Mega Doctor News
By Roberto Hugo González
On March 13, 2025, the Radisson Hotel in McAllen became the backdrop for the Rio South Texas Education and Community Development Foundation’s (RSTEF) second Annual Awards Ceremony. The evening, hosted by Adam Gonzalez, CEO of COSTEP and RSTEF, brought together educators, nonprofit leaders, institutional partners, and policymakers from across the Rio South Texas region to celebrate investments in the region’s educational and workforce future.
In his opening remarks, Gonzalez reflected on the organization’s nearly 50-year legacy of supporting higher education. “It’s a great honor to serve this organization,” he told attendees. “The foundation has always given back to the community.” He recalled RSTEF’s early role as a secondary student loan market, at one point serving more than 45% of higher education students in the region with interest rate discounts of up to 3%.
Today, RSTEF drives strategic investment in programs that address skill gaps, education access, and economic mobility. Since 2019, RSTEF has awarded $9.4 million in grants—doubled to $18.8 million through matching funds—to 26 education and workforce programs across its seven-county region.
Among the most urgent needs highlighted during the evening was the severe shortage of registered nurses across Texas. This concern was addressed by Patty Rabel, the Senior Director of Development from the Texas A&M University Foundation, who accepted a $250,000 grant to expand nursing education in the Rio Grande Valley. “Howdy—you were expecting that from an Aggie, right?” the speaker began smiling before offering heartfelt thanks to the RSTEF board and leadership. “On behalf of the Texas A&M College of Nursing, I want to thank the RSTEF board members. Adam and Raphael have been true partners to us every step of the way.”
Texas A&M’s nursing initiative is in a firm position to make a measurable impact. With the program set to launch face-to-face instruction in McAllen by spring 2026, it aims to graduate approximately 100 new nurses annually. “As we approach 2030, we know the statewide demand for RNs will exceed the supply—leaving a deficit of 60,000 nurses,” the representative warned. “Healthcare leaders in the Valley have made it very clear—they need more nurses, and we know that.”
Students at the McAllen site will receive the same high-quality instruction offered at Texas A&M’s flagship College Station campus, where NCLEX pass rates average an impressive 99%. The college is actively recruiting an assistant dean and inaugural faculty to lead the McAllen-based cohort. “We’re asking for your help to get the word out,” the speaker added. “This is an opportunity to build something powerful right here in South Texas,” said Rabel.
Throughout the evening, Gonzalez detailed the diverse range of RSTEF-funded programs, including advanced industrial robotics, biomedical training, teacher apprenticeships, credit recovery, CTE pipelines, and computer engineering, construction science, and banking scholarship endowments.
As Rio South Texas continues to grow, the 2025 RSTEF Annual Awards Ceremony was a clear reminder that collaboration between educational institutions and philanthropic leadership is essential to addressing the region’s most pressing workforce challenges—including the looming nursing shortage.
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