The Island University
Faculty and Staff Meeting Spring 2026
Why I Teach
Farewell Retirees and Welcome New Faculty & Staff
President’s Cabinet
Dr. Ahmed Mahdy Executive Vice President Research and Innovation
Dr. Cate Rudowsky
Provost and Vice President
Academic Affairs
Jaime Nodarse Barrera Vice President Institutional Advancement
John LaRue
Vice President
Institutional Excellence
Chief Ethics Compliance Officer
Adrian Rodriguez Vice President Student Engagement & Success and Intercollegiate Athletics
Andrew Rogers Vice President Finance & Administration Chief Financial Officer
Dr. Brenda Harms Vice President Enrollment Management
Deans
Dr. Kyoko Amano
Dean College of Liberal Arts
Dr. Hassan Aziz Dean College of Nursing and Health Sciences
Dr. Faiza Khoja
Dean College of Business
Dr. Robert McKallip Dean College of Science
Dr. David Ma Dean College of Engineering and Computer Science
Dr.
Joshua Watson Dean College of Education and Human Development
Dr. Diana Sipes
Director School of Arts, Media, & Communication
Derrik Hiatt
Dean University Libraries
Dr. Lisa Perez Associate Vice President Student Affairs Dean of Students
Updates
Employee Betterment Program
Dependent Tuition Waiver Benefit
Student Referendum Athletics
Student Referendum Health
TAMUS Policies
08.01 Civil Rights Protections and Compliance
12.01 Academic Freedom, Responsibility and Tenure
Enrollment
Growing Enrollments
Fall 2025
11,363 Students 1% Increase Headcount 5% Increase SCHs
5-Year Enrollment Trend with Budget Projections
2,000 4,000
Number of Graduates
Spring 2025 : 1,366
Summer 2025: 522
Fall 2025: 1,085
Online MBA Enrollment 2021 2025
International Enrollment 2021 2025
First Time in College Fall 2021 2025
First Year Persistence Rate
*FY2025 is preliminary and will be finalized in February 2026.
6 Year Graduation Rate Counts
Construction
Pedestrian Walkway to Beach
Arts and Media Building
Chaparral “Downtown” Building
Capital Campaign
Capital Campaign
Cultural Vibrancy
Student Success
Harte Research Institute
Texas University Fund TUF
NSF Research Expenditures
$60,000 $70,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$10,000 $20,000
$0
$26
Federal and Private Research Expenditures (In Millions) TUF Target (3 Year Average)
$20
Research Doctoral Conferrals
51 Graduates for FY26
22
Fall Graduates
29 Graduates for Spring & Summer
29 Graduates = 59% of Doctoral Candidates in Dissertation Phase
Teaching
Maintain Our Culture of Teaching Excellence
Teaching Excellence Task Force
Leslie Mills, AA, OSS
Scott Johnson, CLA/FAC
Rosario Garcia, CNHS
Jose Baca, COECS
Frank Spaniol, COEHD
Matt Starliper, COB
Kelly Russell, SAMC
Goals
• Provide recommendations to maintain and/or strengthen our commitment to teaching excellence
• Provide perspectives on the current culture (across colleges, modalities, faculty assignments, etc.) regarding teaching excellence
• Provide perspectives on the challenges and opportunities related to teaching excellence
• Provide recommendations for developing, promoting, and recognizing teaching excellence
• Provide recommendations for developing a firm commitment to teaching excellence from our faculty
Additional Efforts
• Broader faculty input
o Surveys
o Workshop and/or Retreat
• Continuation of student focus groups
• Expansion of Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) programming
• Area focused taskforces
o Developmental Math
Islanders Studen t Athletes
23rd Semester in a Row
Cumulative GPA is 3.0 or higher
Academic Performance
Islanders Athletics
Elizabeth Khatevi Cross Country
• Greatest individual season in the history of the Islanders Women’s Cross Country Program.
