The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kno ...
with multiple campuses throughout the
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. The ...
region of
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
and is the southernmost member of the
University of Texas System
The University of Texas System (UT System) is an American government entity of the state of Texas that includes 13 higher educational institutions throughout the state including eight universities and five independent health institutions. The UT& ...
. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 after the consolidation of the
University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College and the
University of .
In 2019 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley enrolled in the fall 29,619 students, making the public university the ninth-largest university in the state of Texas and the fourth largest (student enrollment) academic institution in The University of Texas system. In 2018, UTRGV is also one of the largest universities in the U.S. to have a majority
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
student population; 89.2%
of its students are Hispanic, virtually all of them
Mexican Americans
Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...
. It was
classified in 2020 among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
History
On December 6, 2012, the
University of Texas System Board of Regents
The University of Texas System (UT System) is an American government entity of the state of Texas that includes 13 higher educational institutions throughout the state including eight universities and five independent health institutions. The UT& ...
approved a proposal to merge, eliminating both
The University of Texas–Pan American and
The University of Texas at Brownsville/Texas Southmost College, and create The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in their place. The new institution was planned to include a medical school and have access to the Texas
Permanent University Fund (PUF). Texas
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Rick Perry
James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...
signed SB 24 into law, approving the creation of the new university in June 2013. In December 2013, the UT System Board of Regents voted to name the new institution The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV).
Dr. Guy Bailey was selected as the founding university president. Dr. Bailey, in turn, selected
Dr. Havidan Rodriguez as the founding Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs (EVPAA), and Dr. Janna Arney as Deputy President. In late August 2017, Dr. Havidan Rodriguez resigned his position as Provost/EVPAA to become the 20th President of The
University at Albany, SUNY
The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...
. After his resignation was approved, Dr. Bailey appointed Dr. Patricia Alvarez McHatton as the interim provost and vice president for academic affairs.
In November 2014, the UT System Board of Regents approved the "Vaqueros" as the athletic nickname for University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. They also approved the official colors of blue, green, and orange.
The university officially opened on August 31, 2015, with UT System chancellor
Bill McRaven
William Harry McRaven (born November 6, 1955) is a retired United States Navy four-star admiral who served as the ninth commander of the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) from August 8, 2011 to August 28, 2014. From 2015 to 2018, ...
, U.S. Representative
Rubén Hinojosa and Texas State Senator
Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
Juan Jesus "Chuy" Hinojosa (born March 7, 1946) is a Democratic member of the Texas Senate representing the 20th District ( Corpus Christi–McAllen).
Biographical information
Born in McAllen, Texas, Hinojosa was a farm worker who worked his ...
attending the flag-raising ceremony.
McRaven said, "One hundred years from now, Texas will look back and say that this day changed Texas forever."
To honor the largest donation in the history of higher education in the Rio Grande Valley, the College of Business and Entrepreneurship was named Robert C. Vackar College of Business and Entrepreneurship. Robert C. Vackar, CEO of Bert Ogden Auto Group donated $15 million in the form of an endowment to the college.
Campuses and buildings
The university's property totals 550 acres. UTRGV owns 105 buildings; some of the properties include:
*
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...
** The Brownsville Campus (REGIONAL)
** Casa Bella
** Cueto House
** Lucerna House
** Resaca Plaza
** Vaquero Plaza
** Stargate
*
Edinburg, Texas
Edinburg ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. Its population was 74,569 as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, and in 2019, its estimated population was 101,170, making it the second-largest city ...
** The Edinburg Campus (MAIN CAMPUS)
** Alumni Center
** Community Engagement and Student Success Building
** Visual Arts Building
** Advanced Tooling Engineering Center
*
McAllen, Texas
** McAllen Teaching Site
*
Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than and is the second-largest city in ...
** Academic and Clinical Research Building
** Pump House
** Clinical Education Building
*
Rio Grande City, Texas
** UTRGV at Starr County
*
South Padre Island, Texas
** Coastal Studies Lab
Students and employees with dependent children may live in the Village Apartments in the Edinburg Campus or the Casa Bella Apartments in the Brownsville campus. The Village Apartments is zoned to: the following
Edinburg CISD
The Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District (ECISD) is a school district headquartered in the city of Edinburg, Texas, United States Est. 1909.
