Sergio Medina
Editor in Chief
Kathryn Funk-Baxter, who has been chief financial officer and vice president for business affairs for this university since 2020, will retire by the end of the semester to devote time to family.
Funk-Baxter began her position just as the COVID-19 pandemic started, overseeing both a transition to remote learning — and back to in-person learning — and the addition of two buildings to campus.
The university established a hiring committee to find candidates for the position with the help of an external search firm. The committee is expected to announce candidates as soon as November or December, Funk-Baxter said in an interview Sept. 26.
Since her start at Texas A&M University-San Antonio, Funk-Baxter said she is proud of the expansion happening on campus, with the construction of the Classroom Hall and the ongoing development of the new business and library building directly south.
“It was delayed a bit because of supply issues … but we’re still scheduled to open later this fall,” she said. “And then, I’ve also been involved in the planning phase of additional facilities, such as new housing — a second phase of housing; the recreation center and several other projects we have under planning phases, as well.”
Funk-Baxter said it was a challenging stage at the start of her position because the pandemic had just started.
“I guess I never imagined all of the items that went with preparing the campus and creating a safe environment for the students and faculty and the staff to operate in,” she said. “There were a lot of people that worked really hard to make that successful, for the campus to have a safe environment.”
Since then, the pandemic caused classes to be moved online for the better part of two years, until attendance steadily returned with hybrid options in the academic year 2021-22, progressing to most classes happening in person this fall.
As to the working environment, Funk-Baxter said she’s satisfied with administrative cooperation and teamwork.
“We have a really great leadership team, and I have enjoyed my work efforts with my colleagues,” Funk-Baxter said. “We now have a new provost (Dr. Mohamed Abdelrahman), and that’s really exciting for the university. It’s been very enjoyable.”
Abdelrahman began his post in July.
Dr. Joni Baker, Title IX coordinator — which is a department Baxter oversees — said Funk-Baxter has always been supportive of her department in an interview Sept. 30.
“Let me say that Kathy Funk-Baxter has been one of the best bosses that I’ve had in my 40-plus years of professional experience,” she said.
Baker said Funk-Baxter has been involved in the development of the Title IX Office’s more “proactive” approach to handling sexual harrassment and discrimination on campus.
“Title IX may seem to be a small operation, but it’s as important to the safety and the wellbeing of the campus community. Kathy is well aware of this,” she said.
Other areas Funk-Baxter oversees include:
- Facilities.
- Police department.
- Information Technology Services.
- Human Resources
- Risk Management.
- University Compliance.
Funk-Baxter also oversees the budget and financial needs of the university.
Craig Elmore, assistant vice president for financial services, and Ronald Davidson, chief of police, declined to be interviewed by The Mesquite.
The position earns a yearly salary of $188,000, according to the A&M-San Antonio’s operating budget from the fiscal year 2023.
Previous to A&M-San Antonio, Baxter worked as vice president for business affairs at the University of Texas at San Antonio 2015-2018. Prior to that, she had been executive vice president for finance and administration at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, where she worked for 21 years.
Having retired from UTSA, Baxter said she came to A&M-San Antonio because she found “things that she could contribute” in a system that was similar to that of A&M-Corpus Christi’s.
Ultimately, her retirement now comes with a focus on family.
“I have two grandchildren that I want to spend more time with,” she said. “So the time is right, I’ve been able to accomplish many different things in my position here — two and a half years that I’ve been here. (I have) had some really great people in my division, and I feel like I’ve set them up pretty well to succeed, and so I’m ready to go on to my next chapter.”
In an interview Oct. 5, President Cynthia Teniente-Matson said Funk-Baxter will have a supportive role as her successor arrives in the new year.
That, coupled with the hiring committe’s ongoing search, will ensure a smooth transition, she said.
“Kathy is going to stay on into the new year on a part-time project basis for training and transition, as needed,” Matson said. “So those are both safeguards that help ensure that we have a smooth transition.
Matson said Funk-Baxter came out of retirement from UTSA to fulfill her position at A&M-San Antonio.
“I was very pleased with that, and she guided us through the pandemic and has just been a steady, capable, competent and profound leader,” Matson said. “I am sad to see her go, but I understand her desire to go back into retirement and spend time with her grandchildren and with the rest of her family.”
To her successor, Funk-Baxter said, “Be patient. Always remember our office — our division exists to serve the university, the students, the faculty and the staff.”
