Dr. Ricardo Solis, president of South Texas College, has been described as a powerhouse. And it isn’t without reason. During his mere two years as president, he has formed educational and industrial partnerships to expand student and economic success globally and nationwide; and he has increased programs and student success.

“I’ve always believed opportunities don’t happen,” said the president. “When you see opportunities, you seize them. You have to create your own strategies and have a plan.”

An Out-of-the-box Leader

Dr. Solis is definitely unique in his out-of-the-box thinking, and with good reason. Raised in Mexico and educated there and in the US, the president has had first-hand experience growing up in two cultures. In addition, his mother was US-born of Anglo origin, while his father was Mexican.

“I grew up in a bicultural family and understand the differences between the two cultures,” said Dr. Solis, who began his education in Mexico but then completed his high school years in Austin, Texas.

He was also fortunate that both of his parents had master’s degrees, which set a strong educational example for him. “I wanted to learn as much as possible,” he said. “One day, I wanted to learn about science and become a doctor, and then I wanted to be creative and do mechanical work. I also enjoyed sports and was very social. I tried to absorb everything.”

An Avid Leader

The president’s thirst for knowledge and learning served him well. He attended Trinity University in San Antonio, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Economics. Later, he received a Master’s in Business Administration in International Management from Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California.

After pursuing his preliminary degrees, Dr. Solis spent 20 years in international trade as a professional economic developer. He specialized in US/Mexico development and manufacturing projects in the private and public sector. He became highly proficient in Foreign Trade Zones, Industrial Parks and Recruitment in Latin America and the Far East.

Dr. Solis could have easily continued along that path, yet, in his mid-40s, he decided to pursue his second career in higher education. “Originally, I was impassioned to create employment opportunities. But in higher education, I saw myself working on developing the skills for people to be able to get those jobs I had created,” said Dr. Solis. “I decided higher education, and specifically community colleges, were more important than ever.”

A Leadership Goal

From the onset, Dr. Solis’s goal was to become a college or university president. Yet, he knew he needed to work extra hard to achieve this goal later in life. After pursuing a PhD. in Higher Education Administration and Community College Leadership from the University of Texas at Austin, he strategically pursued a variety of positions in higher education to make up for lost time.

The president dedicated himself to workforce and program development in higher education, while teaching at universities in the US, Mexico, and China. “I moved around a lot to fulfill different experiences, in order to compete against others who had decades more experience,” he said.

Prior to arriving at South Texas College (STC) in the summer of 2021, Dr. Solis had already succeeded in achieving his goal: he was president of Laredo College in Laredo, Texas, from 2016 to 2021, where he put the college on the map, helping it become the top community college in Texas. Earlier, he was executive dean for academic, professional, and technical education at Gateway Community College and Maricopa Community Colleges in Phoenix, Arizona, from January 2015 to August 2016.    

A Perfect Match

When Dr. Solis finally arrived at South Texas College, a public college with 6 campuses, more than 30,000 students, and 95 percent Hispanics, it seemed he had found a perfect match. Once again, he was near the border, in a highly bicultural and bilingual part of Texas, and able to put his earlier years of international workforce development experience to good use.

“It is very dynamic along the border,” he said. “There’s a lot of international trade here, with many companies on both sides of the border. I’m here because I know I can contribute.”

When Dr. Solis first arrived at South Texas College, he faced the harsh impact of the Covid pandemic. “We had to be able to confront innovations that were required of us,” he said. “We created bold responses to changing needs. Students needed more advising and counseling and we became more student-centered.”

According to the president, his campus still feels the aftereffects of the pandemic. “Our students are in a different situation now,” he said. “Several years ago, the last thing they wanted was virtual classes, and now it’s completely turned around. The classes that fill up the quickest are the virtual or hybrid ones.”

