Featured: Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, helped salute the estimated 2,401 graduates at the McAllen Convention Center on Saturday, May 13, 2017 as they walked the stage during the Spring 2017 Commencement Ceremonies to accept the degrees they worked so hard for over the years. More than 700 graduates also were honored during an evening ceremony on Friday, May 12, 2017 on the UTRGV Brownsville Campus. A combined total of more than 3,100 UTRGV graduates were celebrated in four ceremonies over a two-day period. Rodríguez is a former member of the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation, which is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg Council.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
With the month of May featuring graduation ceremonies from local and area high schools, South Texas College and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, one of the most influential supporters of publication in the Valley – the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation – will hold its public meeting on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, at Edinburg City Hall. The session, which begins at 12 p.m., will be held at Edinburg City Hall, located at 415 West University Drive. The Edinburg EDC, of which Gus García is the Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Ruppert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members. Mayor Richard García and Edinburg EDC Executive Director Gus García are not related. According to the Edinburg EDC Board of Directors’ agenda, which is also posted online at: http://edinburgedc.com/meetings-agendas/, they will meet to consider the following: Open Session: Call meeting to order; Roll Call; Presentation by Capable Kids Foundation; Discuss and consider authorizing the Executive Director to renew the Professional Services Agreement with Signature Public Affairs, Inc.; Discuss and consider approval of termination of the Interlocal agreement with the City of Edinburg regarding Project Wildcat; and Discuss and consider approval of a sponsorship for the Valley Symphony Orchestra. Executive (Closed) Session: Deliberate the offers of financial or other incentives to business prospects; Deliberate authorizing the Executive Director to enter into a Development Agreement with Dennis Owens; and Consultation with Attorney.
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Edinburg EDC Board of Directors to review quality-of-life goals and business prospects at noon Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at Edinburg City Hall
By DAVID A. DÍAZ
[email protected]
With the month of May featuring graduation ceremonies from local and area high schools, South Texas College and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, one of the most influential supporters of publication in the Valley – the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation – will hold its public meeting on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, at Edinburg City Hall.
The session, which begins at 12 p.m., will be held at Edinburg City Hall, located at 415 West University Drive.
The Edinburg EDC, of which Gus García is the Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council.
he Edinburg EDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mayor Richard García as President, Harvey Rodríguez, Jr. as Vice President, Elías Longoria, Jr., as Secretary/Treasurer, and Richard Ruppert and Dr. Peter Dabrowski as Members.
Mayor Richard García and Edinburg EDC Executive Director Gus García are not related.
According to the Edinburg EDC Board of Directors’ agenda, which is also posted online at: http://edinburgedc.com/meetings-agendas/, they will meet to consider the following:
Open Session
• Call meeting to order;
• Roll Call;
• Presentation by Capable Kids Foundation;
• Discuss and consider authorizing the Executive Director to renew the Professional Services Agreement with Signature Public Affairs, Inc.;
• Discuss and consider approval of termination of the Interlocal agreement with the City of Edinburg regarding Project Wildcat; and
• Discuss and consider approval of a sponsorship for the Valley Symphony Orchestra.
Executive Session
• Deliberate the offers of financial or other incentives to business prospects;
• Deliberate authorizing the Executive Director to enter into a Development Agreement with Dennis Owens; and
• Consultation with Attorney.
According to the Freedom of Information Foundation, the Texas Open Meetings Act, which is a state law, provides what a government must discuss in the open and what may be discusses in executive session, which takes place during the meeting, but away from the audience:
The Texas Open Meetings Act is detailed in Chapter 551 of the Government Code. It states that governmental bodies must hold open meetings unless there is an authorized reason for a closed session, also known as an executive session.
Key provisions of the act are as follows:
Covered Entities
Governing boards, commissions, agencies and other bodies created within the executive and legislative branches of government are subject to the Texas Open Meetings Act. Commissioners courts, city councils, school boards and certain nonprofit corporations providing public services or spending taxpayer money are among the entities covered. Certain property owners’ associations also are subject to the law.
