Dear UTRGV Community,
If you have been on campus in Brownsville or Edinburg this past month, you have felt the energy. It’s the energy that students bring to a campus. Whether they are students starting their undergraduate studies, graduate students eager for the next step in their academic life, or employees completing a degree program, it is an exciting time. Across America, autumn and college go together to make a magical part of our social and cultural lives. UTRGV is part of that great tradition.
If you were at the convocation last Tuesday (in Edinburg) or Wednesday (in Brownsville), you likely noticed that the theme focused on celebrating our students. However, this showcase of student-athletes, chess masters, and musicians was just a sampling of the remarkable talents of students here at UTRGV. Each student, regardless of their background, possesses unique skills and experiences that make them valuable members of our university community.
As we celebrate our community during Hispanic Heritage Month, we do not have to look far to see how influential our people are. At UTRGV, students, faculty, and staff members are not only shaping the culture of our campus community, but we are making a real difference around the globe. Over these past several weeks, we have seen stories of an alumnus fulfilling his dream of dancing professionally in Mexico City and an endowed professor and American Mathematical Society fellow in our College of Sciences featured in the September issue of Nature Computational Science. The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers began this festive month by naming UTRGV its inaugural Academic Institution of the Year for 2023, a great honor for our College of Engineering and Computer Sciences and the entire university. While many of us may take our culture for granted, let us remember that our culture helped us realize these achievements, and it has been foundational in our rise to becoming the #1 University in Texas.
UTRGV is our place, our academic home. Our identities as scholars, staff, and students are tied to this institution, and we all contribute to that interconnectedness. Later this month, the university community will have an incredible opportunity to strengthen that connection during our annual UTRGV Madness. While the scheduled events and activities are student-focused, we should all be empowered to have our UTRGV pride on full display. Stay tuned for more details and information about UTRGV Madness in the coming days.
In closing, I want to remind everyone that a degree is forever. It links you to a community of teachers and learners for a lifetime. From the moment you walk on campus to the moment you walk across the stage to receive your degree — or years later when you visit as an alum — you should always feel at home and remember: "I Belong Here! ¡Pertenezco Aquí!"
Sincerely,
Luis H. Zayas, PhD
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
