KINGSVILLE (April 17, 2026) —Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) hosted leaders from Coastal Bend, Del Mar and Laredo Colleges During the Caring Campus Regional Convening of Friday, April 17 at the Memorial Student Union Building.
In a meeting led by the Institute for Evidence Based Change (IEBC) President/CEO Dr. Brad Phillips, TAMUK President Dr. Robert Vela, Laredo College (LC) President Dr. Minita Ramirez, Coastal Bend College (CBC) President Dr. Zachary Suarez, Del Mar College (DMC) President Dr. Mark Escamilla and their institutional leadership discussed engaging in a caring campus process as a regional collaborative by sharing information such as institutional experiences and data.
“We want to track the efficacy of the effort, which includes bringing faculty together where discipline transfer isn’t as seamless as it could be,” Phillips said. “That will be the next part of this effort once we have the data to confirm how well students are doing in the transition or the reverse transfer portion of it as well. We want our college to be successful. I’m able to learn from them about how well that work is going, the challenges they face and their successes.”
The goal of the meeting was to collaborate and discuss how to create a caring campus region of institutions that make pathways to seamless transitions for students going from a college to a university.
“It’s important just having partners like Laredo, Coastal Bend and Del Mar Colleges and having their senior administrators here so we can develop pathways to ensure students have options,” Vela said. “Wherever students go, wherever they choose depending on the program of study they want, they’re going to get the same level of care and experience. That’s important for a lot of our local students to know that there are universities out there that really care about their wellbeing and will always be very sensitive to some fears, concerns and anxiety they may have from transferring from a community college to a university like ours.”
A main talking point during the meeting was how university-college collaborations — like the one between TAMUK and its partner colleges — can eliminate barriers and appeal to students seeking efficiency and a seamless transition as they seek a better quality of life through education.
Among discussions were the rules and practices from each institution and how they could potentially be made to better serve the students of South Texas.
“How do we take the spirit of a values-based approach and how do we eliminate barriers that students have, especially when they’re transferred from one institution to another,” Vela said. “Every one of these partners represents a segment of South Texas. The more we can align, the more options we have for students.
“Ultimately, no student should ever feel like they don’t have a home or that they don’t have a college or university that they can continue to realize their full potential,” Vela added. “Let’s make sure that students get enrolled in one of our institutions, graduate, and do great things for themselves and their families so they can elevate their sights and, in essence, elevate their communities.”
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