President Tessa Martinez Pollack made a visit to the Student Government Association’s emergency general council meeting on Monday, April 2, after her presence was requested during the meeting.

Pollack answered questions from SGA representatives regarding current problems that the university is facing.

“Intent has always been there to gather information from faculty and staff for strategic goals,” Pollack said when asked about faculty and staff involvement in the university’s strategic process.

Pollack said that a strategic plan implemented in 1999 “had no focus.”

“We’re trying to create focus,” Pollack said. “Faculty, staff and students can have input into the strategic goals.”

When a representative of the Pre-Law Society asked about sources of university funding, Pollack said that OLLU will “use the strategic plan as a foundation to get gifts and endowments.”

“Our endowment is woefully low,” Pollack said.

According to Pollack, the OLLU endowment totals approximately $25 million, while other universities have as much as $145 million.

“Donors want to know where this university is going,” Pollack said.

Pollack noted that the San Antonio-based telecommunications company AT&T recently donated $1 million for a personal success coaching program designed to help students succeed in school.

Pollack was also asked about other types of marketing that OLLU does, besides the recent campaign seen around the city in the form of VIA bus signs and billboards.

“Historically, OLLU has not spent a lot on advertising,” Pollack said.

OLLU’s budget for advertising is now $500,000, up from the previous $300,000, while the University of the Incarnate Word has a budget of $1 million, Pollack said.

“We haven’t got a lot of advertising to compete with the big gorilla out there,” Pollack said. She also said that OLLU recently hired a consultant who is an expert in marketing.

Howard Benoist, executive vice president, was also in attendance to answer questions.

When asked about academic majors receiving more funding, in particular the Communication Arts program, Benoist said, “the Communication Arts program has been behind on technology.”

“It needs to become digital and you will see quite a change by next fall,” Benoist said.

Before Pollack was invited to answer questions during the meeting, the SGA discussed a planned vote of no confidence of Pollack.

However, a quorum could not be established, and the vote was postponed for the next general council meeting on April 11.

The question-and-answer session provided concerned students with the opportunity to learn about Pollack and find out what she is doing to help the university.

“I got a lot out of information about who the president is and how she projects herself,” said Students of Sociology representative Matthew Torres. “I really didn’t know who she was.”

Torres also said that the recent vote of no confidence of Pollack issued by the faculty was “a good thing.”
“It kind of put Pollack in a place to where she has to do something. It’s like a trigger,” Torres said.

Jack Hank, vice president for Student Life, weighed in on the significance of the meeting.

“It’s opening up the lines of communication,” Hank said. “I think students now see that the president is willing to work with the students.”