by Carol Baass Sowa, Contributing Writer, Today's Catholic
In May, Charles L. Cotrell, Ph.D., will end his 13 years as St. Mary's University president, and the adage about "the singer and the song" comes to his mind often.
With almost 30 years in administration at the University, you could say that Cotrell has been the lead singer of the St. Mary's song. However, in the coming months, he will make way for a new president and return to his first love, teaching. But the song will live on.
"There are sound and good singers, but the enduring influence is the song," Cotrell said. Continuing the metaphor, he explained that it is the charism and principles of an institution that endures, not those who lead it. "It's about the song, not the singer."
Inaugurated as the University's first lay president in 2000, Cotrell's academic career began as a student at St. Mary's, where he received his bachelor's and master's in political science in 1962 and 1964 respectively. He began teaching as an assistant professor of political science at St. Mary's in 1966, receiving his doctorate from the University of Arizona in 1970.
A Unique Perspective
Dr. Cotrell has had a long and very fruitful tenure at
St. Mary's: as professor, as administrator and as president. He knows and understands the Catholic and Marianist mission of
St. Mary's and has worked diligently in strengthening all aspects of university life. The Society of Mary is deeply indebted to him for his faithful leadership and his sense of service. He has been a valued collaborator, a professional, and a friend.
- The Rev. Martin A. Solma, S.M.
Chancellor, St. Mary's University
Provincial, Marianist Province of the United States
Rising through the ranks at St. Mary's as department chairman, director of the graduate program, assistant to the president for planning and institutional research, dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, vice president for Academic Affairs, interim president and, ultimately, president, Cotrell continued to teach at the University for all but three semesters during his time as an administrator. While not the norm for a university president, it has given him a unique perspective of what it means to educate for formation in faith as Marianists. Excellence in education, with emphasis on the family spirit, is a hallmark of St. Mary's, and educating for service, justice and peace is expressly elevated to a part of its educational purposes.
Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, founder of the Society of Mary, was especially adept, Cotrell noted, at educating for adaptation to change, having to go undercover during the French Revolution when Catholicism and religion were under attack.
"We must learn to adapt to the really cataclysmic and fast-paced changes that we live in," Cotrell said, noting this is especially true for Catholic institutions in modern times.
He also believes it is necessary to focus on the education and development of students holistically, educating for their entire lives rather than just in curricular disciplines.
"We must find ways, innovatively, to make the mission live in the curriculum and on the campus."
Fulfilling the Marianist Promise
Cotrell is proud of the fact that the University continues to fulfill the original mission of its Marianist founders—to educate in a Catholic and Marianist educational setting the people of San Antonio and South Texas. However, the school's reach has now extended far beyond that. While 88 percent of St. Mary's students at the undergraduate level are from Texas, not all are from San Antonio. The University draws a significant number of students from Central Texas, West Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin, El Paso, the Valley and Corpus Christi.
"A secret of our success is the strength of our Catholic liberal arts core as it intersects our pre-professional programs in sciences, business, teaching, law, etc."
For the last decade, St. Mary's graduation rate has been ranked among the best in the state for both public and private schools.
In 2010, Cotrell spearheaded a program called the Four-year Pledge, in which students are encouraged to graduate within four years if their degree permits.
"That translates obviously into some sense of retention, and retention then gets back to the quality of life that we hope to have here."
This also translates into successful careers, with St. Mary's graduates making their mark in both the business community and in public service, not just in Texas, but nationally.
Charlie Cotrell has been a transformational leader who has carried on the Catholic and Marianist ideals in a way that has enabled St. Mary's to grow and thrive while meeting our mission of faith, educational excellence and service.
- Robert Elizondo
Chairman, St. Mary's University Board of Trustees
In the last decade, the University has been highly successful in producing a call to civic engagement among St. Mary's students. Research has shown that students who are deeply engaged in service activities and their campus graduate at higher rates. "We feel that is very much an element in Catholic and Marianist education," Cotrell said.
He adds that a recent survey by the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities found that, five to 10 years after graduation, people who were the problem solvers in their communities, the ones who really worked to effectively bring about the common good and who had strong values of service and community, were graduates of Catholic schools. This, he says, is evident in a Catholic and Marianist education.
"Our society likes to take quick ‘snapshots,' which we quickly forget," he said. "I don't think that a sound developmental education is simply a snapshot; I think it is something that we have to continue to observe, continue to live."
After completing his term in May, Cotrell will return to the classroom, pursuing his love of teaching and scholarship.
Charlie has taken that Marianist sense of service to others so that it's actively practiced, just embedded. The students know it, the faculty and staff knows it. It is what makes St. Mary's unique, and Charlie has been a great leader in fostering that. St. Mary's is a very special place and Charlie has been a true visionary and focused leader. So, it's time for him to go back to his love—teaching—and we should let him do that. But I don't envy the job of the board. How do you follow John Wayne?
