Temple College's Eleventh President, Dr. Christina Ponce
Dr. Christina Ponce became Temple College’s 11th president in January 2019. Prior to becoming president of Temple College, Dr. Ponce held positions with Austin Community College, El Paso Community College, Lee College and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Dr. Ponce received her Ph.D. in educational administration from the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in education from UT and a master’s degree in political science from Texas State University.
Highlights of Dr. Christina Ponce’s presidency (2019-present)
Fall: The Circle of Support Student Resource Center opened in the Arnold Student Union. The resource center includes a food pantry, an office staffed by a social worker and an office where students can apply for emergency loans. Opening the resource center was part of the college’s new Circle of Support initiative, designed to help students with non-academic needs such as childcare, food, housing, mental health care and transportation that may be keeping them from meeting their educational goals.
Fall: The engineering and architectural firm Stantec begins working with the college to develop a new Facilities Master Plan.
Spring: Longtime men’s basketball coach Kirby Johnson retires after reaching several milestones, including 800 career wins and 100,000 points scored by players under his direction.
Spring: The college prepares for its affirmation of accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.
Spring: The Temple College chapter of Phi Theta Kappa is recognized as a Five-Star Chapter, the highest designation a chapter can earn.
March: A coronavirus pandemic hits the country, forcing the college to stop holding in-person classes and moving all classes online.
August: Temple College moves to a new 8-week course model and encourages students to take two courses every 8 weeks. The new initiative, called Focus2Finish, was developed as part of the college’s re-accreditation process.
October: Longtime Trustee Lydia Santibañez earns the 2020 M. Dale Ensign Trustee Leadership Award from the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT).
May 1: Trustees ask Temple voters to approve a $124.9 million bond issue to fund an expansion of the Health Sciences Center and the construction of three new buildings. The bond passes, 1,484-1,219
May 15: A new Temple College Alumni and Friends Association is formally launched at commencement.
June: Engineering Technology students Jennifer Ognibene, Christopher Walding and Mariah Wolschleger take second place in the Engineering Technology/Design category of the national SkillsUSA competition for college students.
September: Temple College receives a $3.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to partner with Texas A&M University-Central Texas, Taylor ISD, and other school districts to prepare more Hispanic and low-income students for careers in high paying, high-demand, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields.
March: Temple College launched Your Community’s College, a new branding and engagement campaign designed to position the institution as the civic, cultural and educational hub of Central Texas as it approaches its Centennial.
September: Dr. Christy Ponce represented Temple College on a national stage as a featured panelist at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, joining major voices in higher education, politics and workforce development to discuss the future of community colleges.
February: Temple College introduced Leopard Preview Day, a new flagship recruitment event welcoming high school students from across the region to explore academic programs, financial aid and career pathways.
May: In response to the 2021 $124.9 million bond election, the College broke ground on four major facilities — the Main Building, Arts and Workforce Building, Health Sciences Center and Campus Service Center — marking the largest capital investment in Temple College’s history ahead of its 2026 Centennial.
May: The Temple College Foundation launched its first biennial Kentucky Derby fundraiser, creating a new signature community event that generates significant support for student scholarships and College initiatives.
September: Provost Dr. Susan Guzmán-Treviño received the Texas Association of Community Colleges’ highest leadership award, reflecting Temple College’s growing statewide reputation for academic excellence and student success.
September: The College celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Vocational Nursing Program, which has trained more than 1,000 graduates to serve healthcare needs throughout Central Texas.
November: Temple College's Office of Community Engagement launched its Adopt-A-School program, partnering with five elementary schools within its service area to help build a strong college-going culture from an early age.
October: Dr. Christy Ponce was named the nation’s top community college CEO by the Association of Community College Trustees, receiving the prestigious Marie Y. Martin Award for leadership and innovation.
October: Temple College continued its enrollment surge, posting an 11% increase in fall enrollment over the previous year and a 22% increase since 2021 for a total of nearly 5,400 students. That did not include the additional 3,000 students enrolled in workforce training and Adult Education & Literacy programs, bringing Temple College’s overall enrollment to more than 8,000 students.
October: The College honored the legacy of the late Ruth A. Bridges, who served as the director of student life, by naming its annual fall festival in her honor, celebrating her more than 40 years of service to Temple College students and the community.
November: Temple College broke ground on its new four-story Health Sciences Building, expanding state-of-the-art training space for nursing, sonography and other high-demand healthcare careers.
August: Temple College celebrated the grand opening of its new Workforce and Visual Arts Building, a 70,000-square-foot facility that significantly expanded both high-tech workforce training and creative arts programming.
September: The Michael Donahue Gallery opened inside the new facility, honoring the longtime professor whose leadership helped shape Temple College’s visual arts program and the region’s arts community.
November: The Temple College Foundation awarded a record 427 scholarships totaling $460,255, providing life-changing financial support to students across the College’s service area.
November: Temple College and Texas A&M University–Central Texas formalized a landmark partnership that allows students to complete seven bachelor’s degree programs entirely on the Temple College campus, creating a true four-year university pathway for the region.
December: Governor Greg Abbott announced that Temple College was awarded a $9.8 million Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund grant to establish the Central Texas Chips Hub in Taylor, making it only the second higher education institution in Texas to receive TSIF funding. Developed in partnership with Texas A&M University–Central Texas, the hub will provide industry-aligned training — from dual credit through applied bachelor’s degrees — creating a regional talent pipeline for high-demand careers in semiconductor manufacturing.