College Overview

San Antonio College was established as University Junior College in September 1925, under the auspices of the University of Texas. The following year, control of the College was transferred to the San Antonio Independent School District and the name was changed to San Antonio Junior College. Following passage of state legislation authorizing junior college districts, the San Antonio Union Junior College District was formed in 1945 and in 1946 assumed control of San Antonio College and its sister college, St. Philip’s Junior College. In 1948, San Antonio Junior College’s name was changed to San Antonio College, and in 1951, the College was moved to its  present location on San Pedro Avenue. Five hundred students were enrolled at that time. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted accreditation to the college in 1955.

In the late 1960s, San Antonio College became a comprehensive community college by expanding offerings in occupational and technical courses and by assuming the San Antonio Independent School District’s Continuing Education Program. The name of the College District was changed to San Antonio Community College District in 1978 and in 1982 the District was renamed the Alamo Community College District.

In support of the mission of the Alamo Colleges, San Antonio College responds to Bexar County’s diverse community by providing high quality general education, liberal arts and sciences, career education, continuing education, and developmental education. The college has an average semester enrollment of 22,000 credit students and an average annual enrollment of 16,000 other-than-credit students. San Antonio College is the largest single-campus community college in Texas and one of the largest in the United States.

San Antonio College will be nationally recognized for student success and best practices.

San Antonio College will provide responsive education through excellence, accessibility, and diversity. San Antonio College is a public community college that provides and supports the educational and lifelong learning needs of a multicultural community. As a leader in education, San Antonio College is committed to excellence in helping students reach their full potential by developing their academic competencies, critical thinking skills, communication proficiency, civic responsibility, and global awareness.

San Antonio College fulfills its mission by offering the following:

• Transfer education designed to provide students with the first two years of the baccalaureate degree.
• General education courses in the liberal arts and sciences to support all college degree programs.
• Career preparation provided through a wide range of programs to prepare students for immediate employment.
• Developmental studies for students needing to bring their basic skills to a level appropriate for college work.
• Continuing education to offer a variety of training, licensure, and professional programs.
• Academic support services that include a comprehensive learning resource center and basic skills activities that complement instruction.
• Student support services to provide assessment, advising, counseling, tutoring, financial assistance, and social and cultural activities for all students, including those with special needs.
• Promotion of cross-cultural understanding and appreciation through instructional and social activities that contribute to cultural awareness and interaction.
• Involvement of business, industry, and professional groups in planning and revising educational programs to meet workforce needs.
• An environment conducive to learning through an attractive physical campus and wellness-oriented programs and services.
• Continuous assessment of programs and services and the utilization of results for improvement.
• And, operation of the college within available fiscal resources to provide accountability to taxpayers of the Alamo Colleges.

San Antonio College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate degrees.

The college is also an active member of the American Association of Community Colleges, the Community College Consortium, Association of Texas Colleges and Universities, the National League for Nursing, the Southern Association of Junior Colleges, the Texas Junior College Association, the Texas Public Community and Junior College Association, Texas Educational Theatre Association, and the Texas Association of Music
Schools.

The Department of Nursing Education is accredited by the Board of Nurse Examiners (BNE) for the state of Texas and the National League for Nursing (NLN, Accrediting Commission, 61 Broadway, 33rd Floor, New York, NY 10006, phone: 212-363-5555, fax: 212-812-0391).

The Mortuary Science Department is accredited by the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), 3432 Ashland Ave, Suite G, St. Joseph, MO 64506, phone: 816-233-3747, fax: 816-233-3793.

The Dental Assisting Program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation.

The San Antonio College Medical Assisting Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP) — located at 1361 Park St.; Clearwater, Florida 33756; phone number: (727) 210-2350 — on recommendation of the American Association of Medical Assistants Endowment (AAMAE). Students who graduate from the Medical Assisting Program, with the exception of the medical office administrative assistant curriculum, qualify for the certification examination conducted by the AAMAE for the certified medical assistant credential.

Students who wish to view the school’s accreditation and licensing bodies documentation, may inquire at the Learning Resource Center Reserve Desk in the Moody Learning Center.

• Adjunct Faculty Council
• Student Affairs Council
• Chairs Council
• Student Government
• College Academic Council
• Technology Affairs Council
• Faculty Senate
• Staff Council

• Academic Policy Review
• Arts and Sciences Council
• Bookstore Committee
• Competency Committee
• Curriculum Review and Evaluation Committee
• Developmental Education Council
• Employee Development Committee
• Enrollment Management
• Food Services Committee
• Institutional Effectiveness Steering Committee
• Institutional Effectiveness Unit Review Committee
• Instructional Innovation Center Advisory Committee
• Medical Advisory Committee
• Professional & Technical Education Council
• SAC Online Advisory Committee
• Student Activity Fee Committee
• Student Affairs Council
• Student Life Programs:
  
  1. Campus Organizations
  2. Recreation Sports
  3. Student Activities/Events
• Student Publications Board
• Student Success Advisory Committee
• Technology Committee
• Wellness Committee

Dr. Maria Hernandez Ferrier

San Antonio College has selected Dr. Maria Hernandez Ferrier, president of the new Texas A&M University-San Antonio, as its Outstanding Former Student for 2009-2010. 