- Leticia van de Putte
Texas State Senator
National Accolades
It is that kind of education, he said, that St. Mary's aims for. He notes that Washington Monthly magazine has ranked St. Mary's first and second in the nation in 2010 and 2011 respectively for promoting community service, fostering scientific and humanistic research, and encouraging social mobility. This recognition is on top of another national recognition: St. Mary's last year received the White House's highest award for service by higher education institutions as one of only six to win the Presidential Award from the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
Cotrell views these rankings and honors as validation that St. Mary's is achieving what it is called to do: producing graduates who are making a difference for the better in the world. He is also pleased with the University's growth rate. In 2011, St. Mary's had its first admission waiting list, with the application pool rising from around 1,400 in 2004-2005 to more than 4,000.
He points out that the University's student body itself is in line with the mission: nearly half of St. Mary's undergrads are eligible for Pell Grants, and he sees the school's capacity to meet the needs of students in a wide socioeconomic range as validating the mission as well. All the while, U.S. News & World Report continues to rank St. Mary's among the top 10 in its "Great Schools, Great Value" category, based on great programs when compared with costs. St. Mary's student-to-faculty ratio is 13-to-1 and a high proportion of the faculty is full-time, with 92 percent having terminal degrees, he points out.
Cotrell is proud as well of the University's financial stability and facilities. The AT&T Center for Information Technology, built in the past decade, serves both the campus and the University's Neighborhood Revitalization Project. The Barrett Memorial Bell Tower serves as a central and symbolic focal point for the campus, while Java City on the Quad promotes conversation and community. There is also the University's newest residence hall, Founders Hall, and the Alumni Athletics & Convocation Center.
In 2005, there was the gift from Bill Greehey (B.B.A. '60) of $25 million, one of the largest gifts in San Antonio history. Of that, about $10.5 million is dedicated to student access through scholarships, and it also allowed for construction of a hands-on trading room at the school, where students manage a $1 million investment portfolio. Historic St. Louis Hall is being renovated, with a major updating of its mechanical systems, as well as cosmetic touches. Construction is also under way on new outdoor sports facilities, which will include a renovated baseball stadium, new softball facilities, expanded and improved soccer fields and new tennis courts.
Focus on Students
Scholarships—which Cotrell called "the life blood of a strong student body"—will continue to be an important part of St. Mary's focus.
"As an independent private school in the Catholic and Marianist tradition, we must be especially concerned with keeping the doors open for those who are less able to pay," he said, noting the University offers a quality education to a student body diverse in ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic status. "And those students graduate."
I would say that Dr. Cotrell is a true servant leader who shares his family spirit with the community and with the Marianist community. It is for that reason that he has been able to lead with his heart and to be so successful.
- Edward Ybarra Jr.
Principal, Central Catholic High School
While the focus on quality and opportunity for students in the region has remained steadfast, the international student body has been growing by leaps and bounds. Mexico supplies the largest number of undergraduates to St. Mary's; however, most international graduate students are from India, Saudi Arabia and China. Cotrell has learned St. Mary's is on the government's preferred schools list in Saudi Arabia and sees this as an opportunity for authentic interfaith dialogue.
A critical factor in providing excellence in education is having a sound endowment to create financial stability, and Cotrell's focus on this area has paid dividends. A large part of the endowment is dedicated to academic purposes, with as much as nearly $4 million going to scholarships each year.
The University's strong alumni network has benefited current students as well, with the St. Mary's Alumni Association providing about $300,000 yearly in scholarships, which translates to as many as 85 individual scholarships a year. When the recession hit in 2008, affecting higher education in its wake, Cotrell turned to the Alumni Association for help, resulting in a program called Access St. Mary's. To fund the program, the Association provided an additional $400,000 for two years.
"That really had a great impact on the way in which we were able to retain a diverse and quality student body during the recession," Cotrell noted.
Vision for the Future
Cotrell is pleased to have so much progress on the goals of the two strategic plans during his presidency, including a vibrant Catholic and Marianist mission, excellence in academics, a strong student body, extended boundaries, financial stability in both scholarships and endowments, and enhanced facilities. It is particularly satisfying, he said, because the Vision 2012 strategic plan was really a community document, with everyone from the housekeeping staff, to students, professors and professional staff helping formulate it.
"Community and collaboration and collective voice make up the ‘song,'" he said, noting it was a very effective method for people to share in the mission in a direct way.
A key to the process, Cotrell noted, was its methodology of "listening and hearing people and taking what they have said and putting it together … to achieve a collective purpose that really resonates."
Next Steps
Charlie, I want to thank you for inspiring me in the classroom, in the work that I do in administration, in my research, and in becoming the academic that I would like to be.
-Celine Jacquemin, Ph.D.
Professor of Political Science
Associate Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences
A search committee is in place to find the next president, with the St. Mary's Board of Trustees granting him a year's sabbatical before returning to the classroom. During his sabbatical, he and his wife Abbie will travel and visit out-of-state grandchildren, and he will explore pursuits that he set aside during his years of focusing on St. Mary's administration.
After that, he will return to teach full-time and work in the community doing "whatever needs to be done." Although Cotrell continued to teach part-time during his administrative years, it is not the same as being a full-time professor.
"It's a wonderful experience. You always want to be in contact with young people. They're adaptive; they're the change agents."
Cotrell is looking forward to his sabbatical and to a return to the classroom.
"God willing, there's good health and a lot of life, a lot of energy left," he said. And, one could add, very definitely another verse to be sung in St. Mary's song.
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The U.S. President's
Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll's top-ranking Presidential Award