Quorum
A quorum refers to a majority of members of a governing body, unless a quorum is defined differently by an applicable law or rule or charter of the body. A quorum must be present for the body to take action.
Posting of Notice
The governmental body must give the public notice of the date, time, place and subject of an upcoming meeting. The notice must be posted in a place readily accessible to the general public at all times at least 72 hours before the meeting. In case of an emergency or “urgent public necessity,” a meeting notice or addition to a meeting agenda may be posted at least two hours prior to the meeting. The governmental body must clearly identify the emergency.
Other Exceptions to Posting Law
Boards or commissions with statewide jurisdiction must have their meeting notice posted on the Internet by the secretary of state at least seven days before a meeting. Committees of the Texas Legislature are not subject to the meeting notice rules above. Their rules are set by the Texas House and Senate.
Closed Sessions
Closed, or executive, sessions may be held by a governmental body in certain situations. Executive sessions are permitted when a body is meeting with its attorney on litigation or a settlement offer; deliberating personnel matters; deliberating the purchase or lease of property; discussing certain financial contract negotiations; or discussing deployment of security devices. Several other exceptions to open meetings are also contained in the Texas Open Meetings Act.
UTRGV CELEBRATES SPRING GRADUATES AT THREE COMMENCEMENT CEREMONIES
One of the most anticipated and happiest days for about 2,401 graduates from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley finally arrived on Saturday, May 13, 2017 as they walked the stage during the Spring 2017 Commencement Ceremonies to accept the degrees they worked so hard for over the years.
The university celebrated the big day for UTRGV Edinburg Campus graduates with three commencement ceremonies – 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. – at the McAllen Convention Center.
More than 700 graduates also were honored during an evening ceremony on Friday, May 12, 2017 on the UTRGV Brownsville Campus. A combined total of more than 3,100 UTRGV graduates were celebrated in four ceremonies over a two-day period.
The morning events featured the graduates of the Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, and the College of Sciences.
College of Education and P-16 Integration and the College of Health Affairs graduates walked the stage at 1 p.m., while the 5 p.m. ceremony was dedicated to the College of Liberal Arts and College of Fine Arts graduates.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey congratulated the Class of 2017 for their accomplishments and told them that this day was the beginning of the rest of their lives.
“Remember as you leave today that this is the beginning, not the end. This is commencement, not termination … We are very proud of you and we look forward to following you the rest of your lives,” Bailey said.
He also told the graduates to celebrate their achievements.
“You have achieved something very special,” he said. “We have great ambitions for you. We want you to get out and get really good jobs.
“Now, I have to warn you that after you make your first million, I’m going to come and ask you for part of it,” he quipped.
MEET SOME OF OF THE UTRGV GRADUATES
Wonchuk Cha: “Loved my department’s support”
One of the first to walk the stage during the 9 a.m. ceremony for his Ph.D. in Business Management was Wonchuk Cha, 46 and a native of South Korea.
Before coming to the United States, Cha first worked as a radiation technician with an associate degree, and then earned a BA in media arts and sciences and an MBA in real estate in South Korean universities. He also worked for 10 years in franchising convenience stores, but felt something was missing – he wanted to continue his education.
He earned an MBA at Cleveland State University in 2010 before coming to then-UT Pan American in 2012.
Cha said he has had tremendous support from his wife, also from South Korea but whom he met here, and Dr. Michael Abebe, the Ph.D. program director and Associate Professor of Management, who nurtured Cha’s interest in researching the motivation behind corporate social responsibility and its link to corporate leaders and a company’s performance. Cha has published his research and presented at numerous conferences.
“I especially liked the faculty collaboration,” Cha said. “They really support me a lot, not only in research, but they treat me like a friend.”
After defending his dissertation this summer, Cha will move to New Haven, Connecticut, to become an Assistant Professor of Management at Southern Connecticut State University. He thinks his many years of being a student himself and interacting with them will help him to relate to his students.
