MCALLEN, Texas - Before becoming president of South Texas College in the summer of 2021, Dr. Ricardo Solis held the same post at Laredo College.
He spoke about an aspect of his time in Laredo when giving the president’s address at STC’s 2024 Workforce Summit.
Solis, a Rio Grande Valley native, was president of Laredo College from 2016 to 2021. He said that when he first got there, he would ask Laredo leaders why they would not unite with the Rio Grande Valley to create a more powerful South Texas region. He said those leaders were largely dismissive of the idea.
“I told them, y'all don't consider yourself part of the RGV. Why is that?” Solis said. “They said, no, no, we're not part of the RGV. We're separate.”
Solis said his reply was “that’s unfortunate.” He said he would ask them why they would not unite with the RGV. He said they responded by saying:
“Because they are a whole bunch of small little towns, a whole bunch of rural cities.”
Solis said he would counter that by saying: “Well, let me tell you, I'm from the Valley. And those little rural cities, as you call them, one of these days, they're going to unite, they're going to work so closely as a region, and then you better watch out because that's what's going to happen.”
Solis said his prediction has now come true. “That day has arrived. We have united and now it’s our time to shine as a big region.”
Eventually, Solis predicted, other parts of South Texas will reconsider their position and will “willingly, with open arms, ask to be part of the RGV.”
Solis won applause for those remarks.
Solis said there is no question Laredo is the No. 1 land port and does more international trade than any other border city. But, later, during his address, Solis pointed out just how big the RGV has become.
“I can’t wait to go back to Laredo, if they invite me again. I’m going to say, you know all those small, little, rural towns that are all spread out. Well, just in sales taxes alone, McAllen, one of those small, rural, towns… the sales taxes in McAllen alone are twice the entire county of Webb and Laredo. That just gives you an idea of the size and the power. And we have many other cities (in the RGV).”
STC’s 2024 Workforce Summit took place March 8 at the Pecan Campus in McAllen. It’s the third year the college has staged such an event.
Solis confided that he does not write his speeches in advance. However, he said does write a few pointers. He said he likes to look back at those pointers to see what the key themes were in previous years.
“In 2022, we talked about the border. We talked about Mexico and, of course, about regionalization, of working together.”
In 2023, he said, the key themes were supply chain issues, the post pandemic effects of economics, and “the big buzzword,” nearshoring.
“We talked about the nearshoring phenomenon. And how Mexico was going to be key to that.”
This year, he said, the key themes were technology and, more specifically, artificial intelligence.
“AI is going to be the big player now,” Solis predicted. He said key faculty at STC are already incorporating “all the AI components.” He said it is going to be interesting to see “how that is going to affect our learning, our students, our economic developers.”
Solis said he cannot wait for a year from now when STC will already have the results from incorporating AI into the curriculum.
Solis said STC has already embedded hardcore skills into all of its programs. Namely, creative thinking, analytical thinking, and technology leadership.
Solis said he looked forward to a “robust dialogue” at the summit. By bringing key stakeholders in the workforce sector together, Solis said, STC and the region would be be able to “develop a sustained target, a strategy.”
Solis also said that the four components that play a key role in economic development are the government, higher education, nonprofits, and, “most importantly,” the private sector.
“We are going to have step up even more to support the private sector to grow because they’re taking the risk,” he said.
Solis added: “So, the government, the higher education entities, and all the nonprofits are going to have to really rally up in supporting the private sector, so they can grow and they can hire and be able to benefit from the economic development.”
Editor's Note: Here is a video recording of Dr. Solis' entire president's address at the 2024 Workforce Summit:
https://youtu.be/X0FIQ7UKu8s
