THE DECADE AHEAD
The Next 10 years
By Cindy Ramirez
In the 90 years since the University of Texas at El Paso got its start as a state mining school, a few things have changed.
We've had more names than we care to remember. We've seen enrollment explode from 27 students to more than 18,500. The small school with a handful of classrooms has grown into a major urban university with more than 80 buildings and academic programs that expand each semester.
The next decade will be just as exciting.
Today's second graders will be UTEP freshmen in 2014. When they walk on campus, they can expect to feel the same vigor and vitality that's greeted every one of UTEP's 76,200 graduates over the years.
"We are the center of intellectual capital in this region," says UTEP President Diana Natalicio, who's been at the helm of the university for 15 years. "We have to harness that not only to achieve all the university's goals, but to help the region's development."
We could rest on our laurels, Natalicio often remarks, but that is not our style. We look ahead, we strive for more.
In the fall, UTEP will establish a Centennial Commission charged with envisioning the future of the university through at least its 100th birthday—and how it can best continue to serve the community. But beyond that, the Centennial Commission will look ahead to how the university can shape the future of higher education across the nation.
We're off to a great start.
According to a forecast by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, UTEP's enrollment should reach 22,043 students by the year 2015. But when we enrolled a record 18,542 students in fall of 2003, we were already a year ahead of schedule.
We've made major strides toward achieving the goals outlined in Closing the Gaps by 2015, a state education plan to bring 300,000 more students into higher education over the next decade.
More and more, UTEP will be considered a national model of higher education. We will be recognized for producing top professionals in a wide variety of fields. We already rank second in the nation for awarding bachelor's degrees to Hispanics and in the Top 10 in bachelor's degrees awarded to Hispanics in business, engineering and health sciences.
The number of Hispanics between the ages of 15 and 34 is expected to increase statewide by nearly 6 percent by 2015. But the Texas State Data Center predicts that Hispanic enrollment in higher education will not keep pace.
At UTEP, we're working to prove that prediction wrong.
With 71 percent of our students Hispanic, and 12 percent international, we already reflect the changing face of Texas and the nation. More importantly, we lead the way in proving that first-generation, primarily Hispanic students can succeed in higher education.
UTEP will continue to grow its enrollment, infrastructure, public health education, research, academic and outreach programs, and athletic programs. The university will implement new doctoral programs, continue to serve as a leading Hispanic Serving Institution and work with the community to develop a four-year medical school in El Paso.
And we'll do it all without losing sight of our commitment to access and excellence.
The quality of a university is measured in part by the successes of its graduates. Ninety years ago, our students dreamed of being miners and geologists. Today they may strive to be nationally recognized educators, renowned researchers and scientists, CEOs of international corporations or award-winning artists. But each carries within them the decades of history and heritage that created today's UTEP.
Their opportunities are here. Our possibilities are endless.