SAN ANTONIO – The president of Texas A&M University-San Antonio is leaving her post for San José State University in California.
Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson, who started at A&M-San Antonio in 2015, will begin her role as president of the West Coast university in January, the institution announced Wednesday.
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In her seven years in San Antonio, the campus population expanded from 4,500 to 7,200 students. The university also started to offer dorms and expanded downward by offering freshman and sophomore courses.
The university also became a designated U.S. Department of Education Hispanic Serving Institution in 2016 and received the Seal of Excelencia certification in 2021.
“Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson helped Texas A&M University-San Antonio grow into the strong regional university it has become and we are thankful for her service and wish her continued success at San José State,” John Sharp, chancellor of The Texas A&M University System, said in a news release. “Her focus on serving South San Antonio will be her legacy here. We will begin a nationwide search immediately to find a dynamic leader worthy of the fastest growing campus in The Texas A&M University System.”
Teniente-Matson is the second president to serve A&M-San Antonio, which became a stand-alone university in 2009 and became accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges in 2014.
“It is a bittersweet moment as I am extraordinarily proud of all the students, faculty, staff and alumni of A&M-San Antonio,” Teniente-Matson said in the release. “Together we have helped to further our trajectory with an eye towards inclusive excellence, academic program growth and support for the future of our community. Our campus is a better place because of the widespread philanthropic and public support we have received over the years. The future is bright at A&M-San Antonio.”
An interim president will be selected until a permanent replacement is announced.
Teniente-Matson is taking over San José State University amid a sex abuse fallout there.
President Mary Papazian agreed to step down at the end of the fall semester after female student-athletes reported sexual assaults by their athletic trainer.
Thirteen students were awarded $1.6 million because federal prosecutors found the university failed to respond to their reports.
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