ing questionable use, or misuse, of his district e-mail account.
Proud of St. Philip’s classification as a historically black college
and a Hispanic-serving institution, Loston addressed the school’s
demographics, which are typical demographics, she explained.
They have more females than males enrolling at the school.
The majority of the student population is Hispanic and between
the ages of 25 and 30.
It was the enrollment rates of various educational departments
within the college that Loston called attention to.
“Just about every category is going down,” she said, explain-
ing that St. Philip’s is sharing enrollment with other schools in the
district, Northeast Lakeview in particular.
“Is that acceptable?” she asked. “Yes, it is.”
After running through the enrollnient of different departments,
providing the information on a PowerPoint presentation, Loston
directed attention to the neighborhoods the college serves.
“We’re not pulling from our own.ZIP code,” she said. With the
addition of schools such as Northeast Lakeview, the former NASA
employee explained that “it’s not rocket science to figure out why
the numbers are going to change.”
“I’m not here to preside over decreasing enrollment,” Loston
said. She pointed out that a large number of students have
dropped out and no longer ate pursuing their degrees;
Loston challenged her faculty to think of ways to boost, or at
least retain, enrollment rates at both campuses of St. Philip’s College.
“There’s work to be done, and the president can’t do it all,” she said.
’ “We’re not going to rest on the fact that students are leaving.”
Addressing issues such as district colleges’ pursuit of the
Baldridge Award, an award from the nation’s president, as well
as the district’s strategic priorities and community engagement,
Loston laid out her plans for St. Philip’s College.
“Everybody has something to contribute in growing St. Philip’s
College...”
Loston advised the college faculty to think in broader terms
than the happenings within their own departments.
Community engagement was also a subject that the new presi-
dent stressed to her faculty.
Loston enlightened her audience about NASA’s future planning,
offering it as an example of how St. Philip’s needs to be thinking as
far as program development and facilities master planning.
She urged people to consider what will be needed 10 to 20 years
from now. Loston mentioned “smart classrooms” as an example of
the kind of thing faculty needs to consider in resource development.
The curriculum St. Philip’s should follow when planning for
the future was simple in Loston’s terms — ensuring that students
left the college prepared for careers.
“Sometimes, we do things one way because we always have,”
Loston said. She asked that her faculty consider the way things
are done at St. Philip’s, and be ready for change. “Some of the
things that you are very passionate about will probably have to
fall off the table.”
She asked that faculty focus on results, and rather than focus
on ensuring that students can transfer* to a four-yeaf college, to
keep in mind the value of an associate’s degree.
“You cannot sell me on the idea that a four-year degree is more
important than an associate’s degree,” she said.
The Ranger • www.theranger.org
April 20, 2007 • 27
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San Antonio College. The Ranger (San Antonio, Tex.), Vol. 81, No. 22, Ed. 1 Friday, April 20, 2007, newspaper, April 20, 2007; San Antonio, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1354398/m1/24/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting San Antonio College.