by Legislative Media | Nov 3, 2015 | Politics
Featured: Martin Baylor, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, holds up a plaque recognizing UTRGV for its Tree Campus USA designation, during a ceremony on Thursday, October 22, 2015, at the Chapel Lawn on the Edinburg Campus. The cities of Edinburg and McAllen each recognized UTRGV with a proclamation.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
Soon after local leaders helped celebrate the designation of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg Campus, home to nearly 2,000 trees, as a Tree Campus USA, the attention of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation will be focused in Austin for the Wednesday, November 4, and Thursday, November 5, public meeting of The University of Texas System Board of Regents. On those two days, the regents will take action on dozens of measures impacting the UT System statewide, including at least two items of particular importance the UTRGV Edinburg Campus – a discussion and appropriate action regarding proposed provisional Mission Statement, to be presented by UTRGV President Guy Bailey – and the proposed purchase of an existing, privately-owned facility and lot at 1615 South Closner Boulevard for office and research lab use. The UT System Board of Regents meeting will be held on the ninth floor of Ashbel Smith Hall, 201 W. 7th Street in Austin, with the agenda book and links to the live webcast for the meeting posted online at
https://www.utsystem.edu/news/2015/10/30/ut-system-regents-meet-nov-4-5. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. Richard García and Agustín García, Jr. are not related. “In partnership with the Edinburg City Council, the EEDC and its Board of Directors work closely with the UTRGV and UT System leadership, along with the state legislative delegation, to support measures that benefit UTRGV’s Edinburg Campus and its soon-to-open UTRGV School of Medicine campus,” said Mayor García. “This has been a long-standing practice that continues to lead to major advances, both in facilities and academic programs, here at home, but which also benefits the entire Rio Grande Valley.” EEDC Board President Iglesias noted that just since August 2015 at the UTRGV Edinburg Campus, there have been major activities that have generated positive attention on the city, its quality-of-life, and continued economic growth. “From the approval by the UT System Board of Regents on August 21 of a $478 million budget for UTRGV’s 2016 fiscal year, to the October 5 groundbreaking of the $70 million UTRGV Science Research Building at the Edinburg Campus, the EEDC Board of Directors, Mayor and City Council remain key figures in this tremendous and documented progress,” said Iglesias. EEDC Executive Director Agustín García, Jr., noted that as a result of the city’s and EEDC’s legislative lobbying efforts, the Texas Legislature last spring approved a financing plan that will soon lead the construction of $37.6 million Interdisciplinary Engineering and Academic Studies Building at the Edinburg Campus. That facility will include a 250-seat lecture auditorium, two 150-seat lecture halls, five 60-seat classrooms, and offices. The project also will include an outdoor pavilion for use as a gathering or study space. The UT System Board of Regents meeting on November 4 and November 5 will continue the momentum, according to summaries of those anticipate actions that are included in the regents’ agenda book.
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by Legislative Media | Oct 31, 2015 | Politics
Featured: In this image taken on Tuesday, October 27, 2015, construction continues on schedule of the $54 million, 88,000 square foot University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine Medical Academic Building in Edinburg.
Photograph By MARK MONTEMAYOR
Just weeks after The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley officially opened its first fall semester, more outstanding news came to Edinburg and the Rio Grande Valley, said Mayor Pro Tem Homer Jasso, Jr. On October 16, 2015, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine announced it is now recruiting its inaugural class of students, after receiving preliminary accreditation from the federally recognized Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME designation allows the UTRGV School of Medicine to function as a medical school and implement its academic programs and curriculum. Scheduled to open in Fall 2016, the UTRGV School of Medicine plans to enroll 50 students into its charter class. “As part of the UTRGV campus in Edinburg, we are home to the first new academic building for the upcoming medical school, and UT System leaders have said there is room for more medical school facilities at our local campus in the future,” said Jasso. “These amazing developments just don’t happen on their own – it takes leadership and teamwork by everyone who is dedicated to bringing the resources we have earned to our home region.” With the Edinburg campus this fall bustling with action, including more than $150 million in ongoing and planned new construction, key city leaders are praising the landmark advances that highlight the historic first semester of UTRGV, whose largest campus is in Edinburg. “Since the first moment in 1927 when Edinburg Junior College was founded to opening day on Monday, August 31, 2015, when The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley opened with it first day of classes, generations of South Texans were able to receive a higher education that is first-class,” said Mayor Richard García. “Now, we are well on the way to creating, here in Edinburg and throughout the Valley, a university that will become world-class – among the best in the world.” García, who also serves as a member of the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors, said that a revolution is taking place at the 318.1 acre local campus (with plans by the UT System to soon expand by another 53 acres) that deserve constant and deserving attention. Throughout its history, Edinburg Junior College, which then would become Pan American College, Pan American University, UT Pan American, has had many of the best students, faculty, and athletic and academic programs in Texas, the mayor recalled. “The unprecedented growth that is unfolding before our very eyes is a direct result of the vision, determination, hard work, and incredible successes of the huge number of graduates, citizens, and leaders who, for the past 88 years, have built the powerful foundation which will always support The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley,” said García. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. Richard García and Agustín García, Jr. are not related. Iglesias said UTRGV, which also has campuses in Brownsville, Rio Grande City, Harlingen, McAllen, and South Padre Island, draws considerable positive attention to deep South Texas and its people. “In its first semester, UTRGV registered almost 29,000 students Valleywide, with Edinburg being the largest component, both in physical size and enrollment, of any university south of San Antonio,” said Iglesias. “That figure places us among the top 10 largest student enrollments among Texas universities. According to UTRGV, the Fall 2015 total student enrollment among its campuses is 28,583. Iglesias said UTRGV – and its predecessor institutions, UT Pan American in Edinburg and UT Brownsville, which were brought together to become UTRGV – benefit from a deep and talented pool of students from deep South Texas. “It’s no wonder that Texas A&M announced in mid-September that they, too, plan to expand their presence in Hidalgo County with a new site a few miles down the road in McAllen from UTRGV,” Iglesias noted. “The UT and A&M Systems, which are among the best in the U.S., recognize what we in the Valley have always known – we have what it takes to be among the very best.”
