In every team and department at Northwest Vista College, there are always great stories to tell that show faculty and staff going above and beyond.While it’s hard to capture every story, we hope to periodically share in this space some of the major accomplishments or projects that are taking place. Members of the executive team will write about important topics that they feel NVC employees should be made aware of.
Let us know about the positive things your area is doing to help students or improve processes by contacting myself or NVC Public Relations.
– Dr. Ric Baser, NVC President
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Amy Whitworth, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Success
The keynote speaker at our NVC Spring 2018 Faculty Convocation on Wednesday, Jan. 10 was Dr. Christine Drennon, professor of Anthropology and the director of Urban Studies at Trinity University.
Over the last year, Dr. Drennon has delivered several presentations on the underlying causes of the economic segregation that exists in San Antonio, including a presentation to the San Antonio City Council in October 2017. This presentation to the city council resulted in an “equity agenda,” according to Dr. Drennon.
In her presentation at NVC, Dr. Drennon presented reasons for the inequity that exists in San Antonio. Using maps of the city from decades ago as well as deeds from the city archives, Dr. Drennon demonstrated that the way that neighborhoods were built oftentimes secured wealth for some neighborhoods but created poverty for others. For example, her study of archived deeds revealed restrictions against the sale of the home according to race or ethnicity.
It is important to look at neighborhood wealth as it is a strong indicator of the opportunities that exist for people to achieve their goals. More wealthy neighborhoods not only have larger lots and better housing stock, but also have more robust city services, including sidewalks, public transportation, etc. Dr. Drennon also spoke about the impact that the consolidation of school districts and the construction of highways have had on creating disparity and inequity of wealth across our city.
Dr. Drennon’s presentation kicked off our spring semester by engaging us in a discussion about the world within which our students live and how important their college experience at NVC for each of our students as they pursue their goals.