Hundreds of MATC faculty attended Faculty Coordination Day in mid-August. The theme of the event was Mattering, Belonging, and Innovation, and there was time for colleagues to explore these concepts throughout the day. 

MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz welcomed faculty members. He was introduced by MATC Times Managing Editor Warren Murphy. You can read about his experience in the story: Introducing Dr. Anthony Cruz.

Cruz talked about “amplifying and accelerating” the work on MATC’s Strategic Plan goals to provide better student success. A few of the things he mentioned in his welcome speech were: admitting more students and enrolling more students (he described the goal of 8,650 full-time students is a ‘modest’ one). He stressed the need to continue to work toward becoming an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution)–we are at ”21% enrollment” and “need to get to 25%” to be an HSI. Cruz says this designation will help more students because we get access to grants “to lift all students.” He also mentioned the need to have students take more credits because students who have more credits complete their studies. He said there’s also a need to “fill the gaps” and reduce the gaps in learning, “increasing student persistence” was mentioned and ultimately, he said MATC needs to have “more graduates.”

He also talked about developing a new Strategic Plan and wanting “many voices” in the process. Cruz mentioned the need for “more access,” “more success,” and “more engagement” (on campus and in the community) after he talked about growing community education and embracing AI (artificial intelligence). 

He also reiterated that his core philosophy is “students first,” and he looks forward to meeting more students in the coming months. After sharing his thoughts with faculty on August 15, he split the room into sections to cheer “Go Stormers!”