University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College

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The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College

Motto Disciplina praesidium civitatis (Latin: Education, the Guardian of Society)
Established 1991
Type State university & Community college Partnership
President Dr. Juliet V. García
Provost Dr. Jose Martin
Faculty 540
Students 12,133
Location Brownsville, Texas, USA
Campus Urban, 380 acres (1.5 km²)
Endowment $101.5 million
Colors Orange, Blue and White
Mascot Scorpion
Website www.utb.edu

The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, frequently abbreviated and called UTB/TSC or UTB-TSC, is an educational institution located in Brownsville, Texas, on the land once occupied by Fort Brown. It is a member of the University of Texas System. The institution was formed from a partnership between Texas Southmost College and the University of Texas-Pan American at Brownsville. Since the partnership in 1991, the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College has been a growing force in South Texas higher education, providing unique opportunities for more than 12,000 students coming from various walks of life. Through this unique partnership between UTB and TSC, students receive the hometown flavor a community college, while at the same time the rigors of a four-year institution.

The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College Partnership offers Certificates, and Associate, Baccalaureate, and Graduate degrees in liberal arts, the sciences, and professional programs designed to meet student demand as well as regional, national, and international needs[1].

One of the strongest aspects of UTB-TSC is the bicultural, bilingual, and binational nature of the campus, with Mexico just one block away. The UTB-TSC campus continues to grow physically with the recent additions of the International Technology, Education, Commerce Campus (formerly Amigoland Mall), the Education and Business Complex (Fall 2006), and Recreation, Education and Kinesiology Center (Spring 2009). The university student population continues to grow, with the latest figures at 12,133[2].


Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Texas Southmost College

Texas Southmost College (TSC) was established in 1926 under the name "The Junior College of the Lower Rio Grande Valley." It admitted its first class on September 21st of that same year. In 1931, its name was changed to "Brownsville Junior College." In 1950, the institution was given its current name.


[edit] University of Texas-Pan American at Brownsville

In 1973, Texas Southmost College formed a partnership with Edinburg-based Pan-American University, which is now known as The University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA). The partnership allowed Pan-American University to establish a four year University in Brownsville by leasing land from TSC. The resulting independent instution was referred to as Pan American University at Brownsville. In 1989, Pan American University joined the University of Texas System, creating the University of Texas Pan-American at Brownsville (UTPA-B). Brownsville wanting a University that would be directly under the UT System called for UTPA-B to be an institution independent of UTPA. In 1991, this happened and the University of Texas Pan-American at Brownsville thus renamed itself The University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB).

[edit] University of Texas at Brownsville-Texas Southmost College

After UTB was created, a 99 year partnership was established between UTB and TSC allowing for students from TSC to seamlessly transition in to the four year University without having to apply a second time. The university has several academic departments ranging from engineering, education, liberal arts, biological science, school of nursing, and school of music. UTB-TSC's funding comes from both the local junior college tax district as well as the State of Texas. After failure to pass a 2002 multi-million dollar bond, the TSC tax district voters successfully passed a $68 million bond issue, which will pay for additional classrooms ($28 million), doubling the size of the current library ($14 million), Workforce Training Classrooms ($17 million), Center for Early Childhood Studies ($4 million), and Center for Alzheimer's, Diabetes, Cancer, and Heart Disease ($5 million). Dr. Juliet V. Garcia has served as UTB-TSC President since its inception.


[edit] Campus

UTB-TSC's campus sits on 380 acres (1.5 km²) of land in the southern part of Brownsville, Texas. A resaca or oxbow lake flows through the heart of the growing landscape. The university's unique architecture plays off the campus' rich history in Fort Brown. Many of the oldest buildings on campus remain from the old U.S. Army outpost. The university has also acquired many buildings in the surrounding area, including a former Holiday Inn hotel complex and many historic buildings of downtown Brownsville. The university continues to expand.


[edit] Notable Buildings

On-Campus

  • Cleve H. Tandy Hall
  • Gorgas Hall
  • Officers Quarters
  • Old Morgue
  • Eidman Hall
  • Mary Rose Cardenas North and South Halls
  • Smith Amphitheatre
  • Old Cotton Gin
  • Science Engineering and Technology Building (SET-B)
  • Student Union
  • The Village at Fort Brown, formerly Holiday Inn/Ramada

Off-Campus

  • Andres Cueto Building
  • International Technology Education and Commerce Campus (ITECC)
  • Young House

[edit] Academic Profile

The university offers a wide-array of degree programs that require a general education core of 48 semester credit hours and the remaining toward your upper-level coursework. The majority of undergraduate degrees require a total of 124 semester credit hours. In addition to various undergraduate programs, UTB-TSC also offers graduate and doctoral degrees.

