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Hello everyone and welcome to another segment of Mind Your Business. My name is Gabriel Castillo. I'm Executive Vice President of Marketing for IBC Bank and we're glad to be a proud sponsor of this show and bring special guests and today is no exception. We would like to welcome from Texas A&M International University their new president Dr. Christopher Maynard. Thank you for being with us us today. Glad to be here. Thank you. Well, you know, it's all about getting to know you and getting to now everything that's happening in Laredo. Tell us, how was our Laredos hospitality so far? Everyone's been great in Laretos so far, to both myself and my wife. It's just been a wonderful experience for us. Everyone's so warm and welcoming. Everywhere we go, the one thing that I can sense is how important the university is to this community. And that is something that that really makes sure that we are connected to the local area, to the people, and everyone is working together really for the betterment of this region. And that's exciting to see. Well, being a newcomer to Laredo, you know, you have to be careful what you wish for in Laredо because we're a very tight community, and we're always there for each other. And we always want to know everybody, who's coming in, who'S going. So I'm sure our audience wants to know a little bit about you and where you come from. So I'm from South Louisiana, originally grew up in South Central Louisiana, attended LSU, got my PhD in history at LSU and then spent most of my faculty career in Alabama before coming to Texas and I've been in Texas now for about nine years working first at Sam Houston State University and then provost at the University of Houston Clear Lake, but I'm thrilled to be here in Laredo. And what do you think about the university itself? I mean, what you've been able to assess so far? You know, what doyou think the opportunities are for any changes, anything so far at all? Well, Texas A&M International University is in a very strong place, and that's something I noticed when I first stepped foot on the campus. One, it is a beautiful campus. Our facilities are top-notch. The opportunities we're able to offer to our students are outstanding. and so that's something that excited me right off the bat that I knew I could tell that from a facility standpoint we were as nice and beautiful University as you'll find in Texas but beyond that what I started to find is when I started to meet and talk to people talk to our faculty talk to administration is we also have a large group of faculty and staff that really are dedicated to our students and that's that excites me even more than having a beautiful campus is we have faculty and stuff who really care about our students who want to get to know our students and are invested in their success. And that's really the most important thing is to be able to provide those types of opportunities to our students as strong of an education as they can get anywhere in Texas, and that's always our goal. And I know that right now, I think I told you earlier that we had Laredo College University, college president Benita Ramirez here, and she was talking about dealing with issues of tuition. I know That's always a deal. Well, fortunately, I do see a lot of scholarships available to students. Do you see that students are taking advantage of those programs? Absolutely. And that is always going to be our focus, is to provide as much support as we possibly can for students. We know that is the number one impediment for students today to be able to get that education. And working with great partners like Dr. Ramirez with Laredo College and a lot of our community and business leaders, looking for pathways. How can we make sure that university degree is affordable and accessible to our students? And that's always going to be our focus. And our students do take advantage of our scholarships. We spend a significant amount of resources every year to make sure that our students have the resources they need, the financial resources to be able to to reach that that degree that we know is going to be transformative in their lives, in their families and in the region. So I know you've only been here, what, eight months? About eight months. Yeah, officially. So, so far, have you seen anything specific that you want to do or change it or add to our curriculum or add to our programs that you think we should do this to? Well, Laredo is growing and changing. And as Lareda grows and change, the university must grow and change as well. We're a regional university, which means we're tied to the region. So we are constantly looking at what are the degree programs that we need to continue to add that are going to be a value to our students that will really be of value to the workforce here in Laredo, and not just Lareda, but all of South Texas. And so we have been working on doing the studies since I arrived and looking at all of our degree programs, what are the degree programs we don't have that we need to add. And we have several that we're working on adding. In fact, just last week, we got approval from the Texas A&M University system to add a doctor of physical therapy. And so, we're looking at adding those degree programs for the region because we know it's important for our students when they come out, we want them to be able to be in the workforce and really help all of south texas be able to continue to grow that's great because that's another issue and i was going to ask you this later but i'll ask it now sure um one of the issues that we have in laredo and i'm a strong proponent for recruiting health care providers to our city because i i noticed that there's a there's always a shortage and i and i get it you know it's it's all about the quality of life in the cities and people look at those things very carefully. And