02/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/08/2024 15:39
[Link]Bryan-College-Station, Texas - Regents today named Richard Rhodes as president of Texas A&M University-Central Texas. He had been serving as interim president since September, following his retirement as chancellor of the Austin Community College District.
"Dr. Rhodes is a proven and effective leader whose service as interim president of A&M-Central Texas has received rave reviews from both the campus and the community," said John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System. "We think he's the right person to help us grow this campus."
Rhodes was hired after Marc Nigliazzo, A&M-Central Texas' longtime inaugural president, announced his retirement in June.
Sharp said at the time that his hire was a real win for A&M-Central Texas, the only public "upper-level" university in the state, meaning that the campus is uniquely focused on transferring in students who have begun, but not completed, their undergraduate degrees.
"His success at ACC speaks for itself," Sharp said. "I'm excited to see what he can do at A&M-Central Texas, a truly unique campus with an important mission."
Under Rhodes' leadership, ACC became recognized as one of the top community colleges in the nation. ACC grew to 11 campuses with more than a 168% increase in the number of degrees earned by students. Rhodes led the redevelopment of the former Highland Mall in Austin through public/private partnerships, collaborated with the U.S. Army Futures Command to create the Software Factory at the Rio Grande Campus and developed four industry incubators for startups to develop products before going to market.
Rhodes' work with the Texas Legislature resulted in the authorization for ACC to offer its first four bachelor's degree programs. His partnership with Apple drew Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook to visit and award ACC with Apple Swift Code and Apple Coding camps. Rhodes also led the development of workforce training programs with Samsung, NXP, NI, Tesla, St. David's, Ascension Seton, and Baylor Scott & White Hospitals.
Rhodes also created co-enrollment programs with Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin and Texas State University.
Rhodes previously served as president of El Paso Community College and vice president of business services at Salt Lake Community College. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from New Mexico State University and a doctorate from the University of Texas.
About The Texas A&M University System
The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $7.8 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities, a comprehensive health science center, eight state agencies, and the RELLIS Campus, the Texas A&M System educates more than 153,000 students and makes more than 23 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceed $1 billion and help drive the state's economy.
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