FEATURED, FROM LEFT: Dr. Jesús Roberto Rodríguez, President, Texas Southmost College; Dr. Fred Farías, III, the recently-appointed Associate Dean for External Relations and Associate Vice President for Governmental Relations, the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley; and J.J. De León, former member, Board of Trustees, Texas Southmost College. The South Texas leaders are shown here in December 2023 during a break from a meeting in Austin of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Farías, former Chair of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, resigned his position from that state agency effective Saturday, June 21, 2025, in order to go work with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
Photograph Courtesy TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD
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Dr. Fred Farías, III, longtime statewide leader in Texas higher education, appointed to two key positions at UTRGV’s School of Optometry
By PATRICK GONZALES
Dr. Fred Farías III, a lifelong advocate for higher education and a nationally respected leader in optometry and public service, has joined The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in two key leadership roles.
Farías has been appointed as the Associate Dean for External Relations at the UTRGV School of Optometry and Associate Vice President for Governmental Relations. In these positions, he will help expand the university’s external partnerships, advance strategic legislative initiatives, and promote UTRGV’s growing presence across Texas and beyond.
In his new roles, Farías will engage with external partners in eye care, government and advocacy groups; oversee continuing education initiatives; and provide insight into clinical operations to outside stakeholders.
His appointment follows more than a decade of service on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), where he most recently served as Chairman. He officially stepped down from the board earlier this summer to fully dedicate his time to UTRGV.
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)
“With UTRGV already a major force in higher education in Texas, adding someone with Dr. Farias’ expertise at both the state and national levels is a powerful advantage for the Rio Grande Valley,” said Sen. Juan Hinojosa, D-McAllen. “He is well-known and highly respected at the State Capitol and by the UT System Board of Regents. His experience as Chairman of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is invaluable and benefits UTRGV, the School of Optometry, and our communities.”
Farías served on The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board since 2015, and was previously vice chairman of the board, chairman of the Academic and Workforce Success Committee, and a member of the Texas Higher Education Foundation.
“We are proud to welcome Dr. Farías to our leadership team at UTRGV. His deep understanding of education policy, extensive relationships across Texas and his dedication to student success will greatly amplify our voice – not only in Austin but throughout the nation,” UTRGV President Guy Bailey said. “With his leadership, we will continue expanding our mission to serve the Rio Grande Valley through innovation, collaboration and care.”
Farías has collaborated closely with university and state leaders for more than a decade to support the region’s academic and economic development.
During his tenure at THECB, the agency significantly shaped Texas’ higher education landscape through data-driven reforms and strategic investments, including support for more than 40 new UTRGV degree programs since the university’s founding.
Under his leadership, the THECB was recognized in 2023 by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association as one of the top higher education agencies in the country. The award highlighted the agency’s innovation, exceptional governance and successful launch of the Building a Talent-Strong Texas strategic plan – an ambitious initiative focused on aligning postsecondary credentials with workforce demands and improving economic mobility for students.
“I am honored to take on these new roles at UTRGV and to continue serving a university that represents the future of higher education in Texas,” Farías said. “The progress we’ve made in the Rio Grande Valley is just the beginning, and I’m excited to help lead UTRGV into its next chapter of growth and impact.”
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is an agency of Texas’ government that oversees all public post-secondary education in the state. It is headquartered at 1801 North Congress Avenue in Austin.
THECB determines which Texas public four-year universities are permitted to start or continue degree programs. THECB also evaluates degrees from other states and other nations for use in Texas. However, operations of the various universities or systems are the responsibility of each university or system board of regents.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_Higher_Education_Coordinating_Board
A native of McAllen and president and CEO of 20/20 Vision Care, Farías has been a longtime champion for South Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication from The University of Texas at Austin, a Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry and a Master of Science in Clinical Service Operations from Harvard University.
“When I was studying at UT Austin, I knew I wanted to go into a health profession,” Farías said. “I knew if I were to open my own practice or clinic, effective communication with patients would be an important part of this. Now that I have my own practice, I draw upon my training from the college constantly, including persuasive and nonverbal communication.”
Farias earned his bachelor’s in speech communication from Moody College before graduating in 1987 from the Southern College of Optometry.
“Any health profession is a balance of science and communication,” Farías said. “At my practice, we see patients every day, and I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve heard patients say that they’ve seen the best doctors, but that they can’t always understand them. Communication is vital, even in research. Doctors also need to be able to communicate with other doctors in order to share findings from studies and new developments.”
https://moody.utexas.edu/news/balancing-science-and-communication
On Thursday, June 3, 2021, Gov. Greg Abbott named Farías as Chair, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, for a term that was scheduled to expire in August 2025. There are 10 members of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. All members are appointed by the governor.
He is a fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, former president of the Texas Optometric Association and the Rio Grande Valley Optometric Society, and a former member of the American Optometric Association Board of Trustees.
Farías was named the Texas Optometrist of the Year in 2015 and the National Optometrist of the Year in 2016. He is a past gubernatorial appointee to the Texas Optometry Board, where he chaired the Licensing and Administration Committee.
He is a lifetime member of The University of Texas (UT) System Chancellor’s Executive Committee and the UT Austin Development Board and a member of the UT Longhorn Foundation Athletic Advisory Council. He is a charter member of the Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation.
