An in-depth interview with Linda Battles, chancellor of WGU Texas

MCALLEN, Texas - The new chancellor of Western Governors University Texas has reaffirmed her institution’s “huge” commitment to South Texas.Linda Battles, who was appointed a WGU regional vice president and chancellor of its Texas division in September, recently visited the Rio Grande Valley. During the visit she met with administrators from South Texas College and the chairman of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), Fred Farias, a Rio Grande Valley native. Producing more nurses and nursing faculty was a big part of those conversations.For an exclusive interview with the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service, Battles was joined by Ivette Morales, WGU Texas’ strategic partnership manager. Asked about about WGU’s commitment to South Texas, Battles said:“It is huge because we have limited resources as a nonprofit institution. We place our individual team members in strategic locations where we want to make a difference in people’s lives.“Because my predecessor, Chancellor Steve Johnson, did make it a priority, that is why Ivette was placed here. And we hired for an individual here in South Texas.”Battles hails from another border community, El Paso, Texas. However, she knows South Texas well because she previously worked for the late state Rep. Irma Rangel of Kingsville. Rangel chaired the House Committee on Higher Education for many sessions and in the early 1990s helped secure $460 million for the South Texas Border Initiative, a body of legislation aimed at assisting nine higher education institutions along the Texas-Mexico border. Battles also worked for THECB for 19 years.“My commitment continues to South Texas. I have a big place in my heart for South Texas given my past work experience, traveling through seven counties throughout South Texas in one of my former jobs,” Battles said.“I want to make sure that we are expanding awareness of who we are and what we offer to the people of South Texas, to really realize our mission, which is to change lives for the better by providing pathways to opportunity. We are all so passionate about that.”Editor's Note: To read the full story go to the Rio Grande Guardian's website.Go to www.riograndeguardian.com to read the latest border news stories and watch the latest news videos.