Wednesday, Oct 09, 2024 • Cristal Gonzalez : contact

Deputy Athletic Director Debbie Garcia has been invited to join the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities’ (HACU) sixth Leadership Academy/La Academia de Liderazgo cohort. The program is designed to increase diverse representation in executive and senior-level positions in higher education.

“I’m extremely grateful to President Cowley and her staff for reaching out to me and encouraging me to submit an application for a spot in this cohort,” said Garcia. “I’m very excited to participate in this program, and I really appreciate the opportunity to grow my leadership skills and bring back new tools and resources to support the University and our students.”

In her role at UTA, Garcia provides leadership for all areas of the department and has direct oversight over student-athlete welfare which includes academics, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, recruiting, financial aid, scholarships and compliance.  She is also the sports administrator for volleyball, men’s and women’s tennis and men’s golf. Garcia serves on the Western Athletic Conference’s Sports Management Committee, which provides leadership in sports scheduling, rules, championship events and awards programs.

The HACU’s Leadership Academy fellows will participate in an array of development activities to prepare them for leadership roles in the full spectrum of institutions of higher learning, with an emphasis on Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and emerging HSIs.

UTA has been designated an HSI since 2014 and also belongs to the Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Research Universities, which represents every HSI that has also been categorized as R1 (very high research activity) by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. In addition, UTA is one of only 39 colleges and universities to have earned the Seal of Excelencia, a national certification for institutions that strive to go beyond enrollment to intentionally serve Latino students.

Garcia says she’s looking forward to the wide network of people she’ll be able to connect with, call on and learn from.

“The Athletics Department is seen as critical to the ongoing success of UTA, and I think being encouraged and supported to participate in this program speaks volumes on how we can come in and make an impact on campus,” said Garcia. “I hope that I’m able to bring back good ideas that will help advance not only the Athletics Department, but also the University and its mission to continue to serve underrepresented students.”