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by Legislative Media | Oct 27, 2015 | Politics
Featured: Dr. Temple Grandin signed her books for fans on Monday, October 26, 2015, at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Performing Arts Complex on the Edinburg Campus. Photograph By PAUL CHOY
Clad in her trademark authentic Western wear, Dr. Temple Grandin spent the day at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley telling a rapt audience to “look at what people can do, not at what they can’t.” Celebrated in the world of autism and a renowned expert on cattle handling, Grandin signed her many books for a long line of admirers, before and after a 90-minute talk about her life with autism and how to encourage the skills of those on the autism disorder spectrum (ASD) to achieve a productive life. “I want these kids to be successful, I want them to be everything they can be,” said Grandin, who has a Ph.D. and is a professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Diagnosed with autism at age 3, Grandin began her life communicating her frustration with only screams, peeps and hums. Considered “weird” as a youngster, a mentor helped her develop a successful career as a livestock-handling equipment designer. Today, she is one of the world’s most accomplished and well-known adults with autism, and has written a number of best-selling books on that topic, as well as on animal behavior. Her life was featured in the 2010 Emmy award-winning HBO movie Temple Grandin starring Claire Danes. Grandin said her mother encouraged her artistic talents and set her on a path of learning important work and social skills. Grandin had a sewing job at age 13 and at 15 was cleaning out eight horse stalls and a horse barn daily. In college, she did career-relevant internships. And a trip to her aunt’s ranch, when she didn’t want to go, changed her life, she said. “You’ve got to stretch these kids. I’m seeing kids getting babied, they are not doing everything they can do. You’ve got to learn how to work … it creates discipline,” she said. “One geeky kid is going to Silicon Valley to work for Google and another geeky kid is playing video games while on social security, and they are the same geek.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a federal agency, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a federal agency. There is often nothing about how people with ASD look that sets them apart from other people, but people with ASD may communicate, interact, behave, and learn in ways that are different from most other people. The learning, thinking, and problem-solving abilities of people with ASD can range from gifted to severely challenged. Some people with ASD need a lot of help in their daily lives; others need less. ASD occurs in all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups, but is almost five times more common among boys than among girls. CDC estimates that about 1 in 68 children has been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
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by Legislative Media | Oct 14, 2015 | Politics
Featured: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spoke at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg on Tuesday, October 6, 2015, during Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week (HESTEC).
Photograph By DAVID PIKE
Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week (HESTEC), held October 4 through October 10 at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg, drew thousands of visitors to its hometown, and generated positive regional and statewide attention to the city, which helps create more jobs and additional business, the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation has announced. The EEDC, of which Agustín García, Jr. is Executive Director, is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg Mayor and Edinburg City Council. The EEDC Board of Directors is comprised of Mark Iglesias as President, Harvey Rodríguez as Vice President, Ellie M. Torres as Secretary/Treasurer, and Mayor Richard García and Richard Ruppert as Members. “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Dr. Bernard Harris, the first African American astronaut to walk in space and a medical doctor by trade, journalist Soledad O’Brien, who is a former CNN and NBC anchor, Telemundo anchor José Díaz-Balar, comedian Paul Rodríguez, and Miss Texas USA Ylianna Guerra were among the numerous renowned figures who shared their talents, insights and wisdom with thousands of Valley students, encouraging them to finish their education, attend college or university, and consider the STEM, medical and information technology fields,” said Mayor Richard García. STEM is an acronym (abbreviation) for the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. But the attention generated by such high-profile individuals has both immediate as well as long-term positive economic impact on Edinburg, the mayor noted. “Thousands of people come into Edinburg for HESTEC every year, and we see it in more money being spent by those visitors in our local economy,” said Mayor García. “But as with all major events that are hosted in Edinburg, the eyes of the rest of the state, and throughout the nation are on us. As a result, our residents, visitors, potential residents, business owners, political leaders, and investors are reminded that Edinburg is where the action is, that we are the place to be. That results in more people and businesses wanting to stay here, move here, and invest here.” Mark Iglesias, EEDC Board President – an environmental biologist who is an alumni of The University of Texas-Pan American with a biology degree – said HESTEC this year also drew significant attention to a major new facility which broke ground at the Edinburg campus. “On the first day of HESTEC, university and community leaders celebrated the ceremonial groundbreaking for the $70 million Science Research Building on the Edinburg campus,” said Iglesias. “This is reportedly the largest facility, once