thank God our city has been working very diligently on their end. But what do you feel or what do we see so far where we can add more like this, you know, the physical therapy programs to improve our health care programs here? Well, it's not disputed. This is a medically underserved area, not just Laredo, but all of South Texas. And so as a as a state university, it is our duty to continue to look for ways that we can support and help bring more health professionals to Laredo through to South Texas, and part of that is to be able to offer additional degrees. Very excited that we're opening a new building this summer. Our new health sciences building at the university actually will be completed this month. We'll have classes there in the fall. That will allow us to continue to add more programs specifically focused on health, and that is a growing area in this need in this region, and we are committed as a university to making sure that we are offering the degrees necessary and credentials to make sure that our students are able to attain those credentials and be able to go into the workforce here to be able to help solve that issue in Laredo and help us to bring the health professionals that this area truly deserves so that people have better access to a variety of different health care professionals. Yeah. And with that said, you're talking about a new building. A new building means new people, new faculty, and et cetera. How can we as a community help you recruit those good professors that you need for your university? I mean, what do you think happens there? Well, I can tell you that, and I said this when I was recruited here to be president, our number one goal is to get people to Laredo and get people on our campus because I had never been to Leredo before I interviewed for this position. Obviously, I'd never been to the university campus. In my tour of campus and the community, I could immediately see that this is a growing, thriving area. It's an area that would have a high quality of life and certainly one that my wife and I were excited to join. And so that's always our goal is making sure we get people here because the community has always been so welcoming. And I have no doubt that if we can get people to here to Laredo, see the city, see the campus, they'll want to come be part of this because they'll see that we have a mission here to help students, and that's an exciting mission. And, you know, that's also the exciting part, I guess, of starting anew for someone. And I think that would put myself in your shoes, going somewhere new, trying to start new things, and bringing in new people and getting your leadership. So when we come back, we're going to talk a little bit about your leadership style and what you're going implement moving forward in that area. So don't leave. Stay right there. We'll be right back. How strong is your app's security? Hola, Laredo. Marcela Delgado here, inviting you to join the fun. There's a little bit of everything for everyone. Lifestyle, fashion, wellness, local shops and services, yummy eats, live music, entertainment, and, of course, so much more. Catch the Hola segment on air, only on KGNS+. Visit our website, odalaredo.com. Follow us on our social media too. Want an interview for your business or event? Send us an email. Talk soon. Today, we're teaching the children to save. IBC Bank teaches children to safe. At IBC bank, we believe financial education starts early. That's why we're bringing fun, interactive learning straight to the classroom. From hands-on workbooks to exciting prizes. Our financial literacy sessions teach students how to make smart money moves they'll carry for life. Want your school to be part of the fun? Contact IBC Bank today and schedule your free financial literacy class. Why pay a monthly fee? Free checking at IBC. Welcome back to another segment of Mind Your Business My name is Gabriel Castillo And today I have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Christopher Maynard our president at Texas A&M International University. Thank you for joining us, and thank you for being here. I know that you're a very busy person, especially when you started new. I'm sure you're getting yourself oriented on everything that goes on in your arena, which is the university, and beyond that. But one of the things that I think everyone's curious about is everyone's, and even mine too, leadership style is different. How would you describe your leadership style for your new role here? it? I would describe myself as a collaborative leader. I think that any leader is only as good as the people that works with them. And so I think one of the great things about, one of the many great things, about Texas A&M International University is, number one, we're part of a university system. So we have a great Texas A & M University system that supports us. And we have the chancellor, the vice chancellors, we have the whole staff in College Station that are supporting us and providing help. And, and so part of our job is to connect to that. And were very fortunate to have that resource. And then the faculty and staff at our university. We have some outstanding professionals at the university. And really my job is just to help us make sure that we're all working together and working moving forward and keeping the focus on student success. I see that as my number one job is to make sure each and every day all of the great professionals at the university, faculty and stuff, are focused on making sure we can do everything possible to help our students. And to me, that's what a leader does. It just helps keep everyone working and moving toward the same goal. And our goal is very clear at Texas A&M International University, and that's always going to be student success. It's providing that transformative educational experience that we know will change the lives of our