The Best

With a strong belief that small businesses are the stimulant for job growth and the U.S. economy, Dr. Alberto Davila, who holds the V.F. and Gertrude M. Neuhaus Chair for Entrepreneurship at The University of Texas-Pan American, is working to cultivate entrepreneurs in the Rio Grande Valley.

A year after coming to the University in 1996, Davila created a minor in entrepreneurship in the College of Business Administration that offers classes such as family in the small business, small business finance, management and accounting. The entrepreneurship minor was designed to teach students how to start and successfully run a business after graduation.

“Many of the growth opportunities are in the area of entrepreneurship,” said Davila, a professor of economics and finance at UTPA.. “Most of the jobs generated come from people starting new businesses and small businesses. In this economy I believe it’s extremely important to learn some of those principles.”

Davila, who also chairs the Department of Economics and Finance at UTPA, earned his Ph.D. in 1982 from Iowa State University and knew early on he wanted his career in academia to focus on research related to the Rio Grande Valley.

An economist who examines border issues, Davila has conducted numerous studies on the economics of language, Hispanic labor markets, and U.S.-Mexico border issues and has also written numerous articles about the scholastic progress of students with entrepreneurial parents, English language skills and the earnings of self-employed immigrants to the United States.

Most of the research Davila conducts is in partnership with his wife Dr. Marie Mora, who is also a professor in UTPA’s Department of Economics and Finance. Some of his most recent research focuses on analyzing Mexican entrepreneurs’ effects on the local economy.

“There has been a belief in the literature that Mexican immigrants come to this area and serve to depress the earnings because they start competing with other people and that leads to lower earnings relative to the interior of the United States,” Davila said. “Our research found that perhaps it works in a different way. Mexican nationals are coming here and finding good opportunities here for new businesses and are opening up new businesses, thus creating jobs for our community and actually driving earnings up.”

Davila said the findings of that study are important from a national policy perspective.

“If we have policies that try to shut down the flow of Mexican immigrants, then that can be detrimental to the economic development of our area,” he said.

He is most passionate about teaching students and having the opportunity to serve as a mentor.

“I’m a product of this area, and to see people who would have not moved up if it were not for UTPA is just humbling,” the Brownsville native said. “It really feels good when you make a difference or perceive that you were there at the right time to help students make a good decision. Just to know that I am in a position to guide students makes me feel great.”

Gabriela Rivera, a senior finance major at UTPA, said Davila’s teaching methods are unsurpassed and his mentoring helped her secure a job with the U.S. Department of the Treasury after she graduates this year.

“I really enjoyed his classes because he incorporates current events into his lessons to help teach more effectively,” Rivera said. “I was very confused with what path I wanted to take after graduation, and he helped me in choosing a career. He showed me what was possible.”

He and his wife are avid travelers, but even when he is away Davila is always thinking about his next research topic. A forthcoming book about labor market issues along the U.S.-Mexico border, which he co-authored with his wife, is due out later this year.

Davila is also director for UTPA’s Neuhaus Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Education, which seeks to promote research on entrepreneurial and economic development issues and fulfill community service by supporting local teachers. Since 1998, the center has been providing Mini-Society workshops to educators to help them improve their teaching skills and initiate economics lessons in neighboring elementary and middle school classrooms.

“I believe that economics is the ‘math of business.’ Understanding the fundamentals of economics is extremely important for making sound business decisions,” Davila said. “As such, the sooner students are introduced to these fundamentals, beginning with elementary and middle school levels, the better off they will be in the business world as adults.”

For more information about the UTPA Department of Economics and Finance, call 956/381-3354.