On the College Board - The Rider Newspaper

_{Maggie Hinojosa, UTRGV’s senior vice president for Strategic Enrollment and Student Affairs, speaks about the results of the Athletics Fee Referendum during a news conference last November in the University Center on the Edinburg campus. Hinojosa was recently named a board trustee for the Southwestern Region of the College Board.} _{THE RIDER FILE PHOTO}

The College Board has appointed Maggie Hinojosa, UTRGV’s senior vice president for Strategic Enrollment and Student Affairs, as a board trustee representing the Southwestern Region for a five-year term.

Hinojosa was one of seven new trustees appointed Nov. 1 to College Board’s 31-member governing board, bringing a “wealth of experience and knowledge from schools, districts, and universities across the country,” according to its website.

The  College Board is a “not-for-profit organization, with guidance from the trustee committees, three national assemblies and six regional assemblies.”

Trustee responsibilities include approving the organization’s mission, strategic goals and objectives; establishing policies related to membership, programs and services; approving the annual budget and major program fees; fulfilling the organization’s audit committee responsibilities; reviewing material initiatives; and advising the CEO, who is responsible for the management of the organization, according to its website.

The Rider tried to contact the College Board for comment, but Sara Sympson, director of communication at the College Board said in an email to The Rider, “Thanks for reaching out. We don’t have anyone available for an interview this week.”

However, James Montoya, secretary of the corporation for the College Board, sent a statement.

“Dr. Hinojosa will bring an important perspective on issues of educational access, opportunity, and success to the shared work of College Board’s Board of Trustees,” Montoya wrote. “She’s been a supportive and active voice on behalf of our members and students, having served on several College Board committees and councils since 2012, including the Higher Ed Colloquium Planning Committee, AP Higher Ed Advisory Committee, Forum Program Planning Committee, Prepárate National Advisory Committee, CSS Financial Assistance Assembly Council, and Southwestern Regional Council. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her as a Trustee.”

Hinojosa said during a Zoom interview that her role will be to help establish objectives for the College Board.

“[It’s] similar to how UTRGV [has] a strategic plan,” she said. “The College Board is the same way. … You’re looking at policies related to membership and programs within the College Board. Something also that people probably don’t know about the College Board is they’re really great at leadership programs within higher education institutions.”

Hinojosa views her role as being a voice for students to expand their access to higher education.

“Sitting one day and taking a particular test is not necessarily everything that you’ve done in your high school career,” she said. “For instance, an SAT and AP aren’t used as barriers, but instead are used to assess that. In fact, in [the UTRGV] admissions review, when a student applies to us, we don’t just look at test scores. We actually look at, ‘Did you take any advanced placement courses?’ We look at a variety of things because we’re also looking at what you’ve done throughout your career. And so, it’s kind of bringing that view to the College Board.”

Hinojosa said serving on boards like this benefits UTRGV by learning from other institutions and staff across the country.

“So they’re learning … what some of the best practices are, and so it gives us an opportunity as UTRGV to ensure that our staff are getting some of the best training, that we’re getting some of the latest information about what the trends are out there,” she said. “There’s a lot of changes that are gonna happen with financial aid over the next couple of years. And so, not only getting that information from the U.S. Department of Education, but also hearing through the College Board and the research that they’re doing allows us, as an institution, to be at the forefront of that.”

Hinojosa said she is looking forward to the opportunity to represent UTRGV at the national level.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for UTRGV and, so, the support from [UTRGV Executive Vice President and Provost Janna] Arney, from [UTRGV President Guy] Bailey is really greatly appreciated from a personal perspective,” she said. “Being able to sit at the table at a national level with my peers and learning from them is critical … to ensure access to higher education across this country.”

The Rider asked Arney for an interview, but Patrick Gonzales, vice president for University Marketing & Communications, told the newspaper that Arney was not available.

However, in a UTRGV news release, Arney said having Hinojosa on the board will benefit the university and the region alike.

“Dr. Hinojosa has been in higher education for many years,” Arney was quoted as saying. “An appointment like this is tremendous, not only for the Valley to be represented on a national scale, but also for UTRGV to have a direct seat at the table of this organization. We are proud of Dr. Hinojosa, and we have confidence she will represent us well.”