The district has approximately 4,540 employees including over 2,600 certified professiona ...
schools: De La Viña Elementary School, B. L. Garza Middle School,
Edinburg North High School
Edinburg North High School (commonly ENHS, Edinburg North, or North) is a public secondary school in Edinburg, Texas, United States, serving students in grades 9– 12. The school is part of the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School Dist ...
.
Academics
Rankings
UTRGV offers 64 bachelor's, 49 master's, and 4 doctoral programs (in addition to 2 cooperative doctoral programs). For the Academic Year 2015–2016, 92.7% of enrolled students came from the
Cameron
Cameron may refer to:
People
* Clan Cameron, a Scottish clan
* Cameron (given name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Cameron (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name)
;Mononym
* Cam'ron (born 197 ...
,
Hidalgo,
Starr
Starr may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Starr (surname), a list of people and fictional characters
* Starr (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
Places
United States
* Starr, Ohio, an unincorporated comm ...
, and
Willacy counties. The ethnic enrollment is 89.2%
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
(Fall 2017).
In 2017, The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine has ranked UTRGV 3rd in the country in awarding bachelor's degrees to Hispanic students.
Financial aid
In 2017, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley was ranked No. 6 (out of 56 Texas Universities) for lowest student loan debt in the state of Texas.
Colleges and schools
Eleven colleges and schools formed the academic foundation for UTRGV, including:
Academic accreditation
UTRGV inherited the academic accreditation of its legacy institutions. The university is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
UTRGV was notified on December 6, 2016 that it was being placed on a 12-month probation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The reason why UTRGV was placed on probation because of the complexity of a transition that involved the separation of UTB/TSC, the separate accreditation of TSC, and the formation of UTRGV. UTRGV will learn of the probation-removal decision by the
SACSCOC Board of Trustees in December 2017. The SACSCOC Board of Trustees on December 11 announced it removed The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley from probationary status. The decision by the board to remove UTRGV from probationary status was based on the university successfully addressing the Statewide Single Audit for FY 2017 conducted by the Texas State Auditor's Office.
The UTRGV School of Medicine received preliminary accreditation from the
Liaison Committee on Medical Education in October 2016. In May 2016, the School of Medicine received accreditation from the
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is the body responsible for accrediting all graduate medical training programs (i.e., internships, residencies, and fellowships, a.k.a. subspecialty programs) for physicians in the ...
(ACGME) to offer a medical residency program in psychiatry.
Proposed expansions
Legislation to establish a law school in UTRGV was introduced by representative
Eddie Lucio III
Eduardo Andres Lucio III (born December 19, 1978) is a former Democratic member of the Texas House of Representatives, having represented Texas's 38th District from 2007 until 2021.
Early life and education
Lucio was born and raised in Br ...
in November 2014 but did not pass in the
Texas Senate.
On May 21, 2019, the
Texas House of Representatives
The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...
approved House Bill 103 during the 86th Legislative Session, whose author was Representative
Armando Martinez, that calls for the establishment of a public law school in the Rio Grande Valley.
Student life
Prior to the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, on February 22, 2008, then-Senator
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
visited the UTRGV Edinburg Campus (then known as the
University of Texas-Pan American) to talk to college students about better paying jobs and tuition assistance.
Athletics
The merged university inherited UTPA's
Division I membership; most of the athletic facilities are located in Edinburg. They have membership with the
Western Athletic Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington (state), Washington, and Texa ...
.
On November 19, 2016, the UTRGV Women's Volleyball Team defeated the Utah Valley Women's Volleyball team, making them the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Volleyball Champions of 2016.
Mascot
The choice of a new university nickname was met with some contention from members of the communities of the two merged schools.
UTPA supporters, the larger of the two merged schools, argued for keeping the UTPA nickname, Broncs, while UTB supporters wanted a nickname new to both merged schools. UTPA Alumnus Alex Del Barrio created a petition to "Say No To Vaqueros" that garnered over 11,000 signatures after the announcement was made. Several local city councils also passed resolutions in support of one option or the other.
President
Guy Bailey
Guy Hubert Bailey (born August 9, 1950) is a sociolinguist and the 1st president of the University of Texas–Rio Grande Valley. He was the president of the University of Alabama, his baccalaureate '' alma mater''. He was previously the preside ...
recommended a new nickname,
Vaqueros
The ''vaquero'' (; pt, vaqueiro, , ) is a horse-mounted livestock herder of a tradition that has its roots in the Iberian Peninsula and extensively developed in Mexico from a methodology brought to Latin America from Spain. The vaquero became t ...