it is completed, that will be on the Edinburg campus, spanning 115,000 square feet. But I am confident this is just the tip of the iceberg.” According to UTRGV leaders, the mayor’s and the EEDC board president’s optimism is well-founded and visionary. HESTEC, which was held from October 4 to October 10, 2015, addresses documented concerns that South Texas, Texas, and the country’s scientific and economic stability will face continued challenges without an increase in the number of students entering STEM, medical and information technology fields. From worker shortages, to the loss of high- paying jobs, to the loss of critical research and manufacturing resources, the lack of STEM graduates will have a significant impact on the country. In welcome remarks, Founding UTRGV President Guy Bailey said that, in his long career in higher education, he has never before seen an investment in a university like the one for UTRGV. “Our (UT System) Board of Regents has invested half a billion dollars of PUF money for UTRGV. It speaks to the confidence that the System has in us, and that the State of Texas has in us,” he said. “It is a great time in our history. It is a unique time in our history. And it is up to us to take full advantage of that.” The Permanent University Fund (PUF) is a public endowment that draws its revenues from oil, gas, and land leases to benefit the University of Texas and Texas A&M Systems. Funding for the Science Research Building was approved by the UT System Board of Regents in November 2013. The 115,000-gross-square-foot, four-story structure, designed by the San Antonio architectural firm Muñoz and Company, will be located adjacent to the current three-story science building that was built in 1998, and will complement the existing campus architecture. It will include classrooms, teaching labs, faculty and researcher offices, an instrumentation research and teaching core, and research labs supporting biological and physical sciences, including biology, physics, chemistry, math, pre-med and environmental studies. EEDC Executive Director Gus García, Jr. emphasized that the EEDC and the Edinburg City Council invest in promoting the best interests of UTRGV in Edinburg, both before the Texas Legislature, and in partnership with UTRGV leaders and the UT System Board of Regents. “The EEDC and the Edinburg City Council, through their direct participation, by guiding our state and national legislative consulting firms, and most important, in partnership with our state and legislative delegations, serve as champions for UTRGV in Edinburg in Austin and in Washington, D.C.,” said Gus García, Jr. “A university cannot lot lobby the Texas Legislature, but the Edinburg City Council and the EEDC can, and we do. That is also how we now have a major campus of a UT medical school now under construction in our city.” The planned UTRGV School of Medicine, which is currently constructing a $54 million medical education building, and the existing $20 million Regional Academic Health Center Medical Research Division, which opened in 2006, are both located on a separate 11.6 acre site, formerly administered by the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, all which are now are part of the UTRGV campus and under UTRGV’s governance, the EEDC Executive Director added.
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by Legislative Media | Oct 13, 2015 | Politics
Featured: María González, a Student Assistant with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valle, signs in a student at U Central on Monday, October 12, 2015, at the UTRGV Student Services Building on the Edinburg Campus. U Central is a one-stop shop on both the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses that works with various offices to centralize services via one point of contact.
Photograph By PAUL CHOUY
Gone are the days when students have to wait in multiple long lines to get answers to their questions on financial aid, registration, enrollment and other issues. Students at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley now can receive assistance at its new one-stop shop – called U Central – on both the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. On Monday, October 12, UTRGV celebrated the official opening of U Central with two ribbon-cutting ceremonies – one in the morning at El Gran Patio on the Brownsville Campus, and one in the afternoon outside the Student Services Building on the Edinburg Campus. U Central has been assisting students since August. UTRGV President Guy Bailey said U Central enables the university to achieve its primary goal of student success. “You need to have processes that help students get registered, get their financial aid, get in the right classes, meet advisers. And they need to be able to do that in as streamlined a fashion as possible,” Bailey said. “U Central provides that with cross-trained staff, technology and technological solutions to things. And it makes our goal really simple.” Bailey, the founding president of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, will be participating in a panel discussion during the Texas Tribune Festival on Saturday, October 17, at The University of Texas at Austin. The panel starts at 4:25 p.m. at the Student Activity Center Auditorium. The topic is “Price vs. Cost vs. Value.” Joining Bailey on the panel are Gregory Fenves, president of The University of Texas at Austin; Brenda Hellyer, chancellor of San Jacinto College; U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Dallas, and Renue Khator, chancellor of the University of Houston System and president of the University of Houston. Texas Tribune reporter Matthew Watkins will serve as moderator. Members of UTRGV’s Student Government Association will attend the festival to represent the university: Denisse Molina Castro, Vice President of the Brownsville campus; Alondra Galván, chair of the Senate; Nicholas Hill, senator at-large; and Marc Roque, senator for Liberal Arts.
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