At 40, Ricardo Solis knew he needed a change. 

Solis was over 15 years into a successful career in the public and private sectors in the fields of business and finance. He enrolled at the University of Texas in Austin to refresh and find a new career path. The predictable thing to do was to seek a doctorate in business administration with a master’s degree in international management earned years before. 

A UT dean had other ideas. 

“He looked at my background, Hispanic, from the border, experience in international business, and he told me, ‘that’s the future,’” Solis said. “It’s what community colleges need.”

Solis called it “a total change” from where he was headed professionally. He took the dean’s advice and embarked on a higher education management career. It would take him to community college systems in San Antonio, Waco and Phoenix. With a tenure in China, he would gain teaching experience and learn more about Asia’s influence in global trade and business. 

His “big break,” as Solis described it, came in 2015 when he was named president of Laredo College. It was a job he relished and loved being back on the border. There was a bigger prize awaiting, one he had long eyed, and it became open in the spring of 2021. South Texas College needed a new president with the retirement of its longtime leader, Shirley Reed. 

“I had been waiting for this opportunity for years,” Solis said of leading STC. “It was a perfect fit to bring together all of my experiences.”

The job he hoped for came to fruition. The summer of 2021 found Solis in the STC president’s chair. Now a year into overseeing STC, with its 30,000 students spread over six campuses in Hidalgo and Starr counties, Solis is even more certain he made the right choice in Austin years ago.

“Coming back to the Valley is what I wanted,” he said. “I hit the ground running. I was in Laredo one day and the next day I was in McAllen with STC.”

Creating A Vision

Solis is a Brownsville native with Matamoros roots who grew up in two countries, knowing two cultures and speaking the languages of his U.S. and Mexican family members and friends. 

His first job out of college was at the Port of Brownsville as the director of the Foreign Trade Zone. It was a big job for such a young business executive. Solis took it on fully, learning about the ways of border business and the importance of negotiating with Mexican business and political interests.

It would serve him well at his next job, in Harlingen, working in economic development. Solis played a key role in helping Harlingen get the necessary permits and connections which led to the building of the Los Indios Bridge. Years of working in business and finance would follow, including time spent in Mexico, before going into higher education administration.

For Solis, STC represents coming “full circle” in joining his economic development background with the capabilities of a community college system to train and develop the skilled workforce companies are seeking. He sees community colleges “at the center of this demand.” The college Solis oversees is just over two decades old and already offers more than 100 degree and certificate programs, with associate degrees in health care, technology and manufacturing fields. STC also offers five bachelor undergraduate degrees, a rarity among community colleges.

“The college is very dynamic in covering such a large geographic area and serving so many communities,” Solis said. “It’s going to take a strategic leadership approach from all Valley elected officials, business and local entities to work around a workforce education vision.”

Going International 

One of Solis’ more ambitious initiatives of recent months is to extend its workforce development training and services to Mexico.

The college reached an agreement with Index Reynosa, which allows STC faculty to begin providing training onsite to maquiladoras and core manufacturing companies. Solis sees the move as another example of the college doing its part to create a more skilled workforce in bringing more advanced manufacturing to the region. Higher-end manufacturing operations, he said, are valuing the skill levels of workers over factors like logistics, location and local tax and wages structures.

“Companies presently are mainly concerned and worried about these skilled workforces and the colleges providing these skills for their long-term survival,” he said. “Community colleges are now key and at the center of this demand.”