, to The University of Texas System Board of Regents on November 5, 2014.
The suggestion for Vaquero was inspired by the UTPA student Studio Art projects, where the Toro and Vaquero were the most popular projects.
Bailey also recommended school's athletic colors be UT System orange, green (formerly the secondary color of UTPA), and blue (formerly the secondary color of UTB).
[
The announcement to the decision generated a swift and mainly negative reaction from some UTPA supporters on social media. These supporters, displeased that the Bronc was being moved to the wayside, determined the name was culturally insensitive, racist, and sexist.] Nevertheless, the UT System Board of Regents approved the recommendation the following day, making Vaqueros the fifth NCAA Division I nickname that is a Spanish language word after the Cal State Northridge Matadors
The Cal State Northridge Matadors (branded as the CSUN Matadors) are the athletic teams that represent California State University, Northridge in Northridge, Los Angeles, California. The Matadors field 17 teams in nineteen sports. The Matadors c ...
, UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, San Diego Toreros, and New Mexico Lobos. Bailey considered the decision "final" following the approval by the board of regents. About 500 students protested against the Vaquero mascot on the UTPA campus on 13 November 2014. A petition calling for Bailey's immediate resignation garnered more than 700 signatures. Articles of impeachment were filed against the Student Government President Alberto Adame and Vice-President Carla "Fernanda" Pena by Jonathan Lee Salinas (Senator at Large '14–'15) partly for their roles in the mascot committee, though, the impeachment process was ended due to insufficient evidence. Following the protests, the UT System issued a press release supporting the "Vaquero" decision.
At the height of the controversy in November 2014, Texas legislator Terry Canales suggested he was considering filing a bill requiring UTRGV to abandon the Vaquero nickname.[ Canales submitte]
HB901
in January 2015. If passed, the legislation would require UTRGV to hold a student election for the athletics nickname, with "Broncs" and "Ocelots" on the ballot.
The mascot design was revealed in February 2015. The logo features an orange faced rider in green on a navy blue and green horse. The logo features an outline of Texas in the negative space between the legs of the horse.
In June 2019 the new design for The Vaquero Mascot was revealed. The new costumed version of the mascot was voted on and created by UTRGV students.
Notable alumni (including UTPA and UTB/TSC)
* Pablo Almaguer
Pablo Javier Almaguér (born 1971) is an American lawyer from Texas. He is a former chair of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors.
Biography
Almaguer was the first legal aid lawyer to serve on the State Bar of Texas Board of Director ...
: Chair of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors
* Gloria Anzaldúa
Gloria may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music
* Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise
* Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise
** Gloria (Handel)
** Gloria (Jenkins) ...
: Novelist, Educator, Cultural Theorist
* Jose Luis Betancourt, Jr.: Retired Rear Admiral of the United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
* Mike Brisky
Michael Charles Brisky (born May 28, 1965) is an American professional golfer who played on the PGA Tour and the Nationwide Tour.
Brisky attended Pan American University (now called the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley) where he was a stan ...
: Former member of the PGA.
* Minerva G. Carcaño
Minerva Garza Carcaño (born January 20, 1954 in Edinburg, Texas) is the first Hispanic woman to be elected to the episcopacy of The United Methodist Church (UMC), the second-largest Protestant denomination in the United States. She was elected ...
: Bishop
* Oscar Cásares, writer
* Mire Chatman
Mire De Juan Chatman (born October 24, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. Standing at 1.87 m (6'2"), he played at the point guard position. He is a Texas Pan American University alumnus who as an American became the all-t ...
: Euro Basketball player
* Kika de la Garza
Eligio "Kika" de la Garza II (September 22, 1927March 13, 2017) was an American politician who served as the Democratic representative for the 15th congressional district of Texas from January 3, 1965, to January 3, 1997.
Biography
De la Garza ...
: Former U.S. Congressman
* Dan Firova
Daniel Michael Firova (born October 16, 1956) is an American professional baseball catcher and coach. He is the quality control coach for the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball. As a player, he caught 17 games: 13 in and three in for the Se ...
: Former MLB baseball player and current Mexican League Manager.
* William Garrison: Retired Major General of the United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
* Apple Green
Varieties of the color green may differ in hue, colorfulness, chroma (also called saturation or intensity) or lightness (or value, tone, or brightness), or in two or three of these qualities. Variations in value are also called tints and shad ...
