Southwest Regional Community Engagement Consortium Convening
The Southwest Regional Community Engagement Consortium is a first-of-its-kind, two-day, in-person gathering designed to foster institutional collaboration across Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) and community/cultural organizations throughout the Southwest. This convening will bring together faculty, staff, community partners, and engagement leaders from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah to develop innovative, sustainable strategies for regional collaboration and community impact.
Purpose and Focus Areas
Participants will engage in interactive workshops, roundtables, and strategy sessions focused on:
- Models for community-engaged scholarship and inter-institutional partnerships
- Collaborations with university presses and museums for engaged scholarship
- Regional micro-credential and workforce initiatives
- Shared frameworks for governance, funding, and sustainability
This convening builds an inclusive, resilient network of institutions and leaders working to advance equity, cultural engagement, and knowledge-sharing across the region.
Stay Informed
We are still in the early planning stages, and your input is valuable! If you’re interested in attending or contributing ideas, please complete our short Interest Form.
Your response helps us shape the convening and ensures you receive updates when registration opens in Fall 2025. (No commitment required — this is simply to stay informed and connected.)
The convening will be held in El Paso, Texas, a vibrant border city rich in culture, history, and innovation. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is located just minutes from downtown and the U.S.-Mexico border, offering a unique setting for cross-cultural collaboration.
- Learn more about Visiting El Paso: https://visitelpaso.com/
- Explore UTEP's campus and visitor information: https://www.utep.edu/visit/
Lodging details, hotel blocks, and access information will be shared in Fall 2025.
About the Host Sites:
The 2026 Southwest Regional Community Engagement Convening is hosted collaboratively by The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), Texas Tech University (TTU), and The University of New Mexico (UNM). As leading public research universities in the Southwest, each institution brings a strong track record of community engagement and a shared commitment to strengthening connections between campuses and communities.
This tri-university collaboration began in 2024, when UNM hosted a regional gathering focused on community engagement and institutional strategies related to the Carnegie Classification. UTEP and TTU participated as invited presenters, and the success of that initial meeting sparked the idea of creating a broader, recurring space for collaboration across the region. Since then, the three institutions have continued to meet regularly to co-develop this inaugural Southwest convening.
Together, UTEP, TTU, and UNM are co-designing the event to bring together faculty, staff, students, and community partners to exchange ideas, explore collaborative projects, and support the growth of engagement efforts. This partnership underscores the convening’s goal to build a sustainable, cross-institutional network of engagement practitioners across the Southwest.
Contact
For questions, partnerships, or accessibility needs, please contact: cce@utep.edu