Ferrier enrolled at San Antonio College in the 1970s. Back then, she was a single working mother in her 30s with two children and a college degree may have seemed like the impossible dream.  Carole Tuell, director of the child development center where Ferrier worked, encouraged her to seek a college degree. Tuell even paid for that first semester at SAC.   

“I didn’t think I was college material,” Ferrier said. “But that first class at SAC opened a new world for me and I loved it!  Attending college classes was a revelation, and I discovered I had a tremendous love of learning.”   

Growing up on the west side of San Antonio in the 1950s, Ferrier didn’t feel the push to go to college.

“When I was growing up, girls were expected only to finish high school, get married and raise a family.  College was not an expectation, but then I found myself alone at the age of 30 with two young children to raise and no education, no way to earn enough to provide for my children,” Ferrier said.

From SAC, Ferrier went on to earn a bachelor of arts in speech, and a master of education in guidance and counseling from Our Lady of the Lake University, and a Doctorate of Educational Administration from Texas A&M University. 

In the early 1970s, she began her work in education by creating a church-based pre-school for children with limited English. Her goal was to prepare them for public school.   

“I cannot underscore how important early childhood education is to our children – especially to those who may not have had the advantage of a rich literacy environment at home, Ferrier said. “Experts in the field agree that early learning leads to success.” 

In 1987 the native San Antonian developed Partners in Pride, San Antonio’s first school-based mentoring program.  Two years later she won recognition from the White House Office on National Service for developing the Kelly AFB/Southwest School District Mentoring Partnership that paired 1,000 Kelly employees with at-risk students.     

In 1995, as founding executive director Ferrier led City Year San Antonio, an organization that became the model for AmeriCorps, which unites young people for a year of community service. In that role, she also hosted “City Spirit,” a weekly television show that promoted community volunteer opportunities on Catholic Television of San Antonio (CTSA). 

Ferrier was also instrumental in establishing the Community Education Leadership Program in 1999, which developed leaders to work in diverse communities.   At the same time she served as the a director of English as a Second Language for the award-winning Community Education program at North East ISD.   

“It is the American ethic of service that makes our country great. Service is the way we give back to our community for the things that we have been given,” she said. “We must all be active citizens and give back in thanks for the opportunities we ourselves have received.” 

Before joining TAMU-SA, Ferrier held a number of national education appointments. In 1991 President George H.W. Bush named her to the Commission on National and Community Service. She was appointed Director of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs under Secretary of Education Lamar Alexander. In 2002, President George W. Bush named Ferrier to direct the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA) at the U.S. Department of Education.  She served as principal adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Education, eventually rising to Assistant Deputy Secretary, overseeing a staff of 50 and a budget of $579 million. 

TAMU-SA was born in 2000 as a System Center for Texas A&M-Kingsville initially using  buildings at Palo Alto College. TAMU-SA is now operating in temporary facilities located at 1450 Gillette Blvd.  A new 700-acre campus at Loop 410 and Zarzamora is expected to open this fall. 

As interim university president Ferrier was a driving force behind the university’s growth.  Earlier this year she was named TAMU-SA’s first president.   

In addition to leading TAMU-SA, Ferrier currently serves on the board of directors for a variety of organizations, including Southwest Independent School District Foundation, KLRN-TV Public Television, Southwest General Hospital and the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. She is a member of the Lackland AFB Joint Land-Use Study Executive & Advisory Committee, and serves on the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) Hispanic-Serving School Districts/Hispanic-Serving Institutions Advisory Council. 

Ferrier also served as the general editor for the Handbook on Choosing Your Child’s Education (2007), published by Focus on the Family, and provided the editor’s foreword for, Arise & Ascend – A Woman’s Cry to Freedom (2009), published by Xulon Press. She is currently editing a book on the life of Sen. Frank Madla, which is being written by his son, San Antonio physician Dr. Frank Madla III. 

Ferrier’s journey into higher education began with tentative steps at SAC.  Today she says her focus at TAMU-SA will be on teacher preparation with emphasis on reducing the dropout rate in San Antonio.  Her goal is to make Texas A&M University-San Antonio a world-class university.