[edit] Undergraduate

  • College of Liberal Arts
    • Art
    • Behavioral Sciences
    • Communication
    • Criminal Justice
    • English
    • Government
    • History
    • Modern Languages
    • Music
  • School of Education
    • Curriculum and Instruction
    • Health and Human Performance
    • School Specialities
    • Alternative Teacher Certification

[edit] Graduate

  • College of Graduate Studies
    • Master of Arts
    • Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
    • Master of Public Policy and Management
    • Master of Science
    • Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies
    • Master of Business Administration
    • Master of Education
    • Master of Science in Nursing
    • University of Houston Cooperative Doctoral Program
    • Doctor of Education (pending)

[edit] Notable academic programs

UTB-TSC is home to various academic centers and programs that receive local, state, and national recognition. Here are a few of them:

  • Center for Gravitational Wave Astronomy - established at the University of Texas at Brownsville with the aim of developing excellence in research and education in areas related to gravitational wave astronomy. Research at the center focuses on theoretical aspects of gravitational wave astronomy, specifically astrophysical source modeling, gravitational wave data analysis, and the phenomenological astrophysics of gravitational wave sources. The center has a successful visitors' program, offers several postdoctoral openings, and annually hosts several international conferences to promote scientific collaborations and continually expose its faculty and students to world-class research. Education and outreach activities form an important part of the center, supporting undergraduate and graduate students in many ways. The center began operation in 2002 and is funded by a NASA Group 3 OMU University Research Center (URC) Program and research awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF)[3].
  • Center for Biomedical Studies - its purpose is to establish affiliated centers that will concentrate research efforts in specific fields of biology, biotechnology and medicine, with special emphasis on problems relevant to the Lower Rio Grande Valley population. This includes research efforts on health issues relevant to the area but also biotechnological approaches that may contribute to the region’s development. It is our goal to encourage and foster research and education in biomedicine. The Center also hosts an annual Neuroscience Symposium.[4]
  • Center for Civic Engagement - its mission is to create an "engaged campus" that connects faculty, staff, students, and external partners in ways that help revitalize the surrounding community. UTB-TSC is a member of the National Campus Compact and a founding member of the Texas Campus Compact. Campus Compact is a coalition of 860 public and private, two and four-year college and university presidents located in 45 states and the District of Columbia. These presidents are committed to helping students develop the values and skills of civic participation through involvement in public service.

[edit] Athletics


[edit] Student Organizations

  • Accounting Society
  • Active Minds
  • Alpha Chi
  • Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity
  • American Criminal Justice Association
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  • Anime Viewing Club
  • Art Club
  • American Society of Mechanical Engineers (A.S.M.E)
  • Association for Computing Machinery
  • Behavioral Sciences Collegiate Organization
  • Bilingual Student Leadership Association
  • Brownsville Unix Users Group (B.U.U.G.)
  • Campus Activities Board (C.A.B.)
  • Catholic Campus Ministry
  • Chess[1]
  • Chi Alpha Campus Ministries
  • Club Cultural Latinoamericano
  • College Assistance Migrant Program (C.A.M.P.)
  • College of Liberal Arts Graduate Student Association
  • Collegian Press Club[2]
  • Comedy Club
  • Communication Council
  • Counseling and Guidance Student Association
  • Dance Productions
  • Disability Awareness Club
  • Facts on Alcohol Awareness (F.A.C.E.S.)
  • Film Productions Club
  • Girls Soccer Club
  • Gorgas Science Society
  • Grupo Folkorico Tizatlan de UTB/TSC
  • Gymnastics Club
  • Health Occupations Students of America (H.O.S.A.)
  • Higher Astral
  • I.G.N.I.T.E.
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
  • International Students Organization
  • Kappa Delta Pi
  • Kinesiology Club
  • Mariachi Scorpion
  • Medical Academic Coalition (M.A.C.)
  • Medical Lab Technology Club
  • Namaste Yoga
  • Phi Theta Kappa Alpha Mu Chapter
  • Pi Sigma Alpha (Political Science Honor Society)
  • Respiratory Therapy Club
  • Rotaract Club
  • S.T.E.M.S. Mentor Club
  • Scorpion Billiards Club
  • Scorpion Dance Club
  • Scorpion Flag Football Club
  • Scorpion Scholars
  • Scorpion Soccer Club
  • Scorpion Spirit Club
  • Scorpion Tennis Club
  • Scorpiontation Leader Association
  • ShadowFox Productions
  • Sisters for Cultural Awareness
  • Spanish Cultural & Literary Club "Voces y Letras del Rio Bravo"
  • Sports Officials
  • Sting Extreme (Outdoors & Recreation Team)
  • Sting Radio Club
  • Students for Peace and Change
  • Students Towards Excellence in Medicine(S.T.E.M.)
  • South Texas Pre-Law Society
  • Taekwondo Club
  • Texas Music Educators Association (T.M.E.A.)
  • Toastmasters Club
  • Upward Bound Math and Science (U.B.M.S.)
  • Veteran's Club
  • Villa Publius (Ethical Club)
  • VOX - Voices for Planned Parenthood

[edit] Greek Life

[edit] See also

  • Amigoland Mall, a former shopping mall which was converted to the college's tech center in 2002

[edit] References

  • Chilton, Carl Jr. (2001) "The First 70 Years: A History of Higher Education in Brownsville"
  1. ^ www.utb.edu
  2. ^ http://blue.utb.edu/collegian/2007/spring%202007/012207/index.htm Enrollment Still Lagging], The Collegian, Jan. 22, 2007
  3. ^ www.utb.edu
  4. ^ www.utb.edu

[edit] External links

In other languages