The Mesquite Online News - Texas A&M University-San Antonio

University to offer bachelor’s degree in Spanish

Updated: 9:30 a.m. Nov. 12 

By Jerry Quijano

Texas A&M University-San Antonio will offer upper and lower-division Spanish courses as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish beginning Fall 2016.

The Texas A&M System Office of Academic Affairs, as well as the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), approved a proposal for the Spanish program back in 2011.

However, the degree was put on hold as A&M-San Antonio was in the process of becoming accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

“We’ve had this program, essentially approved, but sitting on the shelf for a couple of years,” said William Bush, department chair of the College of Arts and Sciences at A&M-San Antonio.

“We’ve been waiting on the opportunity to implement it. That opportunity has now come with us (A&M-San Antonio) about to start downward expansion,” he said.

Agustin Cuadrado and his daughter, Isabel, attended the Miro For Children: Art Workshop held at the Instituto Cultural de Mexico and sponsored by the Instituto Cervantes at Texas A&M-San Antonio on Oct .3, 2015. Photo by Manuel Figueroa.
Agustin Cuadrado and his daughter, Isabel, attended the Miro For Children art workshop held at the Instituto Cultural de Mexico organized by the Instituto Cervantes at Texas A&M-San Antonio on Oct .3, 2015. Photo by Manuel Figueroa.

First-year and sophomore students will mark their arrival on campus beginning Fall 2016. A&M-San Antonio President Cynthia Teniente-Matson has set a goal of enrolling 600 new students.

Instituto Cervantes offers the only other option for Spanish classes currently on campus. The courses are offered as continuing education offerings, open to students and the entire community.

A&M-San Antonio signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Instituto Cervantes in October of 2014, giving students the opportunity to learn Spanish from the largest institution in the world dedicated to teaching Spanish, according to a university press release.

Current A&M-San Antonio students seeking to earn credit hours in a language course take them at the Alamo Colleges, San Antonio’s community college system.

Upper and lower division courses will require additional faculty, and a tenure-track faculty position has been requested for the Spanish program, according to Bush.

He said he expects “to offer multiple sections of classes,” which will see A&M-San Antonio implementing Instituto Cervantes’ instructors, Teresa Alonso-Cortes and Guillermo Menendez-Puente.

“It’s a program (Spanish) we should have,” said Bush. “Given our location and the student population that we serve and the region that we serve, it’s a no-brainer that we should have this program.”

Instituto Cervantes aims to promote not only the Spanish language, but also the Spanish way of life.

“Their intent is to introduce people to the Spanish culture, food, wine,” said Jo Ann Gonzalez, A&M-San Antonio director of Instituto Cervantes. “It’s not just about learning Spanish, it’s about learning all the traditions and the culture.”

Parents and children take part in arts and crafts at the Miro For Children Art Workshop held at the Instituto Cultural de Mexico and sponsored by the Instituto Cervantes at Texas A&M-San Antonio on Oct. 3, 2015. Photo by Manuel Figueroa.
Parents and children take part in arts and crafts at the Miro For Children art workshop held at the Instituto Cultural de Mexico and organized by the Instituto Cervantes at Texas A&M-San Antonio on Oct. 3, 2015. Photo by Manuel Figueroa.

Gonzalez said that businesses from the financial district, H-E-B, and the UT Health System are just a few of the entities seeking bilingual employees.

“It makes them [students] more marketable,” Gonzalez said. “What the workforce community is looking for is individuals that not only have a college degree, but also have a secondary language,” she said.

Currently, students enrolled in courses with Instituto Cervantes do not earn credit hours. But the courses are still expected to be offered along with the upper and lower division courses.

“We try to cover everything from beginner to advanced,” said Menendez-Puente. “As much as we can because we have no information on how the people will react. We offer everything.”

Puente and Teresa Alonso-Cortes are native Spaniards instructing the courses for the institute, with 23-plus years of service for Instituto Cervantes between the two of them.

“There is a program for each level,” Alonso-Cortes said. “If a student already speaks any Spanish, we interview them and then we can tell them what level they are at. We’re just open to whatever San Antonio needs.”

Still, Gonzalez believes the benefits gained from Instituto Cervantes’ courses go deeper than just acquiring new language skills.

“We’re very fortunate to have the Instituto Cervantes,” Gonzalez said. “There are several universities throughout the world that are waiting for the Instituto Cervantes to be offered to their students.”

 

About the Author

Jerry Quijano
Jerry Quijano's enthusiasm for storytelling earned him a spot to attend the 2016 Podcast Movement in Chicago where he received instruction on crafting audio stories. He was selected as an alternate for NPR's Next Generation public radio training. Jerry envisions working in public radio in a large market and would like to become a producer on WBEZ’s This American Life. He serves as assistant editor of The Mesquite and producer for "Magnified," a podcast production.

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