students, their families in this region. That's great. And you know, speaking of that, of your students, I was going to ask you, I talked about this also with Dr. Ramirez, is what do you think is different in today's environment, student environment, compared to the days when you were in college or beneath that was in college. I was in college. What has changed and what has become challenging and what opportunities do you see there as well? Well, I think students today have a, it's much more complex today. Higher ed is much more complex for our students. And we know there are lots of different barriers for students today that quite frankly that we didn't have when we were going through college. And so our job as a university is really to make sure we make the, streamline the processes as best we can to make sure for our, not only the students, but for our parents to make sure they have the the knowledge necessary to have access to that college degree. We have a lot of first-generation students, and we, as a university, we do our very best to make sure we're, number one, providing the resources for those families for them to know how to go about applying for the university, going to college, how can they afford college, how can register. All of those things are much more complex than they were when we went to college. That's something Texas A&M International University has really worked hard to streamline a lot of those admissions processes, registration processes, financial aid support to make sure our students, and again, a lot of our students are first-generation students, making sure they know that they belong at the university, that they can attain that degree, and we're there to support them all along the way. And you know, we teach financial literacy as part of our programs at the bank, and it's interesting because a lot OF the financial literacy classes that we give are outside of the classroom we try to find opportunities where we can bring the parents into the picture and it's worked out very well but it's a little disconcerting a little you know interesting to see just how much kids depend on their parents to do things for them and among them is researching finding information going out and doing good things I mean I remember going to college and my parents didn't even see my dorm for the first year you know I went and picked it on myself I brought up to check myself I did everything and now I hear parents oh no we're packing up and we're going and we'RE going next week again to do you know so it is different and I don't know but is there anything at the TAMU that helps that process because I realized that the parents need to know yes educated on what's going on and then pass the word on to their kids. Absolutely. And we have a variety of programs at the university where we have certain days throughout the year where we invite people on to campus to learn more about the university. We certainly have lots of information both on our website and information we mail out. We try to have as many opportunities as possible to get information to parents, to families, again, to make sure, number one, they know that we're there to help and that this is attainable. And if people have questions, we're here to help walk them through it. One thing that I'm very proud of it as our university is we have great what's called wraparound supports that we make sure whether it's a student that we're recruiting to come to the university or once they're there, we're trying to graduate, helping them get their first job. All of those services we as a university are able to provide to really give that individualized attention to that student to make sure they're successful. Because ultimately, that's the goal at the university is student success. What are all the different things we need to do as a University to support that family, to support that student so that they can get the degree they need to get that job to contribute to South Texas. And you know that's one thing that's very important is keeping our kids in Laredo. Yes. That's something that we try to do as much as possible and I know that for us as a community, we try the best we can to keep our students here. Is there a program involved with a job placement after college? Absolutely. We have a career services center at the university And so we work with our students throughout their academic career to make sure, number one, they have the skill sets needed so that they can enter the workforce and be ready to go. But also we work on resumes, on interviews, on making sure we have career fairs, making sure that student is ready to when they graduate so that again, they can have the confidence and the skill set that they know they can be able to not only apply for that job, get that job but be successful in that job and give back to their community. I know we've seen some classes where, you know, we've gone to some expos and, you know, the godliness truth is they're young. I know I was at that age once and you think, well, you don't take me as I am. And sometimes you do have to say, well rethink the pink hair, you know, before you go apply for this job because it may be a financial institution that's kind of more conservative. And those are the type of things that I think they learn along the way is that they evolve. You know, there's things that probably did. And the other day I had my assistant, I said, did you have your ears pierced? They said, oh, yeah, that was a long time ago. I was young. So they're young and they don't understand a whole lot of things. And that's the part that I think we try to also teach along the way in financial literacy. It's beyond literacy. It's lifestyle and the journey that awaits them. Well, all of our students, you know, college to me, one of the great things about college is you're learning, you're developing, and you're trying to figure things