Industry needs have also changed since the pandemic. “There’s an urgency in industry. We have low employment in skilled labor jobs and many students are opting to go to work instead of getting an education,” he said. “We must help reverse this and make education a priority. The economy needs skilled people, especially in the technology and health fields. We are augmenting programs in these areas, increasing faculty salaries, and helping communities.”

“We’ve increased more grants for advanced manufacturing, automotive, welding, trucking, and culinary arts,” Dr. Solis added. “We have a direct commitment to engage the community, to demonstrate that we are here to address their needs.”

A Myriad of Achievements

As a leading Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the nation, South Texas College has already benefited from the president’s mere two years as leader. In 2023, it was named one of the best community colleges in Texas for online and in-person learning by University HQ and Intelligent.com.

The college’s accomplishments during the past two years are many: it partnered with Texas A&M to offer an Engineering Academy to its students, in addition to introducing a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License) Program with Trancasa (a trucking/transportation company) and a Cosmetology Program. It established a partnership between STC and the UNT of Dallas Police Institute to offer executive-leadership training in the Rio Grande Valley to all local, regional, and federal law enforcement agencies. The college received a $1.4 million grant for its Child Development Center located on its Mid-Valley campus.

South Texas College was named recipient of the Innovation of the Year Award for its online classrooms, and it became one of the first institutions in the nation to be recertified with the Seal of Excelencia designation. In addition, STC received more than $10,000 in free food supplies for college students; ranked No. 3 nationwide and No. 1 in Texas for enrolling and graduating Latinos; introduced the STC Promise Program which provides scholarships for dual-credit students in 21 school districts; and held its first graduation ceremony in August 2022 for General Development (GED) program graduates.

STC has received many more accolades during Dr. Solis’ time. The school was recognized for its dedication to veterans; has established a new transit academy between itself and the city of McAllen; and is the #1 producer of nursing graduates in Texas among community colleges.

In addition, its partnerships with industry are laudable: STC built a pipeline of skilled American workers through Registered Apprenticeship Programs; it created more than 14 registered apprenticeship programs; it received the Apprenticeship Texas Expansion Grant from the Texas Workforce Commission for $593,934; and more than one-third of all STC graduates are already employed or have jobs waiting for them.

“Dr. Solís’ dynamic leadership has promoted innovative partnerships and championed faculty and staff relations,” said Rose Benavides, STC Board of Trustees Chair. “With the board’s support, he has led the relaunching of our foundation that has led to new donors and investors taking an interest in STC. We are excited that his global vision and bold initiatives continue fostering the community’s pride in our college.” 

Leaving a Legacy

Within two years, Dr. Solis achieved immense success because of his unique bicultural background and industry development experience. He implemented a Global Relations Division to offer training opportunities to manufacturing businesses on both sides of the border; introduced customized training for students at Instituto Internacional de Estudios Superiores (IIES) in Reynosa, Mexico; created a $500 scholarship for DREAMers with the Mexican Consulate; offered a cross-border training initiative for Mexican employees in either robotics or English as a Second Language.

“I am most proud of having connected with our communities and addressed the economic needs of companies,” said Dr. Solis. “And we are the only college in the nation working to support specialized training across the border.”

The president is not only proud of his bi-cultural upbringing, he sees it as an asset that has helped him and can benefit so many Hispanics, like those at South Texas College. “My mother always said that we should never use anything as a crutch or see being Latino as a disadvantage,” he said. “It is an advantage to have two cultures, languages, and perspectives.”

With his own diverse background and that of his college, Dr. Solis is determined to keep growing and ultimately “produce the best educational system in the whole region.” He is “driven to continuous innovation and to have an impact on people.”

In the end, he recognizes his own privileged upbringing and wants to give back. “It’s not what you do that counts. It’s what you don’t do. You have to remain humbled and thankful and get that we are here temporarily and need to give back,” said Dr. Solis.

“It’s never about a particular position, but rather how that opportunity will transform us, and, in the process, the impact that we will have and the legacy we leave.”