“Sometimes students complain and they miss class. I understand. I tell them, ‘I was in your position for more than 15 years and I know every excuse that you make, because I used them,’” Cha said, laughing.
Cha is still committed to lifelong learning, particularly in earning more certifications related to his field.
“But I think this is going to be the last degree I earn,” he said.
Miguel Rodríguez: “I’m glad I went here…”
Miguel Rodríguez, 22, of Mission, graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the 1 p.m. ceremony.
He is grateful for the experiences he has had as a student, he said, and looks forward to starting his career.
Some of the highlights of his academic career include training at the simulation hospital at UTRGV’s Clinical Education Building in Harlingen, and at area hospitals, as well as coordinating and operating a health fair with fellow nursing students.
“I think the most beautiful thing I saw was the birth of someone, both naturally and C-section,” he said. “With our community health class, we went out to colonias and went into people’s homes and checked their blood pressure, so it’s not just about hospital work.”
Rodríguez said he also appreciated how knowledgeable and caring the UTRGV faculty is with the students.
“I’m glad I went here, in the Valley. They teach us general nursing, but a lot of the focus is on diabetic teaching and hypertension, and that’s a lot of what we see here in the Valley,” he said. “It’s culturally competent, and I really enjoyed the program overall.”
María Alvarado: “We can be as progressive as we want”
María Alvarado, 23, received her bachelor’s degree in theatre performance at the 5 p.m. ceremony.
Despite an early interest in dancing and acting, she said, she didn’t get involved in theatre until her last semester in high school when she appeared in a musical.
“I didn’t learn English until the seventh grade,” said Alvarado, who came to the United States with her parents in 2006 from Guanajuato, Mexico. “I was self-conscious of my accent … I was afraid the audience wouldn’t be able to understand me.”
She found she loved performing and learned from friends who appeared in a production of “King Lear” at then-UT Pan American that the university offered a theatre program. She auditioned her first semester for the university’s critically acclaimed, award-winning production of “Crawling with Monsters,” a documentary play about the effect on children of the U.S.-Mexico border violence going on at that time.
“It was a very important project. Nobody else was really documenting it or doing anything on it. It made me more passionate about being part of that,” she said. “I am so grateful that I had that immediate opportunity, which ignited the rest of my college years.”
Alvarado said she is proud to be the first in her family to graduate from college. With a goal of opening her own Latino theatre company one day, she hopes to attend graduate school at UCLA or another California-based university where she can learn more about production and the business side of theatre.
Alvarado said she is grateful for the opportunities provided by UTRGV and by her caring College of Fine Arts faculty mentor, Dr. Eric Wiley. But a student’s success, she said, really depends on their own initiative and willingness to take on challenges.
“We can be as progressive as we want, any place. We just have to want to,” she said.
Provost Havidán Rodríguez: “UTRGV is your university”
Before the graduates departed the McAllen Convention Center to start a new chapter in their lives, Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, asked them to always remember their alma mater.
“UTRGV is your university,” he said.
“Please remember, you will build the future, bring innovation, serve our communities, transform South Texas. And you will inspire the world,” Rodríguez said.
MAY 2017 McALLEN COMMENCEMENT PHOTO GALLERY:
https://utrgv-umc.photoshelter.com/galleries/C0000OxOMyzQL3z4/G0000XARk5spMehU/20170513-Spring-Commencement1-9am-EC-PC (UTRGV Gallery Photos by Paul Chouy)
PASSWORD: gradspring (case sensitive)
PHOTO GALLERY OF DECORATED GRADUATION CAPS:
https://utrgv-umc.photoshelter.com/galleries/C0000OxOMyzQL3z4/G0000Mk2x_LfwZ7Q/20170513-Spring-Commencement-Grad-Caps-EC-PC (UTRGV Gallery Photos by Paul Chouy)
PASSWORD: gradcaps (case sensitive)
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Gail Fagan and Jennifer L. Berghom contributed to this article. For more information on the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation and the City of Edinburg, please log on to http://edinburgedc.com or to http://www.facebook.com/edinburgedc
