UTEP remains vital and evolves News The Prospector University of Texas at El Paso
UTEPremainsvitalandevolves
ByPamelaPrieto Published:Tuesday,August25,2009 Updated:Monday,January18,201010:01
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TheUniversityofTexasatElPaso|
OnSeptember23,1914,theStateSchoolofMinesandMetallurgyopeneditsdoorstoservethe educationalneedsof27ElPasoansinitsthreebuildingcampus. IthastakenalmostacenturyforthatinstitutiontodevelopintotheUniversityofTexasatElPaso thatitistoday,butitsevolution,bothphysicalandconceptual,continues. "Studentbodiescomeandgo,buttheyalwaysleavetheirfootprints,"saidBettyWilkinson,chair oftheUTEPHeritageCommission. Wilkinsonreceivedherbachelor'sandmaster'sdegreesfromUTEPwhenitwasstillknownas theTexasCollegeofMinesandMetallurgy. "TherewasnoEducationBuilding.CottonMemorial,theUnionandGeologywerebeingbuilt whenIwasthere,"shesaid."Inthosedays,itwasn'tamatterofgettingaparkingplaceitwas aboutgettingtheparkingplaceyouwanted." Sincethen,thecampushasgrowntoincludemorethan70buildings,withsomeundergoing renovationsandothers,likethenewChemistryandComputerScienceBuildingandtheHealth SciencesandNursingComplex,stillunderconstruction. "Oneofthereasonsthatourcampusissobeautifulisthatwehavesustainedacommitment since1917toasingle,unifyingarchitecturaltheme,inspiredbythetemplesoftheKingdomof Bhutan,"saidUTEPPresidentDianaNatalicio.
Overthedecades,theschool'spopulationhaschangeddrasticallyaswell.Withnumbers rangingfrom27studentsinitsfirstsemesterto20,458inthefallof2008,UTEP'sstudentbodycontinuestogrowinmorethanjustsize. "Theschoolpopulationmirrorsthecommunitymoresothanitdidintheearlyperiod,"saidMaceoDailey,directoroftheAfrican AmericanStudiesProgramatUTEP. "Clearly,ithasmovedfrombeingapredominantlyservingAnglouniversity,topredominantlyMexicanAmerican,"Daileysaid. "We'redelightedthattheAfricanAmericanenrollmenthasincreasedsignificantlywiththeintegrationoftheschoolin1955." IncreaseddiversityofthestudentpopulationisoneofthewaysinwhichUTEPcontinuestoevolve.Daileyaddedthathishopeforthe futureisthatUTEPwillfollowNMSU'sexampleintherecruitmentofNativeAmericanstudents,andsaidheexpectstheinternational studentpopulationwillalsoincrease. "Whileweareattheborder,weareconnectedtotheglobaleducationalprocessandwemakesignificantcontributions,soIthinkthat foreignstudentswillbeincreasinglyattractedtoUTEP,"Daileysaid. ErikaGrijalva,seniorgraphicdesignmajor,hasbeenastudentatUTEPsince2002.Duringthattimeshehaswitnessedhowthe campusandpeoplearoundherhavechangedsignificantly. "Definitelythestudentpopulationhasgrownalotandtheinstallationshaveexpandedduetothatpopulationgrowth,"Grijalvasaid. "Courseofferingshaveincreasedandstudentsarepushingeducationtowardstechnology.." GrijalvasaidthatstudentsareshapingthewaytheylearnatUTEPbypushingprofessorstoincorporatemoretechnologyinthe classroom. ForWilkinson,theElPasocommunityhasalwaysbeenimportantfortheuniversity'sdevelopment. "Icannotrememberatimewhenthecommunitydidn'tsupportourschool,"shesaid.
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10/25/12
UTEP remains vital and evolves News The Prospector University of Texas at El Paso
Today,UTEPscholarsarerespondingtothatsupportthroughanincreasedpresenceinthecityofElPaso. "Werecognizeourhumanitarianroleinthecommunity,toimprovequalityoflife,toaddresssalientinvolvement,andthosearethe thingsthatauniversityshouldbedoingforitscommunity,"Daileysaid. Thus,UTEPstudentsandfacultycontinuetopushtheacademicfrontier,notonlythroughresearchandthegrowingnumberofdegrees availablefromtheundergraduatetothedoctorallevels,butalsothroughinteractionsthatoccurwithinthecampusandthroughoutthe community. "WehavealsosustainedastrongcommitmenttoourmissiontofosterthehumanandeconomicdevelopmentofthisElPasoJuarez region,tocreatingevermorerobusteducationalopportunitiesforyoungpeopleinthisregiontoachievetheirdreamsandaspirations, andtoprovideauniversitycontextinwhichstudentsuccessisthehighestpriority,"Nataliciosaid. AmauryPerez,aseniorelectricalengineeringmajor,transferredfromtheUniversityofArizonafouryearsago.Hesaidthat,whilehe didn'tlikeattendingUTEPatfirst,heisnowverygratefulfortheopportunitieshehasobtainedasaMiner. "Theculturehereactuallymotivatesyoutoprogress,"Perezsaid."Youseepeopleactuallydealingwiththeirfamilies,dealingwiththeir troublesandthatcollegeisnottheonlythingforthem,buttheystilldoit:theygetgoodgrades,getgoodjobsandthatmotivatesyouto beabetterpersonandbebetterinyourwork." WHILEYOUWEREOUT... Thingsthatchangedduringthesummersession *ThenewUTEPBookstoreopenedonJune1. *UnionBuildingrenovationsbeganandwillbecompletedbyNovember *Studentlounge,increasedconferencespaceandStudentHealthCenteronthe1stfloor *Techkioskonthe2ndfloor *HealthScience/NursingComplexisunderconstruction,completionisexpectedby2010. *Parkingfeesincreasedby$5forstudentsand$10forfacultyandstaff *ChemistryandComputerScienceBuildingisunderconstruction,completionisexpectedby2011. PamelaPrietomaybereachedatprospector@utep.edu.
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