Article by DMC College Relations Tuesday, Sept. 9, the Del Mar College (DMC) Board of Regents will hold their regular monthly meeting beginning at 1 p.m. in Room 106 of the college’s Center for Economic Development at 3209 S. Staples (78411). Get online directions and map. The regular meeting also will be livestreamed. Community members may access the meeting by going to the online video link at www.delmar.edu/webcast/ by 12:55 p.m. A copy of the Agenda Notice and Board Packet is available online as follows: www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/_resources/agendas/regular-agenda-packet-september-9-2025.pdf or download the PDF file from the upper right-hand column. Meeting agendas and other resources are also available on the DMC Board of Regents web page at www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/index.html. The health and safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors are a priority for Del Mar College. To view the College’s guidelines, visit www.delmar.edu/rtc/index.html.    

Article by DMC College Relations On Tuesday, Aug. 26, the Del Mar College (DMC) Board of Regents will hold public hearings on the adoption of the budget and tax rate beginning at 11:30 a.m. and noon, respectively. A called meeting is also scheduled to begin at 12:30 p.m. and an audit committee meeting at 1:15 p.m. Both public hearings, the called meeting and the audit committee meeting will be held in Room 106 of the college’s Center for Economic Development located at 3209 S. Staples (78411). (Get online directions and map.) The two public hearings, called meeting and audit committee meeting will be livestreamed. Community members may access the hearings and meetings by going to the online video link at www.delmar.edu/webcast/ by 11:25 a.m. and 11:55 a.m., respectively, for the public hearings, 12:25 p.m. for the called meeting and 1:10 p.m. for the audit committee meeting.  Access to the Aug. 26 Agenda Notices is provided online using the following links: • Budget Adoption Hearing (11:30 a.m.): https://www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/_resources/agendas/public-hearing-packet-budget-8-26-25.pdf  • Tax Rate Adoption Hearing (Noon): https://www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/_resources/agendas/public-hearing-packet-tax-rate-8-26-25.pdf  • Called Meeting (12:30 p.m.): https://www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/_resources/agendas/called-meeting-packet-8-26-25.pdf • Audit Committee Meeting (1:15 p.m.): https://www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/_resources/agendas/audit-committee-meeting-packet-8-26-25.pdf  Meeting agendas and other resources are also available on the DMC Board of Regents web page at www.delmar.edu/regents-and-community/board-of-regents/index.html. The health and safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors are a priority for Del Mar College. To view the college’s current guidelines, visit www.delmar.edu/rtc/index.html.     

Article by Melinda Eddleman If you have ever viewed the artwork selected for Del Mar College’s CAIN National Art Show, you can expect a stellar exhibit encompassing pieces purchased by the college for its permanent collection. The variety of 2- and 3-D artwork is one to be envied. Leading up to the 60th anniversary of the juried national show, which will open in February 2026, the Art Program with the DMC Art & Drama Department will offer an exhibit, “Selections from the Permanent Collection,” that features 43 pieces––20 drawings and 23 small sculptures–– purchased from each CAIN National Art Show for nearly six decades. You now have the chance to see these works. A free opening reception is scheduled Friday, Sept. 5, from 6 to 8 p.m. in CAIN Gallery, located on the first floor of the Fine Arts Center on the Heritage Campus (101 Baldwin Blvd., 78404). Get online directions and campus map. The event also features a cash bar and free hors d’ oeuvres. “Selections from the Permanent Collection” runs through Friday, Oct. 31. Galery hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon on Friday and viewing is free.  For more information about the opening reception and fall show, contact the DMC Art Office at 361-698-1216 or art@delmar.edu.  The CAIN National Art Show attracts annually artists from all over the country who submit their 2- and 3-D artwork for consideration by well-known jurors. Each spring, three pieces among the national show also are selected for Purchase Awards for the college’s Permanent Collection.  The fall 2025 show features some of these purchases, including works by renowned artists such as Ron Koehler, local artist Greg Reuter and Danville Chadbourne. Additionally, current DMC Assistant Professor of Art Nathan Ditzler is included among artists featured in the exhibit with work selected for the Permanent Collection before he was hired to teach at the college.  “Selections from the Permanent Collection” celebrates the legacy of the late Joseph A. Cain and the national art show that he founded. Don’t miss the exhibit as Cain Gallery lights shine on some of the best artwork available for viewing this fall.   Editor's note: Shown in the banner is artist Margit Iika’s painting titled” 1908’s No. 1.”  Click on the other two artwork photos for cutlines and to download the JPEG.  

