Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College Interim President, talks with Hot Mustard about the recent executive orders and how the district and SAC navigate them. Dr. Solis asks people to be patient as SAC works to understand and comply with federal orders. He also talks about the Texas legislature and the bills they have planned for the current session.

SAC celebrates Black History Month with a kickoff in the SAC Mall area. Several black-owned businesses and community organizations are on campus from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday February 5th. There will be weekly events throughout the month, including an African Loteria game, a “Where are We Now,” panel that includes a soul food tasting, and a presentation on the Underground Railroad to Mexico.

SAC is also Working on a New Strategic Plan. Every three years, SAC brings together key stakeholders; students, faculty, staff, educational partners, and District partners. They come together to discuss and anticipate the changes needed to serve the community. This is the way to identify and proactively plan to keep up with the dynamic changes in higher education. SAC is developing classes for students to take advantage of new technology and have even worked with business who will partner with Alamo Colleges to educate the next generation of workers.

More information on Black History Month events is online at https://www.alamo.edu/sac/blackhistorymonth

More information on the Bond 2025 Proposal is online at https://www.alamo.edu/cip

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College Interim President, welcomes students back for the Spring 2025 semester. Dr. Solis talks with Hot Mustard about enrollment and how San Antonio College is beating the national trend. Students are showing they believe in the value of a SAC education. Students are finishing up certificates and finding jobs in careers that pay good wages. Many of those jobs are in high demand areas, such as medical and dental technicians, nursing, firefighting, law enforcement, and court reporting to name several areas.

Work continues across campus to meet the growing and changing demands of a larger student body. SAC continues the massive renovation project at eight buildings across the campus. This includes Chance Academic Center, McAllister Fine Arts Center, and Gonzalez Hall. Completion is scheduled to be finished by December 2025.

More details about the campus renovations are online at alamo.edu/sac/mtn

Dr. Francisco Solis talks with Hot Mustard about the Empowerment Center. The center helps non-traditional students such as first-generation students, student parents, and English language learners, enter college.

Dr. Helen Vera, Director of the Empowerment Center, talks about her history with the Empowerment Center and the programs offered. The center first opened in March 1981 as the Women’s Center. Its original mission to help women who needed to enter college to help them gain education and independence. Later the center’s mission expanded to help all adults who wanted to come to college after years away from school.

Michelle Tovar, SAC student, talks about her experience with the Empowerment Center. She also discusses the importance of scholarships and the opportunities she has access to because of the Empowerment Center.

The Empowerment Center offers a College Enrollment Lab, Academic Advising, Leadership Development, and Scholarship Assistance for students. The center also sponsors special observations and activities for students throughout the year. Recently, they held several events in October to observe Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Every year the center holds the WE Conference. for the past 22 years. The conference usually includes keynote speakers and breakaway workshops that focus on developing leadership abilities. This opportunity also offers qualifying participants scholarships to continue their education at SAC. The conference is now open to all students, not just women.

San Antonio College Empowerment Center: https://www.alamo.edu/sac/empowermentcenter