By News and Internal Communications

RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – JULY 2, 2024 – UTRGV President Guy Bailey this month is celebrating a notable 10 years of leading the university’s creation and growth, followed by numerous successes and its broad impact on the Rio Grande Valley. 

When he arrived in South Texas to lead the fledgling university in 2013, he knew the challenges that lay ahead but already could see the possibilities.

“I’ve done a lot of interesting things that I’m proud of,” Bailey said at the time, “but I’ve never done anything as significant as what is going to happen here over the next few years.”

His words turned out to be prophetic, just the beginning of a long-term vision that has been instrumental in UTRGV’s emergence as the No. 1 university in Texas, according to the 2023 Washington Monthly College Rankings. 

UTRGV’s reputation has grown as the best-value university in the state, and for producing scholars and scholarships that drive economic growth and human betterment. Under Bailey’s leadership, the university has developed a new model for financing higher education that has minimized student debt and created life-changing possibilities for thousands.

Under his adept hand, UTRGV has:

• Graduated more than 54,000 students (equivalent to 3% of the RGV population).
• Helped 90% of UTRGV full-time undergraduates pay no tuition and fees.
• Grown its net worth from $737 million to $1.1 billion.
• Increased research expenditures from $20.78 million to $82.44 million.
• Provided free tuition and mandatory fees for Texas residents in good academic standing who are full-time students and whose family income is $125,000 or less.

When the Texas Legislature approved UTRGV in 2013, the new university was created through the dissolution of its two legacy institutions – The University of Texas-Pan American and The University of Texas at Brownsville – and the combination of their assets and enrollment. That made the new institution available for The University of Texas System’s Permanent University Fund (PUF), a special endowment to finance capital expenditures. 

PUF funding has helped UTRGV invest more than $813 million in new construction and renovation, including:

• 12 completed buildings and 11 in progress across the Rio Grande Valley.
• 35 major renovations completed and 11 more in progress.

We recently caught up with Bailey to discuss his decade at the helm of UTRGV, and to learn what comes next for him and for the rapidly growing university. 

Q: How would you summarize your 10 years at UTRGV and in the Valley?

A: As UTRGV president for the past 10 years, I have developed a deep connection to and affection for the Rio Grande Valley. The Valley is my home, and it amazes me every day as our students and alumni contribute to the growth and success of their communities and the region. I am so proud to be a part of UTRGV and share its success with the inspiring staff, faculty and administrators who have helped build a stronger and more dynamic institution that is educating and supporting the future of Texas. It didn’t take me long to recognize that the Valley has a strong culture of hard work, family and gratitude, and we strive to ensure that our campus community also reflects those values. 

At the beginning of every fall semester, UTRGV President Guy Bailey hosts the annual Picnic with the President on the Brownsville and Edinburg campuses. He looks forward to this campus tradition as he gets to welcome and meet new and returning Vaqueros. Bailey enjoys chatting and taking photos and selfies with the students. (UTRGV Photo by David Pike)

Q: What are you most proud of accomplishing during these 10 years?

A: There are many things I am proud of, but several are always at the forefront for me. Affordability. Enrollment. Academic program growth. And strengthening our research capabilities.

It’s important to me to ensure that our students can afford a college education – that’s always at the top of my list. I’m proud that many of our students pay no tuition and fees, and that makes it easier for them to concentrate on their education goals and not have to go into debt while they do it.

The significant increases in enrollment we have experienced since we opened our doors in 2015 is a major accomplishment. To see our university go from 28,000 students to almost 32,000 today is remarkable, particularly in the past few years when we had to endure a pandemic. While most universities across the country saw a decrease in enrollment, we were going up.

Another proud moment for me is the expansion of our academic programs. In the past, this region lost many students to other universities simply because we couldn’t provide the academic programs they were seeking. Since UTRGV opened in 2015, we have created 16 new bachelor’s degrees, 15 new master’s degrees, 5 new doctoral degrees, and 4 new professional degrees, including our School of Medicine and the state’s only School of Podiatric Medicine. These new programs, along with several more that are on the way, are helping us retain the best and brightest students in the Valley.

There are so many more programs to look forward to in the coming years, including the Collegiate High Schools, which are unique to our area and are going to be game changers in so many ways.

We’re all really excited about our record-breaking research expenditures, and about our Texas and national rankings. 

And there’s a big accomplishment on the horizon, taking us to a level we have not seen yet. We soon will be an Emerging Research University (ERU), and that status will enhance our research infrastructure, expenditures and rankings. We’re talking about an immeasurable impact in our Valley region, and well beyond.

Q: What is the best part of your job?

A: The best part of my job is the first week of a semester and the last week. The first week is when our new and returning Vaqueros make their way onto campus for what will be one of the most memorable and life-changing experiences of their lives. I love meeting them during the many events we have planned during Welcome Week. My favorite, of course, is the President’s Picnic, where I get to talk to our students and take lots of photos and selfies with them. 

The last week of the semester – for fall and spring – is commencement. It makes me so proud to see our Vaqueros cross the stage to pick up their diplomas, and to hear their families cheering. That’s the best sound ever. The pride shown by their families and friends – it brings tears of joy, because you know that, for some, the road to a college education may not have been easy. But they did it!

And finally, I love that I get to be part of a university that is contributing to the local economy. Providing more and better access to healthcare. I most value that, overall, we’re helping provide a better quality of life across the Valley.

Q: What do you envision for yourself in the future? 

A: First, there is a lot of work still to do at UTRGV. I’m excited about implementing our new professional degrees in Physical Therapy and Optometry. We have women’s swimming and diving and football coming soon, and we are working on expanding housing opportunities for our students. They deserve the same range of opportunities that are available to students elsewhere in the state.

Eventually I’ll kick back and spend more time with Val, the love of my life, and our six children and 11 grandchildren. I suspect we have more of the latter on the way. Maybe I’ll write a book about how a guy from Alabama took a job in South Texas that not only transformed the lives of its students and community but impacted his own life in so many wonderful and meaningful ways. I am so grateful to UTRGV and the Rio Grande Valley because it gave me so much more that I never knew I needed.

Q: What can you tell us about UTRGV’s future?

A: I envision a bright and transformative future for our students, faculty and staff. And that goes for our Valley community, too. We’re not done growing. The innovations will just keep coming. And our impact on South Texas and the people who live here? This is just the beginning, really. Ten years is just the blink of an eye when you imagine all the new and prosperous opportunities that await us the next 10 years. I’ve said it before: We’re the future of Texas. 

Ensuring students can afford a college education is always at the top of UTRGV President Guy Bailey's list. "I’m proud that many of our students pay no tuition and fees, and that makes it easier for them to concentrate on their education goals and not have to go into debt while they do it," he said. (UTRGV Photo by David Pike)