out. And that's what a university environment I think allows is for give students the opportunity in a safe environment to try to figure things out, try new things, you know, start to refine themselves as an individual, certainly as a job candidate. And the university is there to help them, help them with that growth, help them be ready to not only be successful for that first job, but ultimately have the skills necessary to be successful in life and to continue to be able to adapt, be resilient. I mean, all of those skill sets that the university fosters that really will help that student both in the workforce, but also in life. And to me, that's what's great about a university environment. That totally is. And you know, as much as we say, well, your parents are supposed to do their part. Let's face it, kids spend more time at school, high school, college than they do with their parents, you know? Because it's just the reality. They're really depending on the institutions to help them and to get them through. And those experiences from students go to college, whether it's a study abroad experience, whether that's an internship, community service experience, we do it. We offer a lot of experiences to really help that student get a little out of their comfort zone, to be in different situations, interact with different people. Many of our students have not been outside of South Texas. We want to make sure, and we have a lot international students at the university, having those dynamics where people can interact. And again, be in situations that are not normal. That is going to help that student be able to grow that's great that's great and with that said I want to talk a little bit more about what you're doing and what you are going to continue to do to help our community and help our kids get a better life so don't go anywhere we'll be right back Hola Laredo I'm Leanne Bernal your new co-host for Hola and I'm so excited to be a part of this journey with you on our website we're talking all things lifestyle whether it's Local spots you love or new ones you haven't discovered yet. If you have a story to share or want to be featured, send us an email at hola at kgns.tv. We'd love to connect with you. And don't forget to follow us on social media to keep up with everything we've got going on. Laredo, this is for you. See you soon. Today, we're teaching the children to save. IBC Bank teaches children to say. At IBC bank, we believe financial education starts early. That's why we're bringing fun. interactive learning straight to the classroom from hands-on workbooks to exciting prizes our financial literacy sessions teach students how to make smart money moves they'll carry for life want your school to be part of the fun contact ibc bank today and schedule your free financial literacy class why pay a monthly fee free checking at ibc How strong is your app's security? KGNS aims to inspire, uplift, and unite our community while showcasing the incredible acts of heroism and leadership that happen right in our backyard. Show us your community spirit. Together, we can empower others and celebrate those who make our hometown a better place to live in. Join us every fourth Tuesday of the month to recognize the drive and commitment from citizens making a change. KGNS Honors, only on KG&S News. Welcome back to another segment of Mind Your Business. our last segment where we will be talking uh with dr christopher maynard president at texas a&m international university uh thank you so much for being here like i said it's been a a lot of information you're sharing with us great information that i think our audience would like to know and would uh mostly most mostly getting acquainted with you as someone new in our community uh like i say we we're very embracing a community that and we're almost in your face a lot maybe You're probably not going to like that after a while. But I know that the community is excited to have you here, too. So with that said, we also look forward to what you're going to be doing with the curriculum that you have and with the programs that youhave available. Among them, as you might imagine, is our trade industry and what we're doing with that. I know you have a lot of progress, and I know we've had a lot more of your students at the bank who come from here in Laredo and dynamic kids, you know, in finance and business and marketing and now the trade industry. I don't know how much you're involved with that or what you're going to be doing or have you looked at that? So at the university, one thing that we've been focused on the last few months is really doing a deep dive in the region. What are the degrees or certifications that are needed for the workforce? Because as a state university, again, we're focused on making sure we're providing those credentials for the region that are necessary. And so we will be adding lots of new programs in the coming years to make sure that we're focused on all of the degrees and certifications that our students need to be able to get those jobs, to really build that middle class in Laredo. One of the things that I've seen in my time here is that there's a middle class that the university really needs to be able to provide those working professionals in those areas. and so the university is committed to doing that again working with great industry partners to see what are the needs in the area and making sure the university helps fill those needs and fill those needs with students from from south texas from laredo to me one of the things that's part of our mission one of key things as part of our mission is making sure that students are able to get those trainings degrees certifications they need here so that they can stay here instead of having to import talent from from outside we want to make sure that the great student population that's in in laredo and south texas are able