Retired Air Force/civil service, 73
gbeitzel@alamo.edu • 210-496-5857
By Katherine Garcia
kgarcia203@student.alamo.edu
District 8 incumbent Gary Beitzel said he decided to run for re-election after two terms because the Alamo Colleges are doing some amazing things.
He did not attend a community college, but he assisted with accreditation of the Community College of the Air Force.
He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Colorado in management services and organizational behavior.
“There’s still more work to be done and I want to be around to complete progress, such as student success and zero-cost textbooks,” he said.
He said e-books or open-source materials should be considered because students are going to need technology in the classroom and their future jobs.
He said the cost of books could be reduced through the use of standardized e-books and open-source materials.
“I also believe ‘7 Habits’ is important for graduates to have so they can be effective,” he said.
He said Stephen Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” would help students manage time, study more effectively and be more successful in college and outside of college.
He said building an administration complex is a good idea because administrators would have a central facility and because it will be not be funded publicly.
The district is seeking bids to build an administrative facility at Playland Park as a public-private venture.
“It’s very inefficient having people scattered all over,” he said.
Beitzel said he supports standardization of instructional materials and student learning outcomes because it’s not fair if a class from this college is accepted for transfer instead of a class from another college.
A student trustee’s participation in board meetings and conferences will help the person find out what methods other schools are using regarding issues such as instructional materials.
He said the student trustee will be able to “see both sides of the story and communicate those issues better than a trustee.”
Beitzel said the student trustee will be a “good help in identifying student concerns to the board.”
He said he gets information on important issues from board meetings, special retreats, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the American Association of Community College Trustees.
He also gets information directly from the colleges and the citizens-to-be-heard portion of the board meetings.
Beitzel said not all charges Chancellor Bruce Leslie is given by the board are completed, but he is pleased with the chancellor’s performance.
“He’s doing what we (the board) ask of him,” Beitzel said.