The Texas Legislature recognized UTRGV April 3 at the Capitol for the transformative impact it had in the Rio Grande Valley in the span of 10 years.
Vice President for University Marketing and Communications Patrick Gonzales said he is proud and honored to be able to be a part of UTRGV’s growth.
“I have been fortunate enough to be here for all 10 years and to see the growth,” Gonzales said. “To see the transformation of the university and the impact we’ve had on students and the region has been overwhelming and just tremendous. A great moment for us to say thank you to them for their support throughout the years, because again, we wouldn’t be where we’re at now if it wasn’t for the support of our local legislators.”
He said his favorite milestone is students graduating at a faster rate.
“The fact that when you compare students now to students from 11 years ago with UT Brownsville and UT Pan American, our students now are graduating faster,” Gonzales said. “They’re getting out of school faster, and they’re paying less on average than they did 11 years ago at our legacy institution.”
He said one of the biggest challenges UTRGV faced in its first two years was combining the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses into one.
“Those first two years were difficult,” Gonzales said. “We were put on probation by our accrediting body. Simply because they didn’t know what to expect because no one had tried to do what UTRGV did.”
He said UTRGV is at a point where it is all about expansion and aiming to make the university better than it currently is.
According to a UTRGV news release, the university has accomplished many milestones since 2015 such as academic growth, research expansion, record-breaking enrollment and success, impactful medical education, national acclaim, Division I football, community engagement, pioneering programs and an award winning institution.
This is Celeste Cruz for Vaquero Radio.
