Christopher Saldivar在SAC领导标题III资助项目

Christopher Saldivar started at 圣安东尼奥学院 in May and has hit the ground running. 作为Title III BUILD补助金的项目总监, SAC的新职位, he is working to make connections to help recruit and support underrepresented students into science, 技术, 工程, 和数学(STEM)领域.

If he feels a sense of urgency to his work, it’s because there is one. Saldivar is overseeing the $5 million, five-year grant from the Department of Education. SAC最初于去年9月获得了这笔资金, 但是因为大流行, the college was unable to hire staff to kickstart the program.

“The grant is approaching its second year and there are many adjustments that have to be made,萨尔迪瓦说, 添加, “有很多事情要做.”

Now Saldivar is fast tracking the work that needs to be done to get back on schedule. Among the top priorities was to set up key collaborations across campus. 他的第一个搭档是 Geraldo Guerra他是SAC学术成功中心的主任.

BUILD will fund embedded tutors who will be assigned to classrooms in high performing courses to improve student retention and graduation rates. 作为SAC辅导中心的负责人, Guerra will help identify and select tutors for the grant with support from BUILD’s Academic Support Specialist, Dana Ledford.

Another goal of BUILD is to implement a new form of teaching in the classroom. 具体地说, the grant funds Course-based Undergraduate Research Experience, 名为CUREs，由米歇尔·巴兰负责, BUILD的STEM项目实习协调员.

“治愈，是基于研究的. It allows the student to apply what they are already learning in the classroom, 这与体验式学习非常相似. The student is able to see theory while they are learning it and while they can still inquire about it in real time, like through internships that will already be available to them once they step into the classroom,萨尔迪瓦说.

今年秋天，博士. 亨利·格里菲思, 工程项目协调员, plans to make 工程 the first discipline to incorporate CUREs. Students enrolled in Introduction to Engineering this Fall may have the opportunity to develop and engage in research projects through internships by enrolling in his course.

Saldivar added his goal is to add two disciplines per year by establishing the BUILD Implementation Team (BIT) – a collaboration with STEM department chairs and program coordinators.

The grant will pay a stipend to faculty who incorporate CUREs into their teaching.

For teachers interested in using CUREs, Saldivar is working with Dr. Joan Jaimes and Gerard Robledo in the 教学中心 to provide professional development training.

虽然还有很多工作要做, 萨尔迪瓦尔说，他感到很幸运能与这笔赠款一起工作.

“I went to a community college and I’m the first in my family to go to earn a degree. 所以当我在校园里看到一个学生, it’s almost as if I know exactly what they are going through,萨尔迪瓦说. “来到这里给我带来了快乐.”

A native of Laredo, Saldivar earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Texas A&M国际大学, where he also worked with students participating in the 大学 Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) and in the High School Equivalency Program (HEP). He later pursued a master’s degree in public affairs and administration at Metropolitan 大学 of New York (MCY).   

Saldivar also served as Associate Director of 招生 at MCNY and led City University of New York’s Accelerated Study in Associate Programs initiative at Bronx 社区 大学 before returning to South Texas. 他还与美国航空公司签订了合同.S. Department of Education to review and score grants for various grant competitions.   

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