“My making this decision certainly has nothing to do with any loss of affection for this place,” Nigliazzo said on Thursday shortly before the ribbon cutting of the rennovated Arnold Student Center - one of a dozen construction projects he has overseen during his tenure.
“I love this school, I truly do, and I love this community and all the communities I’ve worked with. You go into this job of president and you know it’s not permanent,” he said. “You got to give it your best shot as long as you can but you know at some point someone is going to come in behind you.”
He said his plan was to retire from Temple College after getting the school through mandatory state re-accreditation, but this opportunity was too good to pass up.
“Believe me, I would have been totally comfortable staying here until retirement,” Nigliazzo said. “But I’ve come to the point, like every president does at some point, where you start looking at all the goals and plans of the institution and it starts getting harder and harder to see yourself completing those things because you know your time is getting short. I have colleagues all over the state younger than me who have retired. I don’t think I would have ever gone on to become a president at another community college, but this was a different opportunity.”
At the University of New Mexico, Nigliazzo will fill the role of vice president of Rio Rancho operations and branch campuses. He will be in charge of setting up a branch campus in Rio Rancho, one of the fastest-growing cities in New Mexico and the third-largest. He will also supervise operations at the other branch campuses. He said his new role is very similar to what he has done with the East Williamson County Higher Education Center and the Texas Bioscience Institute. He has to bring the community, university and community college interests together to serve all students.
He said the president of the University of New Mexico, Dr. David J. Schmidly, was one of the main reasons he got the job. When Schmidly was the head of Texas A&M University at Galveston he worked with Nigliazzo who was then president of Galveston College and they have maintained a friendship ever since.
“We were looking for a proven, experienced person who had worked with the local community well, had worked on partnerships between community colleges and universities, and who had experience working with legislators and key constituency,” Schmidly said Thursday.
“We’re very excited. I think Marc is very talented and very solid and I was aware of the great job he has done in Temple. I think this is the only place in the country he would have left for,” Schmidly said. “I think geography and closeness to family had something to do with it, and it is always exciting to start something new. And, hopefully, under his leadership it will be very successful.”
Go into Nigliazzo’s office and behind his desk you will see Native American art, mementos from his early career in New Mexico and his time pursuing his doctorate at the University of New Mexico. Albuquerque is where his professional career began as a teacher and he has had an interest in retiring there, close to family. He said the college would continue to do just as well without his help.
“Over the last two years, we have become one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state and one of the fastest-growing colleges in the nation for our size,” Nigliazzo said. “We have one of the higher tuitions among community colleges, and 70 percent of students are not from Temple. Our growth is not because the president makes nice speeches at the Rotary Club, it’s because the students are getting what they expect from the faculty and staff of this school.”
During his 13 years, he has seen student population more than double and has overseen millions of dollars in construction projects and facilities improvements. The Texas Bioscience Institute and the simulation center have received national attention and Temple just passed a $7.5 million bond for new science labs to help the health sciences to expand even further.
“We have a taxing district the size of a postage stamp and with limited resources we have been able to do some pretty amazing things,” Nigliazzo said. “That’s attributable to the board, great faculty and staff, and communities that have supported the college. The staff that is in place is talented and creative and I promise you there is not going to be any faltering even during the search process for a new president.
“I have always been a fan of underdogs and given our size and limited resources we’ve always been the underdog. And yet I think we’ve demonstrated what creative talent can do,” he said.
The development of the Bioscience Institute is one Temple’s great success stories, said Dr. Alfred Knight, president and CEO of Scott & White.
Nigliazzo’s move is understandable considering his achievements at Temple College, Knight said.
“I’ve enjoyed working with him over the years on both education and economic development projects,” he said.
Nigliazzo moved Temple College to a different plane with the campus development that took place during his tenure, Knight said.
Nigliazzo said the college will be very attractive to a new president who wants to engage the community.
“A new president will have to be out in the community and be very visible,” Nigliazzo said. “I think a new president is going to find incredible opportunities with the Texas Bioscience Institute and health sciences, the East Williamson County Higher Education Center and the math and science strength in this institution. The challenge of the funding is going to always be there, whether it is battling with the governor or just finding the resources with such a small tax base.”
Jack Jones III, chairman of the Temple College board of trustees, said he was happy for Nigliazzo and his wife.
“The opportunity that he has in New Mexico is perfect for his abilities and skills,” Jones said. “(The president) has put together a position just for Marc. He’ll be able to finish his career in an exciting way, in a field that he loves and knows more about than anyone I can imagine, in a place he loves.
“Do we want to lose him, absolutely not. We’d love to be able to keep him alive forever and keep him here. The reason we’re not devastated is because he has put together, over 13 years - from the lowest level employee to the highest level administrator - an integral team. When he leaves there is no reason for that to change. We will miss him terribly, he’s part of this family, but this college won’t miss a beat, because of what Marc has done, and that’s probably the greatest and most important heritage he will leave to Temple College.”
Nigliazzo will also be on staff until June and will be able to help pick a new president with all the contacts he has made across the state over the years.
“It has truly been a privilege working for this institution,” Nigliazzo said. “I have worked with amazing people from the day (my secretary) Louise L. Cox met me at the door the day I set foot on this campus. There was a press conference waiting for me and Louise prepped me for it, and prepped me every day of my career after that. Louise was just a wonderful example of the quality of people at this school.”
