Maria Hernandez Ferrier is a former government official and the first president of Texas A&M University–San Antonio from 2010-2014. After working as an unlicensed nurse's assistant for minimum wage, Ferrier attended her first community college class at age 30, and she has received a doctorate from

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

and other degrees from

Our Lady of the Lake University Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU), known locally as the Lake, is a private Catholic university in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1895 by the Sisters of Divine Providence, a religious institute originating in Lorraine, France, during ...

. In 1992 and 2002, she was named as the director of the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA) separately under Presidents

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

and

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

; in this position, she served as the main advisor to the

United States Secretary of Education The United States secretary of education is the head of the United States Department of Education, U.S. Department of Education. The secretary serves as the principal advisor to the president of the United States, and the federal government, on ...

for all matters related to students who speak limited-proficiency English.

Early life and career

Ferrier grew up on the west side of

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

, Texas, on a dirt road that eventually became gravel, was paved with asphalt, and got a sidewalk. Her father taught her how to ride a bike and drive with vehicles purchased secondhand. As a child, she grew up within hearing distance of

but did not believe she was meant for higher education. By age 30, Ferrier had had a divorce and two children, and she worked as a

nurse's aide Unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) are paraprofessionals who assist individuals with physical disabilities, mental impairments, and other health care needs with their activities of daily living (ADLs). UAPs also provide bedside care—includi ...

in the San Antonio State Hospital for minimum wage. Her mentor approached her about starting college, but Ferrier responded that she "wasn't college material." Her mentor then paid for Ferrier's first semester at

San Antonio College San Antonio College (SAC) is a public community college in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the Alamo Colleges District and the oldest public two-year college in Texas. The college has an average semester enrollment of 22,028 credit students an ...

, a local community college. Next, Ferrier attended

in San Antonio, where she earned a bachelor's degree in speech and a master of education degree. She earned a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in education administration from

Career in education and government

She worked for 17 years as an educator, focusing on creating programs for underserved children in San Antonio, such as the city's first in-school mentoring program and the creation of a partnership between the

Southwest Independent School District Southwest Independent School District is a public school district located in southwestern Bexar County, Texas, United States. The district covers a area that includes portions of the city of San Antonio and Von Ormy. In 2009, the school distric ...

and the

Kelly Air Force Base Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. In ...

. She was one of the founding members and creators of a program "designed to develop leaders for working in diverse communities" and worked as the director of English as a second or foreign language programs for the

North East Independent School District The North East Independent School District (commonly NEISD or North East ISD) is a school district located in San Antonio, Texas, United States. North East ISD serves the north central and northeast areas of Bexar County, covering approximately . ...

. She next became the executive director of City Year, an

AmeriCorps AmeriCorps (officially the Corporation for National and Community Service or CNCS) is an independent agency of the United States government that engages more than five million Americans in service through a variety of stipended volunteer work prog ...

network member. For the final month of the

presidency of George H. W. Bush George H. W. Bush's tenure as the 41st president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 1989, and ended on January 20, 1993. Bush was a Republican from Texas and the incumbent vice president for two terms under pre ...

in December 1992, Ferrier became the director of the precursor to the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (OBEMLA), which would later be renamed as the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students (OELA). In 2002, under the

Presidency of George W. Bush George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following a narrow victory over Democratic i ...

, Ferrier was appointed as the Director of OELA making her the main advisor to the

for all topics related to students with limited English proficiency.

TAMU San Antonio presidency

In 2010, Senate Bill 629 passed under Texas Governor

Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...

to designate Texas A&M University–San Antonio as an independent campus under the Texas A&M University System, and Ferrier became the institution's first president after serving as interim president. During her presidency, she oversaw the beginning of 22 undergraduate programs, 10 graduate programs, the creation of the main campus, and the institution's accreditation from the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

. She also focused on creating a partnership with the US military, founded the a center for education and cultural arts in downtown San Antonio, and decorated the campus with tiles from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and sandstone from San Saba County, Texas.

Awards and memberships

She has been recognized by United Way as the Volunteer of the Year, by the

Mind Science Foundation The Mind Science Foundation (MSF) is a private non-profit scientific foundation in San Antonio, Texas, USA, established by the philanthropist Thomas Baker Slick in 1958. The Foundation's mission is to raise awareness and levels of funding for one ...

via the Imagineer Award, by the

National Hispanic Heritage Month National Hispanic Heritage Month (Spanish: ''Mes nacional de la herencia hispana'') is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States for recognizing the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, cul ...

via the Education Award, and she is a member of the San Antonio Women's Hall of Fame. Ferrier's memberships on boards and commissions include "the San Antonio Literacy Commission, the San Antonio Rotary Board, the National Campfire USA Board, the City Year National Board, San Antonio Air Force Community Council, the Governors Restructuring Middle School Task Force and the Corporation of National Service Board." In 1999, the Center for Leadership Studies of her alma mater,

, chose Ferrier as its first distinguished visiting professor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hernandez Ferrier, Maria Living people Women heads of universities and colleges Our Lady of the Lake University alumni People from San Antonio Texas A&M University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)