Article by Melinda Eddleman If you’ve planned to attend Del Mar College (DMC) credit classes this fall but haven’t registered yet, it’s not too late! One last opportunity, Eleventh Hour Registration, is scheduled for in-person registration and other assistance this Saturday, Aug. 23, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.on ALL THREE CAMPUSES   (online directions and campus maps): Heritage Campus – Harvin Student Center, 101 Baldwin Blvd. (78404) Windward Campus – Coleman Center, 4101 Old Brownsville Rd. (78405) Oso Creek Campus – Main Center Building, 7002 Yorktown Blvd. (78414) Online registration for individuals with complete admissions files is available, too. Tuition and fees payment is due by 6 p.m. Aug. 26. Fall credit courses begin Monday, Aug. 25. Classes include 8-, 12-, 15- and 16-week sessions that provide students with scheduling options to fit into busy work, family, and life schedules. Both current and prospective students can view current course offerings in preparation to register. Additionally, current students can use WebDMC to check their financial aid status, review their degree plan and find other information. Prospective students needing to complete their admissions file can get more information about the process on the Admissions web page. Contact the DMC Student Enrollment Center at 361-698-1290 or enroll@delmar.edu about fall registration or visit www.delmar.edu/registration. Thinking about a career in hospitality? It’s BIG business in the Coastal Bend region, and no one knows that more than the professionals who work in the industry. In recent decades, Corpus Christi has ramped up its reputation as a coastal must-visit destination for fellow Texans in landlocked locales looking to get away for a bit as well as road-tripping visitors who hail from neighboring states. Because of anticipated growth, DMC has created a separate Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Department. In the Coastal Bend, the Texas Workforce Commission projected an employment increase from 2022 to 2032 of 8.5% for chefs and head cooks, nearly 8% for food service managers and 13.6% for lodging managers, and salaries are competitive as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in Texas the median annual salary (MAS) for a chef or head cook is $56,520 while the MAS for a food service manager is $61,310 and $62,000 for a hotel manager in the Lone Star State. According to Visit Corpus Christi, tourism is the second-largest industry sector in the city and employs more than 24,000 people. Service-minded talent ready to make the most of their skills can now major in the department’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Programs. Additionally, the department is offering two new Occupational Skills Awards (OSAs) in Cook/Baker and Hospitality and Tourism. The Associate of Applied Science degree in Hospitality Management and Level II Certificates have also been updated to Hospitality and Tourism Management with two new classes in Convention and Meeting Management and Dining Room Service.   Have questions about a career in the hospitality industry and current training at Del Mar College? Contact the Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management Department at 361-698-1856 or visit their web pages at www.delmar.edu/offices/cahm/index.html.   This fall is a good time to start that career in the industry … even if you’re registering at the “eleventh hour.” Del Mar College is where you can “own your dreams.”  

