UTEP 2018 Stories of the Year

Last Updated on December 21, 2018 at 12:00 AM

Originally published December 21, 2018

By UTEP Communications

UTEP Communications

Throughout 2018, The University of Texas at El Paso celebrated the achievements of our faculty, staff and students, introduced new, energized leaders to our colleges, and experienced the continued steady growth of our student population.

UTEP 2018 Stories of the Year

UTEP 2018 Stories of the Year

Here is a look back at key moments this year at UTEP.

Mellon Foundation Awards UTEP, EPCC $2M Humanities Grant

Mellon Foundation Awards UTEP, EPCC $2M Humanities Grant

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded a more than $2 million grant to The University of Texas at El Paso and El Paso Community College (EPCC) to establish The Humanities Collaborative. UTEP will receive nearly $1.4 million and EPCC will receive $651,000 in support of the program.

Saruni Captures 800M NCAA Championship

New Center to Improve Mental Health in Region

A new mental health and emotional wellness initiative at The University of Texas at El Paso will bring together experts in psychology, social work, educational psychology, counseling and rehabilitation counseling to improve behavioral health systems in El Paso, Juárez, and southern New Mexico.

Michael Saruni, NCAA champion.

Saruni Captures 800M NCAA Championship

UTEP's Michael Saruni wins his first NCAA Championship in the 800m clocking a time of 1:45.15 on March 10, 2018 in College Station, Texas. "He finally got that national title he has been chasing ever since he came to UTEP," said head coach Mika Laaksonen. "When he runs his race like today, no one can touch him. Setting the records at this level of competition speaks volumes and we couldn't be happier for him."

UTEP Names Dean of the College of Liberal Arts

UTEP Names Dean of the College of Liberal Arts

The University of Texas at El Paso is pleased to announce that Denis O’Hearn, Ph.D., has been appointed Dean of the College of Liberal Arts effective July 1, 2018. He comes to UTEP from Texas A&M University, where he has led the Department of Sociology since 2016.

UTEP, GECU Partner on New Vision for Sun Bowl Stadium

UTEP, GECU Partner on New Vision for Sun Bowl Stadium

UTEP President Diana Natalicio, Director of Athletics Jim Senter and GECU President and CEO Crystal Long unveiled a vision for the future of Sun Bowl Stadium in a press conference on Friday, April 13, 2018 at the Larry K. Durham Sports Center.

Clifton Tanabe, Ph.D.

UTEP Announces New Dean of the College of Education

The University of Texas at El Paso is pleased to announce that Clifton Tanabe, Ph.D., has been appointed dean of the College of Education effective July 1, 2018. He comes to UTEP from the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa.

Diana Natalicio, President of The University of Texas at El Paso

Diana Natalicio, President of The University of Texas at El Paso, Announces Plans to Retire Once a Successor is Appointed and Assumes the Office

With the recent commemoration of two major milestones in my long and very happy relationship with The University of Texas at El Paso—45 years as a faculty member and 30 years as UTEP’s president—I have concluded that this may be an appropriate time to begin bringing to a close this chapter in my higher education story, nearly all of which I have joyfully spent at UTEP.

April Gutierrez, center, and Patricia Lara, Ph.D., right, conduct vocal modification exercises for Andi Tiscareño, left, at UTEP’s voice modification clinic for transgender individuals. The service is provided by 16 graduate students from UTEP’s speech language pathology (SLP) program who work with Lara, director of UTEP’s Voice Brain and Language Lab. Photo: Laura Trejo / UTEP Communications

UTEP Clinic Helps Transgender Individuals Empower Their Voice

In the Voice Modification Clinic for Transgender Individuals at The University of Texas at El Paso, speech language pathology student April Gutierrez is helping Andi Tiscareño find her feminine voice. For two years, the clinic housed in UTEP’s Campbell Building has provided free vocal modification services to transgender clients such as Tiscareño, who choose to change their voice as part of their transition.

Thirteen students from UTEP’s Pharm.D. program’s inaugural class traveled to Ireland with Clinical Assistant Professor Denise I. Pinal, Pharm.D., from May 27 to June 11. Photo courtesy of Denise I. Pinal.

UTEP Pharmacy Students Hit the Road

From visiting recovering women addicts at a treatment center in Nashville, Tennessee, to standing on the Cliffs of Moher on the western coast of Ireland, UTEP School of Pharmacy (SOP) students have traveled outside their comfort zone this summer to expand their cultural and intellectual horizons.

The University of Texas at El Paso has appointed Mark McGurk as the University's vice president for business affairs, effective July 16. The UTEP alumnus oversees the University's operating budget of roughly $500 million and advises campus leaders on the institution's financial interests, such as controllership, financial planning and revenue cycle functions.

UTEP Taps Alum to Lead Business Affairs Division

The University of Texas at El Paso is pleased to announce its appointment of Mark McGurk as the University's vice president for business affairs, effective July 16, 2018. The UTEP alumnus oversees the University’s operating budget of roughly $500 million and advises campus leaders on the institution’s financial interests, such as controllership, financial planning and revenue cycle functions.