• Won 6 of 7 meets this season
• Secured 2nd consecutive Southland Conference individual title
• Won the NCAA South Central Regional Championship
• Finished 46th at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, the best-ever for the Islanders on the women’s side
• Broke two school records:
5K– 16:36.8 at Gerald Richey UTA Invitational (Sept. 5)
6K – 18:56.1 at Arturo Barrios Invitational (Oct. 17)
• Earned accolades in 2025:
Southland Conference Women’s Athlete of the Year
All-SLC First Team honor
NCAA South Central All-Region Team
Four-time SLC Women’s Athlete of the Week
Islander Lights
• 4,500 estimated attendance
• 2,367 waivers signed
• 1,500 votes cast for the Academic Tree competition
• $1,310 and 677 toys for Toys for Tots
Giving Tuesday
• 12th Year to participate
• 27 Local agencies and 1 remote location-Wichita Falls
• 57 Site leaders
• 350 Volunteers
• 236 Volunteers registered in the first hour
• 7 locations filled up in the first 15 minutes
• 1,212.5 hours of service
Tamalada
Misconception
Higher Education
TRELLIS Survey
86%
of
our
students reported their college degree will provide them a higher quality of life
Misconception
Universities
To prepare students for their first job
To prepare them for their last job
We don’t just graduate students
We graduate leaders
TAMU CC must be a leader
And We Are Leading!
Enrollment
Outstanding Academic Programs
Fiscal Responsibility
Student Success
Student Engagement
Cultural Vibrancy
Economic Development
TAMU-CC is the 7th Largest Employer in Corpus Christi with 2,851 Employees
Economic Impact
The total benefit to Corpus Christi is $878.2 million annually.
For every 1,000 students, the impact is $69.7 million and 587 jobs.
South Texas Economic Development Center
Dr. David Hudgins
Dr. Veysel Avsar
Dr. Deniz Gevrek
Dr. Ahmed Kamara
Internships and Experiential Learning Opportunities with Local Employers
2,006
High Demand Programs in the Coastal Bend
• Nursing/Allied Health
• Engineering (Civil/Electrical/Mechanical/Industrial)
• Computer Science/IT
• Business/Finance/Management/Accounting
• Chemistry/Biomedical/Environmental Science
• Education (K-12)/Counseling
NCAA Division I Islanders Athletics
The Island University is leading on all key metrics!
College of Distinction TAMU CC 2025 2026
• National recognition for its commitment to providing a transformative, student-centered undergraduate education.
• The selection process focuses on four core distinctions: Engages Students, Great Teaching, Vibrant Community, and Successful Outcomes.
• Earned program-specific accolades in business, education, engineering, nursing, and career development.
But to be true leaders, you need something more
You Need Innovation
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
Steve Jobs
TAMU CC is Excelling at Innovation
AI
Filmmaking and Virtual Production
Using AI for Proactive Resilience
Innovation in the Classroom
AI and Academic Integrity
Innovation in our Research
Use of Drones and AI to Save Wildlife
Suspension of Trauma Relief Innovation
Smart
Geospatial Systems for Ports
Advanced Coastal and Marine Sciences
Autonomous Systems
FAA Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies (CAAT)
Innovation in the Way We Operate
Programming PAC
New Programming: UPD Ride
Along
Curriculum: Data Science
Organizational Structure: Department of Chemistry
CollegeVine
TAMU-CC is one of only 200 in the country and the only one within the A&M System to adopt this level of AI use for recruitment.
• Phase 4 – Housing
Water Challenges
No matter what challenges come our way,
we will overcome them
as a team.
And we will prepare our students to be leaders ready to face whatever challenges the future holds
and find innovative solutions.
The Island University is leading
The Island University is innovating
Islanders are making their impact
On our university
On our community
On our state
On our nation
On our world
SHAKAS UP!
The Island University Faculty and Staff Meeting Spring 2026
