Austin Community College candidates, Place 7
Barbara P. Mink*
Q. Why are you running for the board of trustees?
A. I have a long-term personal and professional commitment to the role community colleges have in providing accessible and affordable educational opportunities for all. I have the depth of experience in education and in business to bring thoughtful, broad perspectives to complex projects such as redeveloping Highland Mall and implementing instructional strategies to ensure student success.
Q. What qualifications do you bring to the position?
A. a) Competent and inclusive leadership. I have 12 years of service on the ACC board, with four years as board chair. b) Broad higher education expertise. I earned a doctorate in higher educational administration and a master's in teaching. I have 40 years working in the community college field. c) Active community service. I am a dedicated volunteer and board member at numerous Central Texas groups.
Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge ACC will face in the coming years?
A. The vitality of Central Texas depends on ACC taking a collaborative regional perspective to educating residents and developing a skilled workforce. We need to have a regional perspective and yet not lose sight of the learning needs of each individual student. We need to maintain our existing facilities while expanding and building new campuses and also carefully monitor our budget.
Brigido (Brig) Mireles
Q. Why are you running for the board of trustees?
A. My experiences with education, business and community activities make me well-qualified to take a turn at representing the community. I want to help ensure that ACC acts in accordance with the values and priorities of all parts of the community it serves. I am connected to many of the community sectors and live in a large school district that has never had representation on the ACC board.
Q. What qualifications do you bring to the position?
A. I served two elected terms as a trustee of the Round Rock ISD board. I was a teacher and an administrator at Leander High School. I have worked for various architectural and engineering firms and contractors in the Austin- Round Rock area. I have served on the board of directors of the Williamson Central Appraisal District, the United Way of Greater Williamson County and the Round Rock Senior Citizens Foundation.
Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge ACC will face in the coming years?
A. While ACC does an excellent job in the college transfer area, there are areas to improve in workforce education. Our completion rates are too low, and there are a variety of causes of this situation. To meet both student and business community needs, we should improve our support in these areas: student preparation levels, student support services, and job advising and placement.
Austin Community College candidates, Place 9
Daniel J. (DC) Caldwell
Q. Why are you running for the board of trustees?
A. As a certified high school teacher, I am passionate about education. I have worked in Pflugerville, Georgetown and Austin ISD classrooms as a substitute for four semesters. With duty being a value that was ingrained in me as an Eagle Scout and ROTC cadet, I honestly believe I should try for the position. I now ask for voter support. Furthermore, I want to give back as an appreciative former ACC student.
Q. What qualifications do you bring to the position?
A. A trustee should possess include the desire to serve, trustworthiness and priorities aligned with the values of concerned citizens. I am a volunteer, having previously enlisted in the U.S. Army and the Texas State Guard. Being on the Texas A&M University Honor Council developed my understanding of and dedication to integrity. Additionally, everyone can agree with the approach to making policy which applies Occam's razor: keep it short and simple.
Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge ACC will face in the coming years?
A. The same old problem of balancing cost and quality is the greatest challenge. While I agree with the ACC report recommendations, especially No. 4, to refocus the college mission, I am concerned about rising costs. With the many initiatives for continued development that ACC has begun, greater efficiency is needed to keep taxes and tuition down while providing a wide array of programs to the district.
Allen Kaplan*
Q. Why are you running for the board of trustees?
A. My passion for Austin Community College's role in growing a larger and more prosperous middle class is stronger than ever. With campuses in Elgin and North Hays County opening soon, there are enhanced opportunities to bring affordable, quality education and workforce training to thousands more. I am eager to share in the governance and accountability functions of our community college.
Q. What qualifications do you bring to the position?
A. I have served three terms on the ACC board where my leadership has helped ACC become the leading academic transfer and workforce development trainer in Central Texas and a benchmark community college in Texas and the nation, while keeping tuition affordable, taxes low and fairly compensating our faculty and staff. I am also the Texas state coordinator for the Association of Community College Trustees.
Q. What do you see as the biggest challenge ACC will face in the coming years?
A. The largest challenge for ACC is balancing providing a quality education at a time when the Texas Legislature continues to cut funding and keeping tuition affordable to allow access to higher education at ACC. Voters in other school districts voted to join the ACC tax district, and we have kept tuition reasonable and have not asked the voters to increase the tax cap in the past 10 years.
