CITY OF EL PASO
PROCLAMATION CONGRATULATING UTEP
ON ITS 90TH ANNIVERSARY
WHEREAS, on the 13th day of April, 1914, the citizens of El Paso committed the funds to purchase and provide to the University of Texas System Board of Regents the site for a state school of mines; and
WHEREAS, the university was established by the Texas Legislature in 1914 as the Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and is today the second-oldest academic component in the University of Texas System; and
WHEREAS, the school’s first campus, located on land that is now part of Fort Bliss, Texas, was destroyed by fire in October 1916, and subsequently relocated to the west side of the Franklin Mountains, on a mesa overlooking Downtown El Paso; and
WHEREAS, in 1919, the institution was renamed the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy; renamed Texas Western College in 1949; and changed names again in 1967 to become the University of Texas at El Paso; and
WHEREAS, today’s campus, with its unique Bhutanese-styled architecture, consists of 84 buildings, including the Sun Bowl Stadium, the Don Haskins Center, the Larry K. Durham Sports Center, a modern fine arts complex with galleries and recital halls, a state-of-the-art multimedia teaching and learning center, and a museum of natural and cultural history; and
WHEREAS, building on its foundation as the largest Mexican-American-majority research university in the nation, UTEP has worked aggressively to build excellence on a variety of fronts; and
WHEREAS, the university currently ranks second in the nation in awarding bachelor’s degrees to Hispanics, and among the top 10 in the number of bachelor’s degrees earned by Hispanics in the fields of business and engineering; and
WHEREAS, UTEP has earned a place among the top five research universities in Texas, and recognition as a doctoral/research intensive university in the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education; and
WHEREAS, UTEP’s six academic colleges (business administration, education, engineering, health sciences, liberal arts and science) offer 81 bachelor’s and 72 master’s degrees; 13 doctoral degrees; as well as cooperative programs in nursing, public health, border studies, library and information science, and pharmacy with the U.T. Health Science Center at Houston and U.T. Austin; and
WHEREAS, UTEP plays a major role in economic development by offering high-quality educational opportunities and extensive outreach programs to this border region; and
WHEREAS, UTEP promotes the quality of life in this community through its cultural, arts and entertainment programming, and its athletic events; and
WHEREAS, the barrier-breaking 1966 Texas Western basketball team, which was the first major college team to win an NCAA championship with an all-African-American starting five, stands as an enduring symbol of UTEP’s allegiance to diversity and excellence; and
WHEREAS, for UTEP students, a university education is not just an individual aspiration; it is also a family dream – and UTEP’s overriding purpose is to make these aspirations and dreams achievable; and
WHEREAS, more than 80,000 alumni proudly demonstrate that UTEP continues to fulfill its commitment to educational excellence; and
WHEREAS, the university’s current student population of more than 18,500 students, which is 70 percent Hispanic, closely mirrors the demographics of this region from which UTEP draws 90 percent of its students; and
WHEREAS, UTEP is proud to count more than 1,800 Mexican students among its student population — 15 percent of all Mexican nationals enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities; and
WHEREAS, the City of El Paso remains steadfastly united in its enduring commitment to the continued growth of this outstanding institution, and is proud to join with supporters from throughout the state, the region and the nation in celebrating UTEP’s 90th anniversary;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT PROCLAIMED by the mayor of the City of El Paso that the month of April 2004 shall be known as “UTEP Heritage Month” in recognition of the University of Texas at El Paso’s 90 years of achievement, and in gratitude for its important contributions to the development of this city and this region.
BE IT ALSO PROCLAIMED that the City of El Paso asks all UTEP students and alumni, and the citizens of El Paso, to join in celebrating and appreciating the accomplishments of the university, and that they wear UTEP orange to work on April 13, 2004, in a demonstration of our pride in the university.