Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM August 2018 | Page 17

Q:
What time commitment will this ask of you?
 How long is your term?
A:
I am filling the unexpired term of Mr. George
Black, former Galveston College regent who unfortunately
passed away while still in office. Normally the term is a six-
year positon but my term is four years. To do the job well, I
believe the time that I need to invest will be significant but
it is an opportunity to learn and grow and help others to do
the same. The board has regular monthly meetings as well
as workshops on the budget and tax rate hearings. There
will be additional committee meetings, as well as social
functions and special events for which the regents serve as
representatives of the college. I am looking forward to
everything and am really excited to get things rolling. We
will begin in earnest in August. I can’t wait!

Q:
What do you hope to accomplish in this
position?
A:
I believe the US is on the cusp of re-defining what
community colleges can become as they set about to best
serve students and meet the needs of the business
community. The State of Texas has been quick to realize this
and is taking steps to strengthen the role of community
colleges. Currently the legislature is debating how make
dual credit more equitable and affordable for more students
and in 2015 the governor unveiled the Texas 60x30
strategic plan for higher education that requires at least 60
percent of all Texans ages 25-34 to hold a degree or
certification in a marketable skill by the year 2030. I believe
training this workforce of the future is the most important
role of a community college and it’s the cornerstone of my
vision for Galveston College. To help Galveston College maintain its strong presence and continued progress I want to help
the college to:

• Work with the state to continue to improve completion and transfer rates for all community college students (the latest
research I found shows rates of less than 50 percent nationwide)
• Work to improve college readiness of today’s high school students and reduce the need for remedial learning prior to
entering true college-level classes and
• Fulfill its strategic goal to have faculty and administrative salaries rank among the top for all comparable two-year colleges
in Texas

A Personal Note From Rebecca…
I am very excited to serve and honored that so many people have supported me in this new adventure. I promise to
perform the duties of a regent to the very best of my abilities. I also w ant to recognize my husband, Mike, for being my
greatest asset during the campaign. He is my rock. I really think he worked harder than me to get me elected – putting up
signs all over town (and taking them down afterwards), making sure that everyone he knows knew that I was running,
encouraging me, and not letting me give into self-doubt when I started to question myself. He believes in me and is so very
proud – I feel the same way about him and think we make a terrific team!   
MOMENTUM / August 2018
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