"I think we can find an appropriate balance where universities not only look at the top 10 percent, but they also look at those wonderfully competitive students who may have not made the top 10 percent but have done something incredibly special," Cigarroa said.
Cigarroa also must deal with the future of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, which suffered $1 billion in damage from Hurricane Ike.
Cigarroa said revitalizing the facility would be a top priority but he couldn't say what its "appropriate size" would be.
One of nine children born to a doctor and a disciplinarian mother in Laredo, Cigarroa recalls a childhood filled with trips to his grandparents across the border in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. He frequently visits his mother-in-law there.
The Yale graduate received his medical degree, with highest honors, from UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. His surgical prowess has earned him the nickname "manos de oro," or "golden hands."
State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, a longtime family friend, called Cigarroa a "true renaissance man" who represented the changing demographics of Texas.
"Imagine the kind of role model he'll be for young students," she said. "Imagine how many parents will look at him proudly."
© Copyright 2005 by DiverseEducation.com
