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Langabeer to hand over reins to new VPBA
For the first time since 1989, UTPA will have a new vice president for business affairs. Martin V. Baylor, associate vice president for budget and resource planning at The University of Texas at Dallas, has been selected to replace James R. Langabeer, who is retiring in August after serving in the position for 21 years. Read More...
New colleges, new names, new deans
When the College of Science and Engineering splits later this summer, the two new colleges will not only have new names but will also have new deans. Dr. David Allen, former engineering dean at the University of Nebraska, will head the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and Dr. John Trant from the University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute will be dean of the College of Science and Mathematics.
Diversifying the health professions
The College of Health Sciences and Human Services has received more than $1 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to provide need-based scholarships to students who are underrepresented minorities from disadvantaged backgrounds. Read More...
Summer I enrollment jumps 18 percent
A significant increase in enrollment in the first summer session could translate into UTPA's highest numbers ever for fall semester 2010. Summer I enrollment increased nearly 18 percent to 10,000, and semester credit hours jumped 35.5 percent. Read More...
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Math prof wins prestigious research award
Dr. Zhijun "George" Qiao, associate professor of mathematics, is recipient of a Norman Hackerman Advanced Research Program award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. His research proposal in applied mathematics was ranked second out of the eight funded math proposals in all Texas universities and research institutions. Read More...
Grant will fund processing of historic papers
The UTPA Library has received a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission to process the Congressional Papers of legendary Congressman Kika de la Garza, who served the 15th Congressional District of Texas in the U.S. House of Representatives for 32 years. Read More...
Another big step to ensure student success
UTPA has been chosen as one of 14 higher education institutions throughout the country to participate in the postsecondary pilot program of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), a 30-year-old nonprofit college readiness system that prepares underserved students for college. Read More...
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Valley to be heard in 'Veterans History Project'
Noel Ysasi wants to make sure the stories of those who served in the military during conflict are not lost. That is why the manager of UTPA's new Veterans Service Center has started collecting stories from veterans throughout the Rio Grande Valley to send to the Library of Congress. Read More...
Green thumbs, healthier lifestyles
Behind an agriculture shop, on a 20-acre elementary, middle and high school campus, lies a nutrition garden that San Perlita students are nurturing as part of a curriculum focusing on promoting healthy lifestyles. The garden is funded by Valley Telephone Cooperative Inc. in partnership with UTPA's South Texas Initiative for Child Nutrition. Read More...
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More UTPA grads earn M.D.s from Baylor College of Medicine
UTPA's Premedical Honors College program, begun in 1994, has recently added to its success with 9 more alumni earning medical degrees from Baylor College of Medicine in May. Even as the program celebrates its most recent successes, it seeks private funds to help even more students from South Texas realize their dreams of becoming doctors. Read More...
Drapers leave lasting legacy through estate plans
Margaret and Louis "L.C." Draper will long be remembered as two of UTPA's most generous and dedicated friends. The walls of the "Louis and Margaret Draper Conference Room" in the Department of Military Science are lined with photos and memorabilia that bring to mind two exceptional individuals who took a personal interest in seeing that UTPA ROTC cadets become well-educated officers. Read more...
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Pan Am Class of '61, mark your calendars!
1961 was a very special year. John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as President of the United States; Alan Shepard became the first American in space; and Pan American College awarded 211 degrees in two commencements. Those and many more memorable moments will be front and center when the Class of '61 gathers for a 50-year class reunion during Homecoming 2011. Read More...
State Bar board elects UTPA alum as chair
Pablo Javier Almaguer (BA '94), an attorney with Texas RioGrande Legal Aid, Inc. who credits UTPA professor Dr. Jerry Polinard with encouraging his interest in law, has been elected chair of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors. Read More...
UTPA grad accepts invitation to international conference
Hector Aguilar (BS '07), now a grad student in organic chemistry at UT San Antonio, was among top science students from around the world chosen to participate in this summer at the 60th annual Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany. Read More...
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Congratulations to...
Dr. Van Reidhead, dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences since 2005, who has been named provost at East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, effective August 1. Read more..
Marisa Pineda, graduate student in social work, who is one of 10 students from programs around the state to receive special scholarship awards honoring the 70th anniversary of the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. Read more..
Five Pan American alumni who were among seven honorees inducted into the Rio Grande Valley Sports Hall of Fame during a special 25th anniversary celebration June 18. Inducted were Luis Alamia Jr., Willie Garcia, Erasmo "Mo" Molina Jr., Kathy Abbenante Howell and Otto Moore. Read more.. |
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Greetings from rain-soaked South Texas. I am glad to report that UT Pan Am survived Hurricane Alex with only minor flooding and rain damage. The worst consequence of the storm may well be the mosquitoes—Texas-sized of course—they are huge and everywhere.
There has been some serious flooding along the Rio Grande from a subsequent storm, and the weather center is already tracking more suspect tropical depressions amidst predictions of a "monster hurricane season."
With Alex behind us, I can tell you, without any reservations, that Pan Am is hurricane ready. You may not know, but we work closely with state and national hurricane preparedness officials and serve as a staging area for the Texas State Guard. During Alex, the Guard deployed 700 troops here. They bunked in one of our campus gyms, and with the help of Sodexo, our food services' unit, we fed them until the storm passed.
In the meantime, we were busy securing the 56 buildings and 330 acres that make up the main campus. All employees do their part, but the Physical Plant and Campus Police bear the brunt of the work, sandbagging buildings and securing the campus. After the storm, they immediately went to work cleaning the campus and readying the buildings for finals (we just finished Summer I session). I am incredibly proud of how dedicated our employees are to providing a safe, secure place for our students.
There's a high probability we'll be doing these hurricane drills many times before this year's hurricane season is over, but with some hard work and a bit of luck, we'll fare as well as we did this time. ¡Mano a mano seguimos adelante!
Regards,
Robert S. Nelsen
President
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