Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, and Hot Mustard welcome Edward Rodriguez, new director of the San Antonio College Fire Academy. Edwards’s career spans 23 years in multiple leadership and firefighting roles. The San Antonio College Fire Academy has a long-standing reputation with high graduation and employment rates since 1969. Students can also pursue an associate degree in Fire Science at SAC to advance in their firefighting career. SAC offers two associate degrees in the field, including Fire Science and Fire Service Leadership. Both degree programs are available fully online.

https://www.alamo.edu/sac/academics/program-index/first-responders-academy/fire-academy/

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, and Hot Mustard discuss the Superbowl, the halftime performance, and the “Superbowl flu”. SAC is hosting Valentine’s Dance on Thursday, February 12th in the Loftin Student Center. If you and your partner met on campus, please share your story with Lisa Garcia, [email protected]. Early Voting starts on Tuesday, February 17th and San Antonio College is an early voting center. People can vote in the SAC Victory Center, Room 117.

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, talks with Hot Mustard about Black History events put on by the Black Student Alliance at SAC. They also talk about the various opportunities offered by the Office of Student Life. OSL offers volunteering, on campus activities and off campus activities. Dr. Solis talks about the importance of taking advantage of these opportunities.

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, and Hot Mustard welcome Mia Smith to the show. Mia is the current San Antonio College Student Government Association President. She is in her second year at SAC and plans to graduate this may with a Criminal Justice Degree. Mia talks about her journey and how the SAC Student Government Association works with, and for students.

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, and Hot Mustard welcome students back for the first day of the Spring 2026 Semester! Dr. Solis talks about SAC’s participation in the MLK march and gives updates on the current construction projects around campus. Also, the Office of Student Life is hosting Weeks of Welcome; full of events and giveaways for students!

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, talks with Hot Mustard about Artificial Intelligence, AI, in Higher Education. The pair discuss the use of AI in the admissions process at Virginia Tech and the California Institute of Technology. San Antonio College is currently laying the groundwork for the use of AI by faculty and students.

Steven Mintz, history professor at the University of Texas at Austin, was quoted in a Business Insider article saying, "When 400 students can generate identical essays in 30 seconds, the problem isn't the students. The problem is the assignment." Mintz is moving away from take-home assignments, adding "no outside of class graded assignments. Assessment will be based exclusively on activities that can be observed in person."

Speaking of SAC returns in the Spring 2026 Semester!

https://fortune.com/2025/12/01/why-college-ai-ban-is-a-bad-idea-gen-z-jobs-crisis/

https://www.businessinsider.com/ai-didnt-break-college-it-exposed-broken-system-professor-2025-11

https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/ai-scoring-college-essay-new-era-admissions-128025579

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, and Hot Mustard talk with Christal Rodriguez, Distinguished Graduate in Math. She is the mother of three kids and takes classes online as she currently lives in Corpus Christi. She has been inducted into Phi Theta Kappa, the international honors society for community college students, and the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Christal talks about choosing SAC and the Alamo Colleges because they offered free books, an important consideration for someone who has bills to pay. She took 18 hours in the Spring, 18 hours during the summer, and 12 hours this fall to get her degree.

Listen to her amazing journey and plans for the future!

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, talks with Hot Mustard about Veterans Day. San Antonio College’s Veterans Affairs Office will hold a ceremony for SAC’s student veterans. Student veterans make up about 14 percent of our student population. During the ceremony, SAC will officially receive the 2025 Veteran Education Excellence Gold Award from the Texas Veteran’s Commission. This annual award has been given since 2021, and SAC has been honored every year with the Gold Award. We will be joined by Chancelor Dr. Mike Flores and Texas State Senator José Menéndez for the event to recognize our veterans.

As part of the SAC 100th anniversary, we invite the community to take part in our SAC Centennial History Harvest. Faculty members in our history program are collecting the oral histories of our former students, faculty and staff. Please share your personal stories of SAC. We would also like to get photos or copies of any SAC items that you may have. By hearing from our SAC community, we hope to gain a better understanding of just what SAC has meant to those who studied here.

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, talks with Hot Mustard about First Generation Students. This week SAC is celebrating its First-Generation Students with First-Gen week. Students have several opportunities to attend workshops centered around their success in the classroom and beyond. SAC will also host the First-Gen Fest, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, on the SAC Mall. The event will feature music, games, and food. There will also be campus resources on hand to offer help to SAC’s first-gen community.

This week’s guest is Tracy Floyd, Dean for Student Success, one of the newest members of our College Executive Team. She is a first-generation student and has worked in higher education for 15 years and was recently the Director of Student Success at Northeast Lakeview College She is also a veteran of the US Army where she served as a mental health technician.

Dr. Francisco Solis, San Antonio College President, talks with Hot Mustard about a San Antonio College holding a Fall Commencement Ceremony for the first time. The Fall Commencement is for students who completed their degree plans over the summer or at the end of this semester. Students who are eligible to graduate in December need to complete their graduation application this week – the deadline is Friday, October 31. Graduation candidates will be able to start picking up their caps and gowns starting on Monday, November 17.

SAC is hosting a Blood Drive on Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Thursday. October 30, in the Nursing Building, Room 218. There’s a theme for the blood drive, its called Lucky Draw, and every donor will receive a gift card. Card values range from $10 to $150. The blood drive is sponsored by the SAC chapter of the Texas Student Nurses Association and Alpha Delta Nu, the honor society for nursing students studying for an associate degree.

Shoutout to KSYM’s Patti Garcia, who works in the radio-tv-film program, she will be making her 100th lifetime donation to the blood bank. She says she is dedicating this donation to SAC’s Centennial. Last year, Patti was inducted into the San Antonio Radio Hall of Fame for her long and distinguished career on local radio.

More information on the Fall Commencement Ceremony is at alamo.edu/sac/graduation