Applications for Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 are due Feb. 19.
By Kyle R. Cotton
kcotton11@alamo.edu
Voters will elect four trustees on the Alamo Colleges Board in May, and one of the board’s newest members wants to see candidates willing to hear the concerns of faculty.
District 8 trustee Clint Kingsbery, who was elected in 2014, said “Regardless of whether or not they are an incumbent or newcomer, I want someone who understands what we are trying to do with AlamoAdvise and the AlamoInstitutes when it comes to student success, and is looking to open up access to more students and is willing to listen to the concerns of the faculty.”
“We want someone who’s going to listen to all parties involved, such as faculty and students, to come to a reasonable decision in regards to policy,” he said.
Applications for the May 7 election of trustees for Districts 1, 2, 3 and 4 are due at 5 p.m. Feb. 19 and must be submitted to Sandra Mora, board liaison and Alamo Colleges election administrator, at Killen Center.
Mora said as of Thursday, she has yet to receive applications for any of the positions.
Applicants who are elected will be one of nine trustees on the Alamo Colleges district board of trustees.
The board is responsible for formulating public policy for the district and oversees and controls the district’s activities.
Celita Avila, reference and distance learning librarian and president of this college’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, agreed with Kingsbery.
“We want a trustee who is open to communication,” Avila said. “For those of us who work with students, we are the first ones to see how policies are implemented, so it’s important to have somebody who is willing to listen to employees.”
Harley Williams, psychology sophomore and this college’s Student Government Association president, said potential applicants “need to understand what it’s like to be at a community college.”
“The colleges need someone who is fair and passionate for higher education,” Williams said.
To be eligible, a person must be a U.S. citizen 18 years or older and a qualified voter of the district by the Feb. 19 filing date.
Applicants must be a resident of Texas for 12 months and six months in the district where they are seeking election.
Applicants must not have been convicted of a felony or determined by a judge to be mentally incapacitated without the right to vote.
For more information, call Mora at 210-485-0030, or visit www.alamo.edu/district/board/elections.