Dr. Timothy Alvarez’s life is a residing instance of the significance of mentors in greater schooling.

Dr. Timothy AlvarezFrom incomes an affiliate diploma to serving as president of a group faculty, Alvarez understands the worth of upper schooling and the necessity to create pathways and assist methods. As he prepares to retire Aug. 11, after 5 years as president of Otero Faculty, which is a part of the Colorado Neighborhood Faculty System, he does so with a way of satisfaction that he adopted his need for information and a way of goal.

Among the many highlights of his presidency is serving a various scholar inhabitants. Otero is a Hispanic Serving Establishment (HSI). Because of this, the school acquired a Title V grant, $3.5 million over 5 years, that enabled the varsity to give attention to mentoring, skilled improvement for college and undergraduate analysis. Over the course of his presidency, Alvarez has tried to intensify the school’s HSI standing and successfully serve that constituency.

“We’re one of many few rural faculties in Colorado that truly has a full-time licensed psychological well being skilled,” Alvarez mentioned. “Realizing all of the challenges that our college students are going by means of — rather more since COVID — it’s so vital.”

Otero is a residential faculty in La Junta, Colorado. Along with greater than 30 tutorial and certificates packages, there are bachelor’s diploma packages provided in collaboration with Colorado College, Denver. The T-PREP (Partnership for Rural Educator Program) permits college students who wish to stay in the local people to earn a four-year diploma and a instructing license.

“Actually delighted to do this figuring out how difficult it’s for our rural faculties to have lecturers,” Alvarez mentioned. “We had seven college students graduate this yr from that program with CU and all of them are working as lecturers in our space. That exhibits we’re actually attempting to serve our native rural populations.”

Profession readiness has been an enormous difficulty for Alvarez, and he has elevated related programming. The school has developed some micro-internships at which college students can work 10-hour to 40-hour paid internships to realize expertise. There are additionally alternatives for college kids to do a five- or six-hour digital internship.

Alvarez mentioned the pandemic didn’t instantly influence Otero. The school remained open with strict protocols, though there was lots of distant work. The campus sometimes serves about 1,100 college students throughout a rural space.

Though it was tough to maintain a way of group when individuals had been working remotely, “I used to be nonetheless very pleased with our college,” Alvarez mentioned.

Earlier than coming to Otero, Alvarez was a senior fellow for NASPA (scholar affairs directors in greater schooling) and a vice chairman for scholar affairs at North Dakota State College. He has a deep connection to group schools. At age 18, he enrolled in a group faculty in western Nebraska. 

After incomes his affiliate diploma, he went to work for 12 years earlier than having an awakening that drove him again to high school to earn his bachelor’s diploma after which pursue graduate college. His first job after finishing his bachelor’s was at a group faculty in Wyoming, fueling his deep appreciation for the entry to greater schooling that group schools present.

“What I get probably the most pleasure out of is once I see employees and college students doing issues they by no means thought they may do, difficult themselves after which reaching a few of these targets,” Alvarez mentioned. “We’re a small campus, so I get to know lots of the scholars personally. It’s so fulfilling whenever you see a few of these college students are available in as freshmen they usually’re misplaced and unsure why they’re right here, and once they graduate they’re much completely different individuals than once they got here right here.

“We’re an HSI, so I see lots of college students who’re like me,” he continued. “I feel a part of my duty is to guarantee that they’ve a few of the experiences that I didn’t have. That’s one factor we’ve actually tried to do, guarantee that earlier than each scholar leaves right here they’ve a mentor or a community.”

Alvarez desires these mentors to additionally encourage college students to maneuver on to four-year establishments and perhaps even graduate college. He didn’t have mentors till he propelled himself again to varsity at age 32. Additionally, he’s an advocate for undergraduate analysis. A number of Otero college members have summer season analysis tasks.

Of Otero’s 1,100 college students, about 300 to 350 are highschool college students doing twin enrollment. Of the remainder of the scholar physique, there are about 250 to 300 student-athletes collaborating within the faculty’s 12 athletic packages.

“One of many benefits of getting athletes is you nearly mechanically have this pure sense of connection and belonging,” Alvarez mentioned. “All of the groups assist one another. … Though it occurs naturally, we attempt to be intentional about creating alternatives for what I name collisions. I feel it’s actually vital for our college students to work together with people who find themselves completely different from them — whether or not it’s city and rural, they’re first-gen or an individual of coloration — it’s vital for us to create these collisions for individuals to work together with one another.”

Via the school’s Pupil Fairness and Achievement Program, Alvarez oversaw Otero’s redesign of school rooms, curriculum and instructing practices to make studying extra inviting and inclusive. He mentioned a number of college members took the lead on classroom redesign, together with some school rooms having completely different seating preparations.

Some college even have developed an energetic studying institute, which has been informative for different college by creating extra inclusive environments. An instance of this occurred with Otero’s regulation enforcement academy, which is a one-semester program that has 15-20 college students at any given time. On account of the director collaborating within the studying institute, he created a day-long occasion wherein college students needed to role-play being handicapped, they usually needed to expertise the campus as if they’d a incapacity.

It was eye-opening for college kids and college. Alvarez mentioned it introduced issues to the eye of administration in regards to the faculty’s cafeteria, similar to the truth that there weren’t sufficient seating areas for individuals with wheelchairs and there have been different obstacles to accessing the meals and drinks. Changes had been made.

Alvarez describes himself as a nerd relating to schooling and studying that has all the time made him hunt down data and information. His sense of curiosity drives his employees loopy, he mentioned, as a result of he’s all the time studying articles and books that he shares with them. “It’s my job to proceed to be curious and ask lots of questions,” he mentioned.

Within the instant future Alvarez plans to be a “full-time grandpa” to his 5 grandsons below the age of 4, who reside in northern Colorado. He and his spouse shall be “helicopter grandparents,” not residing too shut, however shut sufficient to be of assist.

This yr, he did a keynote handle for the NASPA group faculty institute, which has led to some requests for consulting. Folks have instructed him to put in writing a e-book, which he’s planning on doing, however not straight away. He might do some instructing for packages centered on greater schooling.

Wanting over his profession, he mentioned this previous yr a number of college students he mentored when he was at College of Nebraska-Lincoln acquired their doctorates. It offers him pleasure to know they’ve modified their households’ trajectories.

“Virtually two-thirds of our college students listed here are first-gen,” he mentioned. “Loads them don’t know what they don’t know. It’s a part of my duty to coach them or spark a bit little bit of curiosity to grasp how a lot [of a] privilege it’s to come back to high school and reap the benefits of it once they’re right here.”