The DISC is the one-stop source for data, as well as a variety of products and technical assistance to aid clients from initial project planning through completion. From population count requests and area income breakdowns to custom GIS services and specialized consulting services, the DISC handles the data needs of South Texas in a timely and efficient manner.

Drawing on an in-house information clearinghouse, a network of contacts with universities and state and federal government, and a high-end computer and software technological infrastructure, our center has the skills and expertise to satisfy your data needs and help you make informed decisions.

Sai Mullapudi
smullapudi@utpa.edu

http://www.utpa.edu/community/disc/

• Multiple Municipal Projects

UTPA College of Arts and Humanities (COAH) created the Festival of International Books and Arts (FESTIBA) in 2006, seeking to increase the interest in reading, help improve the success in secondary and post-secondary education, and provide an educational opportunity for at-risk youth in rural communities. With literacy, reading, and cultural and civic engagement as the focus of FESTIBA, it sought to foster a culture within the South Texas community that appreciates and celebrates the arts and humanities.

Now in its seventh consecutive year and under the wing of both the COAH and the Department of Community Engagement, FESTIBA has evolved into a regional event that brings together the most outstanding scholars, authors, and educators in their disciplines to UTPA and the surrounding community to contribute their expertise, encourage intellectual inquiry and exchange, and improve the capacity to teach and understand the arts and humanities. Featuring artistic exhibitions, musical concerts, lectures, among much more, this week-long exposition of knowledge and talent brings together hundreds of community members.

http://www.utpa.edu/festiba

The Hispanic Engineering Science and Technology (HESTEC) Program is organized by UTPA in conjunction with the Office of Congressman Rubén Hinojosa. The innovative program was created ten years ago to address the critical shortage of scientists and engineers in the United States and has become a national model for promoting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers among South Texas students who are predominantly Hispanic.

An annual week-long event, HESTEC brings together the most prominent members of Congress, corporate executives as well as foundation and educational leaders to join in the efforts to improve STEM Education. With events such as Educator Day, Latina Day, and Community Day, HESTEC reaches out to students, parents, and educators, informing them of the opportunities available in the STEM careers.

http://www.utpa.edu/hestec

• Department of Energy's Science Bowl

  With the goal of fostering science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, the University of Texas Pan-American, in conjunction with the United States Department of Energy, hosts the South Texas Regional Science Bowl annually. 

  During this competition, middle school and high school teams from all over South Texas test their knowledge by answering questions within the areas of science and mathematics as they vie in a fast-paced faceoff for an opportunity to advance to nationals and compete with teams from all across the country! First place winners obtain an all-expense paid pass for the National Science Bowl.

  Joel Ruiz
  jruiz@utpa.edu

  http://www.utpa.edu/hestec

• Fish/Cyber Mentoring

The goal of the Direct Marketing Initiative for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers in South Texas is to enhance the sustainability of beginning farmers and ranchers in a 34-county region of South Texas—specifically targeting limited-resource Hispanic producers that are often immigrant and first-generation farm workers—by helping them to successfully grow and direct market their agricultural produce and products.

The specific objectives are to:

• increase the awareness of direct-marketing options and agricultural programs available to beginning farmers and ranchers through coordinated outreach efforts;
• enhance the land stewardship by beginning farmers and ranchers through production and management strategies;
• enhance the financial viability of beginning farmers and ranchers through business management and decision support strategies;
• enhance the competitiveness of beginning farmers and ranchers though direct marketing strategies;
• improve the viability of beginning farmers and ranchers through legal strategies that provide land and farm acquisition and transfer.

George Bennack
Bennack@utpa.edu

This project helps local, small manufacturers who have been adversely impacted by North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with training and counseling. 