Laura Uribarri, COBA assistant dean for academic programs, talks about the Executive MBA Community Engagement Project at its launch Tuesday, July 24, 2018, at the Graduate Business Center, 201 E. Main Drive.

Executive MBA Students Partner with Local Nonprofits

A recently launched program from The University of Texas at El Paso’s College of Business Administration will harness the knowledge and experience of its Executive MBA students to assist nonprofits that serve the Paso del Norte region.

UTEP President Diana Natalicio speaks Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, outside the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation to announce that the campus will be home to the North American operations of Aconity3D, one of the world's emerging technology leaders in production of 3D printing equipment. Photo: Ivan Pierre Aguirre / UTEP Communications

Aconity3D, Emerging Tech Leader in Laser-Based Additive Manufacturing, to Make Home at UTEP

The University of Texas at El Paso will serve as the North American base of operations for Aconity3D, one of the world’s emerging technology leaders in the production of 3D printing equipment, under a new agreement announced by the two organizations this summer. Aconity3D, which is based in Herzogenrath, Germany, develops laser-based 3D printing machines for fabrication of complex metal parts for use in airplanes, automobiles, medical implants and more.

Jorge A. Lopez, Ph.D., center, Schumaker Professor in UTEP’s Department of Physics, stands with Michael Kratsios, left, Deputy U.S. Chief Technology Officer, and France A. Cordova, Ph.D., National Science Foundation director, after receiving his Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. The PAESMEM is the highest national mentoring award bestowed by the White House. Photo: Courtesy

UTEP Physics Professor Galvanized by White House Mentorship Honor

Jorge A. Lopez, Ph.D., enters his 29th year as a physics professor at The University of Texas at El Paso with no intention of changing the way he runs his classroom. But there is definitely something unique about the method in which Lopez carries out instruction, something of which the nation’s highest executive office has taken notice.

The UTEP Events Calendar is accessible on desktop and mobile devices at events.utep.edu. Photo: J.R. Hernandez/UTEP Communications

UTEP Launches Comprehensive Events Calendar

As The University of Texas at El Paso continues to grow, so do the number of campus events and activities. UTEP officially launched a new and easy way to keep track of it all with the UTEP Events Calendar. The calendar offers a comprehensive list of events organized, hosted, sponsored or co-sponsored by the University and its departments, schools, colleges, centers, institutes, alumni organizations and officially sanctioned student organizations.

UTEP Scientists Awarded $6M to Improve Treatment for Chagas Disease

UTEP Scientists Awarded $6M to Improve Treatment for Chagas Disease

Scientists at The University of Texas at El Paso have received $6 million from the National Institutes of Health to improve treatment and develop new diagnostic tools to assess post-therapeutic outcomes for patients with Chagas disease.

UTEP to Help Increase Hispanics in Computing With $10M Grant

UTEP to Help Increase Hispanics in Computing With $10M Grant

The University of Texas at El Paso, with a consortium of more than 40 other institutions and organizations from the public and private sector, is at the forefront of a national effort to increase the number of Hispanic students who participate in computing.

UTEP Fall Enrollment Increases for 20th Consecutive Year

UTEP Fall Enrollment Increases for 20th Consecutive Year

For the 20th consecutive year, enrollment at The University of Texas at El Paso has increased. Fall enrollment figures for the 2018-19 academic year hit a new record of 25,151, compared with last year's all-time high of 25,078 students.

$5 Million in Grants, Partnerships Promote Community Health

$5 Million in Grants, Partnerships Promote Community Health

Talking publicly about reproductive health, HIV and substance abuse can intimidate most people, but not Victor Cornejo, especially if what he has to say can save a life. Cornejo, a junior computer science major at The University of Texas at El Paso, is a peer educator with UTEP’s Hasta La Vista, a community-based intervention program with Aliviane, Inc.

UTEP Receives $13M Grant for GEAR UP Program

UTEP Receives $13M Grant for GEAR UP Program

The University of Texas at El Paso's GEAR UP program has received a $13 million, six-year grant from the U.S. Department of Education that will help more than 2,700 students get more out of high school and navigate the path to college.

UTEP Professor Elected President of The American Chemical Society

UTEP Professor Elected President of The American Chemical Society

A UTEP professor has been elected to the highest leadership position of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific organization. Luis Echegoyen, Ph.D., a research professor and the Robert A. Welch Chair in The University of Texas at El Paso’s chemistry department, will begin a three-year term during which he will be responsible for the development of a set of goals with corresponding tasks and events while serving as the society’s primary representative.

Author Discovers Happiest People in America: UTEP Faculty

Author Discovers Happiest People in America: UTEP Faculty

Author Gary Shteyngart took a bus trip across the country to find the happiest people in the U.S. His answer? Faculty at The University of Texas at El Paso. Shteyngart shared his findings on the PBS NewsHour segment “In My Humble Opinion.”