to be successful and you know your western hemispheric center and your business school they are a scientist business school all contribute greatly absolutely and we're often we're opening a new building uh there we're offering an annex to our our business building that will open this fall as well and that will allow us to have more space to be able to offer more degrees more programming for the community and that we'll be open in the fall aswell so it's an exciting time at tamu it sure is and speaking on a more personal basis. I also saw something on a banking. Are you all offering something in the banking area? I wasn't sure how that was. We have a banking academy, yes sir. We had a banking Academy at the University and certainly we have great partners in the banks in this region and again our goal is to continue to work with our industry partners and when there is a need in Laredo and South Texas it's our job as the University to make sure we're connecting with our great industry leaders to make we're offering those those not only the degrees and certifications but the programming when we bring in guest speakers into the area that is also our goal is to make sure we are a resource for the community and all of our trades and trade and community partners well you know that I'm sure you're familiar that IBC hosts the speaker series we have about three or four speakers that we bring in every year and it's you know they're great speakers and I wish our audience would take advantage of that because they're free and open to the public by the way and those are opportunities also to learn more and I'm glad to see that the attendance has grown pretty much in leaps and bounds because we had a lot of students there that were probably part of the mandatory to get a credit for that but we also have a lot the public involved in that so that's very absolutely we have lots of constantly have lots of great speakers at the University but we have lots of events sporting events art you know fine informing arts I just want to make sure the university is here for the region and so please come to the University our events we have free parking we have free attendance so please to events at the university that is our our goal is to make sure we provide those types of opportunities for the community and they really are there we just had a we just sponsored a tennis tournament actually this weekend which was great to that offering to the organizations to do their part you know to enhance the quality of life here so that's very important and speaking of degrees I spoke to someone yesterday our tech guy who was helping me out with learning basically because I do want to learn more about AI and he's getting his masters in AI virtually for through it University of Utah I think but how are you incorporating that how are y'all working AI into your your whole process so so many of our degrees AI is an essential part of many of degrees and so our faculty are working to make sure we integrate so the students not only know how to use AI but how to use AI responsibly ethically and so that's embedded into a lot of our computer science degrees business degrees and other degrees to make sure our students have those skill sets you know in the industries today that is something that's that's a fundamental part of many of those industries and our students need those skill-sets again to be competitive in the workforce and so we are integrating that into our current curriculum but also we're looking at what are those new degrees related to that that we can continue to start to offer at the university that's great and as far as the university is concerned What do you want to stand out as far as what you're doing so far? Let's say when it comes time to leave, what do you wanna leave behind? I want our focus to always be on student success, to make sure that students feel that our university is a welcoming campus where students know that they can come and have a world-class educational experience of value that does transform their lives and transforms this region. And so that to me is the legacy, not only that I wanna leave, but I think that I know it's the legacy that Tammy, you wants to continue to have, is that opportunity that is here locally, but it is a world-class education that's gonna provide those opportunities for our students. And ultimately student success is always our goal. And you know, I think you're gonna get to see a lot of that. Of course, the data will speak for itself too. And what we have and what we end up with our students, and I know that at the bank, we do have a lot very successful students, former students that are now with us and getting basically their career going with us. But with that said, I want to also commend you for just coming in and coming in at a time when I know some people retired. So that was interesting to get filled with those positions. But I think you've got a very competent, I will tell you, Athena Cortez, Anna Clement, Mika Kikuni, all these people are great people. I think, you know that already, but I have to congratulate you because you have a great team already on board. absolutely it's all the faculty staff at the university we have a great team and again working toward the same goal that's always going to be helping our students and helping ultimately Laredo in South Texas and you have and I thank you for being here in the show today time went by super fast I still have some cards that I was supposed to ask but thank you so much for being here and thank you for coming to Lareda and being a part of our community yes welcome you will with open on anything you need from us we're here to help thank you excited to be here and you all for joining us you won't want to miss us on social media or on our websites, or just watch us at 1030 a.m. every Sunday on Mind Your Business. That's all for today. Thank you. Thank you.