Business Development & Innovation (BDI) Group
956-665-7535

FORGE is a three-year project that assists the 16,000 Hispanic Farmers and ranchers-- in its 57 county Texas/New Mexico area--with USDA Programs available through the newly enacted 2008 Farm Bill.  The goal of FORGE is to provide outreach, training, and technical assistance to encourage and assist Hispanic producers of traditional crops and livestock to own and operate farms and ranches and to participate in USDA agricultural programs made available through the recently enacted 2008 Farm Bill.

Omar Garza, FORGE Director
omarg@utpa.edu

The Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) is funded by the Department of Defense, and its main objective is to increase the number of businesses selling products and services to government agencies. The PTAC can help any business interested in doing federal, state, or local government contracts. Service coverage encompasses the following counties: Brooks, Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Webb, Willacy, Zapata and Jim Hogg.

Business Development & Innovation (BDI) Group
956-665-7535

http://www.utpa.edu/ptac

This program helps new and existing small business owners develop their management skills by providing technical assistance through free, confidential counseling in various business areas such as business planning, financing, management, marketing, advertising and record keeping. Through numerous workshops and seminars, the SBDC helps prospective and existing small business owners and managers in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy Counties acquire the information that they need to make their business more successful.

It is comprised of three main SBDC programs:  SBDCTrade, SBDC Rural Business Program (RBP) and the SBDC Emergency Preparedness Project. SBDCTrade provides counseling and training to businesses looking to access the global market place; the SBDC Rural Business Program provides counseling and training to rural based businesses, specifically in Starr and Willacy Counties; and the SBDC Small Emergency Preparedness Program provides training and counseling in disaster preparedness and business continuity to area businesses.

Business Development & Innovation (BDI) Group
956-665-7535

http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/ce_home/bdi_home/sbdc_home

• SBDC Rural Business Program (RBP)
  

  http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/ce_home/bdi_home/sbdc_home

• SBDC Trade
  

  The UTPA Small Business Development Center offers specialized technical assistance to individuals interested in exporting and importing goods and services; and obtaining government and private contracting opportunities.

  For individuals interested in international trade, SBDC offers information on how to import and export and obtain the necessary paperwork.

  Individuals interested in doing business in Mexico can attend the ABCs of International Trade S and learn about how to start? You can listen to basic information on how to sell your product internationally.

  http://portal.utpa.edu/utpa_main/ce_home/bdi_home/sbdc_home

• Small Emergency Preparedness Project
  

The goal of ICNA is to improve nutrition of school-age children, reduce diabetes and obesity of school-age children, attach a 25% increase in the amounts of salads served through the school lunch program and implement early intervention for a continuous nutritional lifestyle.

It does so by providing schools with a “Garden Start-up Package” and “How-to Guide”, so that students can plan, maintain, nurture and harvest nutrition gardens to serve as a foundation from which valuable lessons about nutrition are acquired.

For more information on how you can establish a nutrition garden at your school and incorporate garden production into school lunch programs, contact the ICNA office.

Annie Studebaker, ICNA Project Director
studebakeraj@utpa.edu

Epifanio Mata, ICNA Project Assistant
epcervantes@utpa.edu

Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the South Texas Regional Rural Economic Development Strategy Pilot Project is an economic development initiative of UTPA, which seeks to stimulate economic growth and jobs in rural South Texas.

A strategy committee of growers, rural business leaders, elected officials, workforce, education, and others will provide input into the development of the regional asset map and strategic plan. Regional surveys, focus groups, interviews with key stakeholders, and a comprehensive SWOT analysis will be conducted with rural businesses and leaders to gain timely insight into the industry and serve as the foundation for a community-based strategic planning process.

Cris Trejo
trejoca@utpa.edu

The HSIAC Grant provides outreach and training in five focus areas: micro-enterprise development (through a 7 module program, containing a business lending component), housing (home buying basics and home refurbishing, with a lending component for repairs), job skills (interview skills, resume writing), youth financial literacy, and border health (food nutrition, obesity, and diabetes).

Michael Uhrbrock
Uhrbrock@utpa.edu