: Retired NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...
player
* Greg Guy
Gregory Guy Jr. (born October 17, 1971) is a retired American professional basketball player most known for being the NCAA Division I scoring champion during the 1992–93 season.
He was born in Oak Park, Illinois, and his father Gregory Gu ...
: Former NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
basketball scoring champion
* Jim Hickey: MLB Pitching Coach
* Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa
Juan Jesus "Chuy" Hinojosa (born March 7, 1946) is a Democratic member of the Texas Senate representing the 20th District ( Corpus Christi–McAllen).
Biographical information
Born in McAllen, Texas, Hinojosa was a farm worker who worked his ...
: Texas State Senator
* Perry Hill: MLB Assistant Coach
* Rubén Hinojosa: U.S. Congressman
* Lucious Jackson: Olympic Gold Medalist and NBA player
* Rossy Evelin Lima
Rossy Evelin Lima-Padilla (born August 18, 1986, Veracruz, Mexico) is a United States-based Mexican writer, scholar, translator and activist. She has published her work in numerous journals, magazines and anthologies in Europe, North America and ...
: Poet
* Eddie Lucio
Eduardo Andres Lucio Jr. (born January 20, 1946) is a Democratic politician who served in the Texas Senate, representing the 27th District from 1991 to 2023. Lucio also previously served in the Texas House of Representatives from 1987 to 199 ...
: Texas State Senator
* Glenn Martinez: Dean, College of Liberal and Fine Arts, University of Texas San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the eighth-largest by ...
* Otto Moore
Otto George Moore (born August 27, 1946) is a retired American professional basketball player.
A 6'11" center (basketball), center from the University of Texas-Pan American, Moore played nine seasons (1968–1977) in the National Basketball Assoc ...
: Retired NBA Player
* Javier Palomárez Javier may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Javier, in video game '' Advance Wars: Dual Strike''
* Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise.
* ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier Colon, known a ...
: President & CEO, United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
The United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) is the largest Hispanic business organization in the United States. It was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Washington, DC.
The chamber promotes the economic growth and development o ...
* Marshall Rogers: Former NCAA Basketball Scoring Champion
* Rogelio Sáenz Rogelio Sáenz is currently Professor in the Department of Demography at the University of University of Texas at San Antonio and the Mark G. Yudof Endowed Chair at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Prior to joining UTSA, Sáenz was Professo ...
: Dean, College of Public Policy, University of Texas San Antonio
The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas. With over 34,000 students across its four campuses spanning 758 acres, UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the eighth-largest by ...
*Paul Michael Stoll
Paul Michael Stoll (born December 14, 1985) is an American-born Mexican professional basketball player for Libertadores de Querétaro of the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional (LNBP). He played college basketball for Lansing Community Colle ...
(born 1985): American-Mexican basketball player
* Fred Taylor: Retired NBA Player
* Jim Tyrone
James Vernon Tyrone (born January 29, 1949) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of four seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1972 to 1977, for the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics. He also played ...
: Retired MLB Player and Member of UTPA College World Series Team
* Wayne Tyrone
Oscar Wayne Tyrone (born August 1, 1950) is a former Major League Baseball player. He played in the 1976 in baseball, 1976 baseball season with the Chicago Cubs. Tyrone batted and threw right-handed. He played in 30 games in his one-year career, h ...
: Retired MLB Player and Member of UTPA College World Series Team
* George Williams: Retired MLB Catcher
* Jaime Zapata
Jaime Jorge Zapata (May 7, 1978 – February 15, 2011) was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement#Homeland Security Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent who was ambushed and murd ...
, U.S. Homeland Security special agent
* Valente Rodriguez
Valente Rodriguez (born February 14, 1964) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Ernie Cardenas on the sitcom ''George Lopez''. He also starred as Cesar in the TV Land sitcom ''Happily Divorced'', as well as guest starring on ' ...
: American Actor
References
Notes
External links
*
UTRGV Athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Public universities and colleges in Texas
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. The ...
Education in Brownsville, Texas
Education in Edinburg, Texas
Education in Harlingen, Texas
Buildings and structures in Brownsville, Texas
Buildings and structures in Edinburg, Texas
Buildings and structures in Harlingen, Texas
2015 establishments in Texas
Educational institutions established in 2015
Universities and colleges formed by merger in the United States