Article by Richard Guerrero, Jr. Just outside the north-facing doors of Memorial Classroom Building (MCB) on the Heritage Campus is perhaps the most tangible example of Dr. Mark Robbins’ service learning-oriented approach to teaching: a Texas Historical Marker from the Texas Historical Commission for Del Mar College.   The marker was the result of a multiyear student research project overseen by Robbins. Students Troy Nessner and Preston Martin poured over college records, old yearbooks, back issues of the student newspaper, Foghorn, oral histories and other historical documents to gather the requisite details for the marker’s application, which was approved long after the semesterlong project for Robbins’ Academic Cooperative class had received a grade. In his courses, Robbins focuses on experiential learning activities to help history – especially local history – come alive for his students. One such project was the subject of a Corpus Christi Caller-Times article by reporter Olivia Garrett in early 2023. Garrett detailed the preservation and documentation work on a historic yet mostly forgotten farmworker cemetery – Rancho Colorado Cemetery – in rural Nueces County by a group of students led by Robbins and Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) Anthropology professor Christine Reiser Robbins, Ph.D. The project remains ongoing to this day.  Such examples are just a few reasons why Dr. Mark Robbins was recognized as the college’s 2025 Dr. Aileen Creighton Award for Teaching Excellence recipient during today’s fall convocation on the Heritage Campus in Richardson Performance Hall.    Robbins is the 23rd recipient of the coveted faculty award established for its namesake, the late Dean Emeritus of Arts and Sciences and English Professor Dr. Aileen Creighton. Each year after the nomination and selection process, the college keeps honorees’ names in secret until a special video unveils the recipient for the campus community to see.   The award represents Dr. Creighton’s legacy as a “master teacher” during her 41-year career with Del Mar College and serves as the benchmark faculty must emulate to receive the honor. Known for her dedication to students and higher education, the late educator’s example provides inspiration to DMC faculty.  During his acceptance speech at Convocation today, Robbins noted that he has been inspired by a tradition of excellence during his time at the College. Robbins began teaching history in the Social Sciences Department at DMC in 2009 after holding teaching positions at Brown University, the University of Rhode Island-Providence and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth. His work on oral history, labor history, memory, cultural history and consumer politics has appeared in Labor History, The Historical Journal of Massachusetts, American Educational History and The Sound Historian. He is the author of Middle Class Union: Organizing the ‘Consuming Public’ in Post-World War I America (University of Michigan Press 2017) and co-directs the South Texas Hispanic Farm Labor Communities Heritage Project. In a statement to the Creighton Award Selection Committee, Robbins said that his teaching philosophy draws on service learning, local history and community collaboration to empower his students to connect history to their lives and communities.   In a statement to the Creighton Award Selection Committee, Robbins said that his teaching philosophy draws on service learning, local history and community collaboration to empower his students to connect history to their lives and communities.   It is precisely these learning experiences that prompted colleague and 2019 Creighton Award recipient Dr. Bryan Stone, DMC Professor of History, to enthusiastically support Robbins’ nomination for the award. “Mark’s trademark approach and the thing that sets him apart from the average professor is experiential learning,” Stone stated in his nomination letter. “His students don’t just learn about history in a classroom but practice it with him in the field.” Perhaps the most telling example demonstrating Robbins’ impact is the support letter from DMC alumnus Jesse Kelton, now a successful mechanical engineer. The DMC Hall of Famer detailed his transformation from a nontraditional student who left high school to complete his GED a decade before becoming a DMC graduate with an associate’s degree in Physics in 2013. Kelton’s experience in Robbins’ class during his first semester at DMC helped him find his footing and thrive at the college and beyond. He graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.  Robbins earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History with high honors and high distinction from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2003. One year later, he earned his master’s degree from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2009, Robbins earned his Ph.D. from Brown, where he served as a Teaching Assistant, Writing Center Associate and Visiting Instructor/Teaching Fellow.   Robbins has been awarded several grants and received awards for teaching and research, including Teacher of the Year (2014); DisAbility Advocate of the Year; Excellence in Teaching Award for the Del Mar College chapter of the National Society of Leadership and Success; Kenneth E. Hendrickson Jr. Best Article Award for Sound Historian; and the Daniel E. Kilgore Award for Local History. In addition, he is a member of the Nueces County Historical Commission and past Vice Chair of the City of Corpus Christi Landmark Commission. Click on each video for separate pop-up boxes to view them in their entirety:

Article by Melinda Eddleman On Friday, Aug. 8, Del Mar College (DMC) hosted the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) during a check presentation event recognizing Jobs & Education for Texans (JET) grant recipients to support career and technical education (CTE) training for South Texas high school students. Among the two community colleges and five independent school districts (ISDs) that received oversized checks representing a combined $1,692,417 were Del Mar College, Victoria College and Banquete, Calhoun County, Corpus Christi, George West and San Diego ISDs (read Office of the Texas Governor release). The oversized check awards from the commission were signed and then presented to each school by TWC Commissioner Representing Employers Joe Esparza. DMC received a $313,833 JET grant for its Automotive Applied Technology Program with the Department of Architecture, Aviation and Automotive. The college also partners with four of the five ISDs that received the TWC’s grant to train their students in health care (Banquete, George West and San Diego) and in electronics (Corpus Christi). The JET grant funds DMC received were used to purchase high-tech training equipment to prepare students as technicians for modern vehicle repairs and maintenance in the automotive industry. That equipment includes:             - Consulink Cruze 1.4L Engine Trainer includes new GDI and start/stop technology              that allows students to perform a basic “road test” and engine diagnostics within the              classroom. This trainer also teaches engine diagnostics.             - Consulab Fuel Injection & GM Engine Management System is used to teach engine              management technologies found in modern day vehicles.             - Consulab Ohm’s Law and DC Circuit Trainers (Classroom Set) is a self-contained education             learning system designed to assist instructors with teaching basic electrical and electronic theory and             Ohm’s Law basics, covering fundamentals using the latest electrical components found in modern             vehicles.           - Consulab Engine Starting Test Traction, which is a bench used for teaching mechanical engine repair            using OEM components that provide students with additional skills in engine diagnosis.            - AC System Trainer with H-block is a complete A/C system with unique features designed to enhance            the instruction of air conditioning physics.           - Double-sided Automotive Lighting Trainer is a totally functional vehicle CAN bus trainer based on a           Honda vehicle platform and includes all operational OEM vehicle systems, such as a functional multiplex            and CAN Bus system, with a total of 11 system modules.           - Consulab Advanced Electronics Moduponent Kit is a versatile, adaptable advanced           electrical/electronic training series that allows student to build complex electronic circuits and provides           instruction covering the use of multimeter and other testing equipment.  The need for skilled automotive technicians and mechanics continues to grow and will exceed 60,000 nationally by 2032 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Texas’ Coastal Bend region shows high demand among employers to fill local positions in part due to a growing population generating increased vehicle registrations, along with a growing number of experienced technicians retiring from the field. DMC’s Automotive Applied Technology Program not only trains college-age students but also currently partners with three ISDs in CTE training––Corpus Christi (Miller High School), Calallen and Gregory-Portland––to fill the area’s employment gap in this field. The collaboration to prepare these future technicians is part of the college’s Dual Enrollment Program through Memorandums of Agreement. Students earn college credits toward the Suspension, Driveline, Brake Specialist Level I Certificate, which are stackable credentials that allow them to proceed with earning the Automotive Applied Technology Program’s Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree. For employers, finding automotive repair and maintenance technicians with the right skill sets is a growing challenge as vehicle complexity increases. The equipment purchased using the JET grant has allowed the college to upgrade its program’s training lab to meet the highest standards and produce well-trained technicians that industry employers seek for repairs and maintenance among today’s vehicles. Recently, the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) Education Foundation awarded its nationally recognized Program Training Accreditation to DMC’s Automotive Applied Technology Program. Students who earn their ASE certification are considered prime candidates for hire in the automotive repair industry. The college’s Automotive Applied Technology Program offers Level I and II Certificates in addition to the AAS degree. Curriculum and hands-on lab skills training provide for entry-level employment and prepares students for Automotive Service Technology entry-level ASE certifications.  More details about the college’s Automotive Applied Technology Program are available online at www.delmar.edu/degrees/automotive-applied-technology/index.html. View highlights of speakers' remarks below: