University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College

The University of Texas at Brownsville
Motto	Disciplina praesidium civitatis (Latin: Education, the Guardian of Society)
Established	1991
Type	State university & former Community college Partnership
Endowment	US$138.9 million
President	Dr. Juliet V. García
Provost	Alan F. J. Artibise
Academic staff	709 (Fall 2008)
Students	17,247
Location	Brownsville, Texas, USA
Campus	Urban, 524 acres (2.3 km2)
Colors	Burnt Orange and Navy Blue
Mascot	Scorpion
Website	www.utb.edu

The University of Texas at Brownsville, abbreviated as UTB and formerly known as University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, is an educational institution located in Brownsville, Texas. The university is on the land once occupied by Fort Brown. It is a member of the University of Texas System. The institution was formed from a partnership between Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas-Pan American at Brownsville. From 1991 to 2011, the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College became a substantial presence in South Texas education, providing unique opportunities for more than 17,000 students from Texas, as well as from Mexico and elsewhere. The partnership has ended. UTB is becoming a standalone University of Texas institution, and Texas Southmost College is becoming once again an independent community college. UTB itself offers Baccalaureate and an increasing number of Graduate degrees in liberal arts, sciences, education, business, and professional programs designed to meet regional, national, and international needs.

UTB and TSC have overlapping facilities on the same campus. UTB continues rapid physical growth with additions such as the International Technology, Education, Commerce Campus (formerly Amigoland Mall), the Education and Business Complex (Fall 2006), the Recreation, Education and Kinesiology Center (Spring 2009), and Casa Bella (Fall 2011). The student population has grown quickly, with the latest figures at 17,247.

History

Texas Southmost College

Main article: Texas Southmost College

Texas Southmost College (TSC) was established in 1926 under the name "The Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley." It admitted its first class on September 21 of that same year. In 1931, its name was changed to "Brownsville Junior College." In 1950, the institution was given its current name.

University of Texas-Pan American at Brownsville

In 1973, Texas Southmost College formed a partnership with Pan-American University, now known as The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA). The partnership allowed Pan-American University to establish a four year university in Brownsville. The resulting independent institution was referred to as Pan American University at Brownsville. In 1989, Pan American University joined the University of Texas System, creating the University of Texas Pan-American at Brownsville (UTPA-B). Brownsville sought a University directly under the UT System and in 1991 the University of Texas Pan-American at Brownsville became The University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB).

University of Texas at Brownsville-Texas Southmost College

After UTB was created, a partnership was established between UTB and TSC, allowing TSC students to seamlessly transition to the four year University without reapplying. The university has academic colleges including business, education, liberal arts and nursing. UTB-TSC's funding came from both the college tax district as well as the State of Texas. After failure to pass a 2002 multi-million dollar bond, the TSC tax district voters successfully passed a $68 million bond issue to construct additional classrooms ($28 million), additional library space ($14 million), Workforce Training Classrooms ($17 million), Center for Early Childhood Studies ($4 million), and Center for Alzheimer's, Diabetes, Cancer, and Heart Disease ($5 million). Dr. Juliet V. Garcia served as UTB-TSC President from 1991 to 2011; Dr. Garcia is also the first Hispanic woman to be the President of any university in the United States.

End of Educational Partnership with Texas Southmost College

On Nov. 10, 2010, the University of Texas System Board of Regents voted to end the University of Texas at Brownsville's educational partnership with Texas Southmost College. On Feb. 17, 2011 the TSC Board of Trustees voted 4-3 to separate from UTB. Juliet V. Garcia now continues as the president of UTB.

Admissions

Until the northern hemisphere fall of 2011, UT Brownsville had open admissions, meaning prospective students had no admissions criteria. The end of open admissions leaves University of Houston-Downtown as the sole remaining Texas state university with open admissions.

Campus

UTB's campus sits on 524 acres (2.3 km²) of land in the southern part of Brownsville, Texas. A resaca, or oxbow lake, flows through the heart of the growing landscape. The university's unique architecture plays off the campus' rich history in Fort Brown. Many of the oldest buildings on campus remain from the old U.S. Army outpost. The university has also acquired many buildings in the surrounding area, including a former Holiday Inn hotel complex, former condominiums, the Amigoland Mall, and many historic buildings of downtown Brownsville. The university continues to expand, recently purchasing substantial acreage east of Fort Brown.

Notable Buildings

On-Campus

• Art Building [1]
• Arnulfo Oliveira Library
• A.A Champion Hall [2][3]
• Building 23 Married Officer's Quarters [4]
• Cavalry Barracks [5]
• Cleve H. Tandy Hall
• Cueto Building, where the Kids Voting USA-Brownsville and Center for Civic Engagement are located [6]
• Education & Business Complex (EDBC)[7][8][9]
• Eidman Hall
• Gorgas Hall [10] Front View Gorgas Back View
• Life and Health Sciences Building [11] Tree of Life[12]
• Old Morgue
• Mary Rose Cardenas North and South Halls south Cardenas Fountain
• Recreation, Education & Kinesiology Center (REK Center)
• Regiment House [13]
• Rusteberg Building [14]
• Smith Amphitheatre
• Old Cotton Gin [15]
• Science Engineering and Technology Building (SET-B)[16]
• Student Union [17][18]
• University Boulevard Library
• University Boulevard Classroom Building
• The Village at Fort Brown, formerly Holiday Inn/Ramada [19]

Off-Campus

• Andres Cueto Building^{[citation needed]}
• International Technology Education and Commerce Campus (ITECC)
• Young House

Undergraduate

• College of Applied Technology and General Studies
• College of Liberal Arts
• College of Science, Mathematics, and Technology
• School of Business
• College of Education
• School of Health Sciences

Graduate

• College of Graduate Studies
  • Master of Arts
  • Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Master of Public Policy and Management
  • Master of Science
  • Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies
  • Master of Science in Nursing
  • Master of Business Administation (M.B.A.)
  • M.B.A. and Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)
  • Master of Education (M.Ed.)
  • Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
  • Cooperative Ph.D. Program in Physics with University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Cooperative Doctoral Program in Education with University of Houston

Notable academic programs

UTB is home to academic centers and programs that receive local, state, and national recognition.

• Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy Research focuses on astrophysical source modeling, gravitational wave data analysis, and the phenomenological astrophysics of gravitational wave sources.
• Center for Biomedical Studies was established to conduct biological and medical research on regional health issues and biotechnological approaches that may contribute to regional development.
• The Center for Civic Engagement's mission is to create an engaged campus that connects faculty, staff, students, and external partners to revitalize the surrounding community. On September 1, 2010, UTB submitted its application for the Carnegie Community Engagement Classification. Dr. Kathy Bussert-Webb, an Associate Professor in the Language, Literacy, and Intercultural Studies Department of the College of Education and also the CCE Director, led the effort; she was assisted by Ms. Ethel Cantu, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs, the CCE staff, the Carnegie Task Force, and many faculty, staff, and students. Dr. Webb remained as the CCE Director until August 31, 2010. She then returned full-time to the UTB classroom and she looks forward to assisting the CCE and the campus in even more community engagement efforts. [20]

Student Life

Student government

The Student Government Association at UTB hosts the officers of the student body. The SGA runs a three-branch system, with the Executive Board consisting of the Student Body Officers, the Legislative Board consisting of the Student Senate, and the Judicial Board consisting of the Chief and Associate Justices.

Student Organizations

The university recognizes more than 50 student organizations. In addition, it supports the Student Organization Council, an official student governance organization that represent student interests to faculty, and administrators.

Greek Life

• Tau Kappa Epsilon - Colony# 861
• Sigma Psi Delta

Media

Students express their opinions in and outside of class through periodicals including The Collegian and the Sting Radio.

Traditions

Traditions at the University of Texas at Brownsville are perpetuated through several school symbols and mediums. At athletic events, students frequently show their support by chanting the "Sting 'em Hard" slogan while displaying the Sting 'em Hard hand gesture—the gesture mimicking the scorpion, the university's mascot.

Athletics

UTB competes in the Red River Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. The Scorpion Women's Volleyball team was ranked #18 in the NAIA, but lost the standing after a bad 2008 season. In 2009, under new head coach Todd Lowery, formerly of National American University, the Scorpions began to shine again, achieving a #12 ranking in the NAIA. In December of 2011, the UTB volleyball team won its first national championship.

In soccer, the Scorpions play their games at the REK Center field, pending construction of their own athletic field. In two years with the NAIA, each soccer team has lost only two games in Brownsville, the men's loss coming against St. Thomas University in 2007 and the women's loss coming against conference rival Texas Wesleyan University in 2008. In men's soccer, the team has a 12-0 conference record in two years.

• Baseball
• Men's Golf
• Women's Golf
• Men's Soccer
• Women's Soccer
• Volleyball

Chess Team

The University of Texas at Brownsville is widely regarded for having one of the strongest Chess Programs in the nation. In 2010, they placed 2nd in the Final Four of College Chess, which they hosted. As of 2010, the UTB chess team features 3 Grandmasters and 2 International Masters. The team is currently coached by Grand Master Ronen Har-Zvi after their former coach Grand Master Gilberto Hernández Guerrero resigned from that position due to personal family matters.

Notable alumni

• Cindy Vela, Model
• Oscar Casares, writer
• Jaime Zapata, U.S. Homeland Security special agent

Trivia

• UTB is the only accredited university in the United States to also house a foreign consulate.
• UTB is one of only two full-range academic institutions in the University of Texas System that is not a beneficiary of the state's Permanent University Fund, with the other being the University of Texas–Pan American.

References

• Chilton, Carl Jr. (2001) "The First 70 Years: A History of Higher Education in Brownsville"

External links

• University of Texas at Brownsville
• UT System Fast Facts