Additionally, he is active in the McAllen community, serving as chair of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Council. He has served on many local and statewide boards including the Vannie E. Cook Cancer Center, the Rio Grande Valley Arthritis Foundation, FuturoRGV, and the Museum of South Texas History.
In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, Farías received the UTRGV President’s Medal of Honor in May 2024 – one of only six individuals to ever receive the university’s highest distinction.
On Tuesday, May 6, 2025, UTRGV leaders announced that its proposed School of Optometry had recently been granted Stage One designation by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education(ACOE), marking a crucial milestone on the path to full accreditation and the program’s planned launch in fall 2027.
UTRGV anticipates welcoming its inaugural class of the School of Optometry as early as Fall 2027, becoming the second public optometry school in Texas.
In a letter to Bailey, the ACOE stated that UTRGV’s letter of intent, needs assessment, feasibility study and risk assessment were “complete and sufficiently developed.”
This Stage One designation confirms that foundational planning is on track, allowing the program to continue its accreditation process.
“Stage One designation is an important milestone on our path to launching South Texas’s next premier healthcare program,” Bailey said. “The School of Optometry will not only address a critical shortage in vision care but will serve as a beacon for interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in South Texas.”
Approved by the UT System Board of Regents in May 2024 and endorsed by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in January 2025, UTRGV is set to become only the second public university in Texas to offer a Doctor of Optometry (OD) program.
The University of Houston College of Optometry is currently the only public optometry school in Texas. Additionally, the University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry in San Antonio is the only faith-based institution with an optometry program in the nation, according to UIW.
The new OD program at UTRGV is designed to enroll approximately 40 students per cohort and will employ 20 full time faculty, blending research active scientists with clinical practitioners. The four year, 189 credit hour curriculum will model itself after the nation’s top five optometry programs in terms of board pass rates and will include roughly 1,500 supervised patient encounters across specialties such as glaucoma, pediatrics, myopia control, vision therapy and surgical care.
Collaboration with UTRGV’s School of Medicine and South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute will integrate cutting edge research into the curriculum – an especially vital focus in a region where diabetes related eye disease is a leading health concern.
“The School of Optometry’s foundation is rooted in collaboration – with leading researchers, clinical experts and the community,” said Dr. William Miller, Dean of the School of Optometry. “We are proud to be shaping a program that combines scientific inquiry with compassionate, hands on care for communities across the Valley.”
On Friday, January 24, 2025, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boardofficially endorsed UTRGV’s proposal to launch a new School of Optometry and a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree.
This pivotal approval, announced on Thursday, January 23, 2025, marked the second step in a lengthy development process that will require further approvals from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education.
Bailey remarked on the importance of this approval, allowing local students to pursue their dreams within the region.
“The THECB's decision is a crucial step forward in our efforts to advance healthcare education in the Rio Grande Valley,” Bailey said. “This program will open new educational opportunities and increase access to specialized treatments for our communities.”
Bailey added the School of Optometry will enhance UTRGV’s ongoing diabetes research and care initiatives in the region. Students will gain hands-on experience in specialty optometric services, including surgical care, diabetes management, dry eye treatment, myopia control, vision therapy, neuro-optometric care and special populations.
The UTRGV School of Medicine and the South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute will collaborate in these research and clinical activities.
“We are dedicated to building pathways for our students while addressing healthcare shortages in the Valley,” Bailey added. The proposal received initial approval from the University of Texas System Board of Regents on Thursday, May 4, 2024.
UTRGV appointed Dr. William L. Miller, an accomplished clinician, educator and researcher, as the inaugural dean of the School of Optometry. Miller has decades of experience in optometric education, serving at three previous institutions of higher education. He has served as a tenured faculty member at two of those institutions holding administrative positions including Clinical Service Chief, Chair of the Clinical Sciences Department and of late the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
“I am excited to see UTRGV achieve approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for the next step toward opening a School of Optometry,” Miller said. “The steps forward will include achieving accreditation with the goal of welcoming students in Fall 2027.
“In my short time at UTRGV, it is apparent that the university has laid the foundation through intentional planning and support to achieve success. I look forward to serving the Rio Grande Valley community and providing eye care and future eye care providers to the area,” Miller added.
The school plans to enroll about 40 students per cohort and will require approximately 15 full-time faculty members, including both research-active and clinical faculty. The new OD program will be a four-year, 189-credit-hour curriculum modeled after the top five optometry programs in the U.S. for national board examination pass rates.
(In general, a cohort is defined as a group of students in a university who work through a curriculum together to achieve the same academic degree together. Cohortians are the individual members of such a group.)
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, resulting in a new School of Medicine, a School of Podiatry, and a School of Optometry – and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund, a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
The Permanent University Fund (PUF) is a public endowment in Texas that supports the University of Texas System and the Texas A&M University. Established in 1876, the PUF is primarily funded by land in West Texas and its revenue-generating activities, including oil and natural gas leases. The PUF is one of the largest public university endowments in the United States.
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David A. Díaz contributed to this article. For more on this and other Texas legislative news stories that affect the Rio Grande Valley metropolitan region, please log on to Titans of the Texas Legislature (TitansoftheTexasLegislature.com).
