BLINN NAMES INTERIM PRESIDENT

  

Blinn College has named Dr. Ana Margarita Guzmán, a national leader in education for more than 30 years, its interim district president.

Guzmán was identified with the assistance of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and will begin her duties around Jan. 15. Blinn’s 14th district president, Dr. Harold Nolte, announced in September that he is retiring effective Jan. 31, 2015.

Guzmán comes to Blinn after serving as president of Santa Fe (N.M.) Community College from 2012-14, where she oversaw a 47 percent graduation rate increase, a 12 percent retention rate increase and a 12 percent enrollment increase.

Prior to that, Guzmán served 12 years as president of Palo Alto Community College. During her tenure, she increased enrollment 61 percent, saw retention rates increase from 62 to 84 percent and increased continuing education revenues by 400 percent. Shew oversaw the establishment of 14 new programs and 28 additional certificate programs were submitted to the U.S. Department of Education for approval for Pell Grant eligibility.

Guzmán was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve a four-year term on the National Security Education Board, a 13-member panel which develops criteria for scholarships and grants for students who express an interest in national security issues or a career in a national security position. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the national early childhood and family support organization, AVANCE.

Guzmán served as the chair of the White House Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans from 1993-2000 and served on the Board of Trustees for the College Board, a not-for-profit membership organization. She was named to the San Antonio Women’s Hall of Fame in 2006.

Guzmán began her career as a public school teacher and has taught at the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi. She served as Associate Vice Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System and as Executive Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Administration and Community Relations at Austin Community College.

She has attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University as well as the Training for Corporate Boards. She holds and Ed.D. in education from the University of Houston, a M.A. in sociology from Texas Southern University and a B.S. in education from Stout State University in Wisconsin.

Founded in 1883, Blinn is a comprehensive community college committed to educational excellence and to individual and community enhancement. With an enrollment of 19,317 students and campuses located in Bryan, Brenham, Schulenburg and Sealy, Blinn ranks among the nation’s leaders in transferring students to leading four-year universities.

Blinn has experienced 37.5 percent enrollment growth since 2006 and has received national recognition for its community service and affordability. The Texas A&M Blinn TEAM (Transfer Enrollment at A&M) Program, the first co-enrollment program of its kind between a major university and a community college, recently earned the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Star Award for its efforts to help high-achieving students earn their degree from Texas A&M.  Story courtesy of Blinn College.