| The University of Texas at El Paso | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1914 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | $151,200,713[1] |
| President | Diana Natalicio |
| Academic staff | 1,228 [2009 Fall][2] |
| Admin. staff | 1,511 |
| Students | 21,011 [3] |
| Undergraduates | 17,205 [2009 Fall][4] |
| Postgraduates | 3,806 [2009 Fall][4] |
| Location | El Paso, Texas, US |
| Campus | Urban, 366 acres (1.5 km2) |
| Colors | Orange, Blue, White, and Silver |
| Athletics | 16 Varsity Sports Teams |
| Nickname | Miners |
| Mascot | Paydirt Pete |
| Affiliations | NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision |
| Website | UTEPAthletics.com |
The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and a mineshaft still exists on the mountainous, desert campus. It became Texas Western College in 1949, and The University of Texas El Paso in 1967. In Fall 2011, enrollment was 22,640.
UTEP is the largest university in the U.S. with a majority Mexican-American student population (about 75%). It is the only such university to be classified RU/H ("Research Universities (high research activity)") by the Carnegie Foundation.[5]
Other notable features of UTEP are its campus architecture (modeled after the dzong style of Bhutan), and its athletic history (UTEP was the first college in the American South to integrate its intercollegiate sports programs).
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The school officially opened on September 23, 1914, with 27 students in buildings at Fort Bliss. By 1916 enrollment had grown to 39 students, and women were allowed to enroll. The Fort Bliss buildings burned down, however, and in 1917 the school was rebuilt on its present site on land donated by wealthy El Paso residents. The distinctive dzong architecture style of the Kingdom of Bhutan was adopted.
In 1919 the school name was changed to the University of Texas Department of Mines and Metallurgy, and in 1920 to the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy (TCM). TCM's students tudents painted a large "M" for Miners on the Franklin Mountains in 1923, and the "M" is still there today.
The school's name changed again in 1949, this time to Texas Western College of the University of Texas (TWC). Notable events at TWC included the training in 1961 of the nation’s first Peace Corps class, the construction of Sun Bowl Stadium in 1966, and the winning of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in 1966.
In 1967 the school's name changed to The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Notable events at UTEP include:
| University rankings (overall) | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Forbes[6] | 212 |
| U.S. News & World Report[7] | 203–268 |
| Washington Monthly[8] | 118 |
The University of Texas at El Paso is subdivided into several colleges, each of which offers a variety of degree programs including undergraduate, graduate and some post-graduate.
UTEP offers 81 undergraduate degrees, 65 master's-level degrees and 16 doctoral degrees. The university ranked, in 2006, second in federal research spending among UT System academic institutions, and in fiscal year 2006 reported $45.7 million in total research spending.
Hispanic Business magazine has twice ranked UTEP as the number one graduate engineering school for hispanics. The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering has called (UTEP) "a model for other engineering institutions who say that today's minority young people from low-income families can't succeed in a rigorous math- or science-based discipline."
The National Science Foundation has designated UTEP as a Model Institution for Excellence, one of only six in the country. UTEP is one of only 11 universities nationwide to receive a $5 million Teachers for a New Era (TNE) research grant from the Carnegie Corporation.
In 1916, only two years after the school opened, the original buildings were destroyed in a fire. The school was rebuilt on its present site in 1917. Kathleen Worrell, wife of the school’s first dean Stephen H. Worrell, had seen pictures of Bhutanese buildings in National Geographic. Noting the similarity of mountainous Bhutan (which is in the Himalayas) to the location of the campus, she suggested that the new buildings be in the style of Bhutanese dzongs (monastic fortresses), with massive sloping walls and overhanging roofs. This idea was enthusiastically accepted by all.
Prominent El Paso architect Henry Trost designed the first four buildings. All buildings since then have followed this style, including a fifth by Trost in 1920, and three more by his firm in 1933-1937. While the early structures only copied the general appearance of a dzong, recent buildings incorporate internal elements of the dzong form as well.
The Kingdom of Bhutan has honored UTEP's appropriation of their country's style. Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuk has visited the campus, and in 2009 the Kingdom presented UTEP with a hand-carved wooden temple to be erected on the campus. [9]
The "Himalayan" style of UTEP's campus made it an appropriate site for the Chenrezig Himalayan Cultural Center of El Paso, a Tibetan Buddhist facility.
The school's colors were originally made orange and white. However, in the early 1980s, Columbia blue was added so now the official colors are orange, white, and blue. When the new UTEP athletic department logo was introduced in the fall of 1999, a darker hue of blue was incorporated into the logo, as well as a silver accent to go with the customary orange.
"The Eyes of Texas" was adopted by the 1920 student body after the song had been "declared the school anthem for the University of Texas at Austin" [3] [4]."
UTEP's fight song, "Miners Fight" was also borrowed from the Austin campus. However, in the late 1980s and with the blessing of the estate of Marty Robbins, the UTEP Music Department wrote a new song to the melody "El Paso."
Out in the west Texas town of El Paso,
Home of the River they call Rio Grande.
Down on the border the town of El Paso,
Home of the Miners the best in the land.
Fighting to win, the Miners of UTEP,
Long live the College of Mines, GO COLLEGE OF MINES!
Loyal forever, we're standing together,
Onward to victory Orange and Blue, WE WILL BE TRUE!
(Repeat)
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
All the live long day.
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
You cannot get away.
Do not think you can escape them,
At night or early in the morn-
The Eyes of Texas are upon you,
'Till Gabriel Blows His horn.
Miners Fight! Miners Fight!
And it's goodbye to (opponent).
Miners Fight! Miners Fight!
For we'll put over one more win.
Miners Fight! Miners Fight!
For it's Miners that we love best.
Hail! Hail! the gang's all here,
And it's goodbye to all the rest!
(repeat)
The shadows on the mountains fall,
across the desert sands.
We lift our voices to our home
Along the Rio Grande
With brothers standing ever near
And sisters by our side
Oh Alma Mater always true
Our hearts with thee abide.
It is presumed that the nickname "Miners" came from the fact that the school was founded as the "State School of Mines and Metallurgy." In doing research on this project, early mention of "Ore Diggers" and "Muckers" for the nickname was found, but nothing to determine if the name "Miners" was voted upon by the student body, or if a faculty member, John W. (Cap) Kidd, chose the name. Kidd was a big booster of athletics, especially football, and in 1915, when funds were rather lean at the school, Kidd donated $800 to equip the football team. He also assisted with coaching, although he was not the head coach. The present track facility on campus bears Cap Kidd's name.
UTEP was the first college in the American South to integrate its intercollegiate sports programs. This breakthrough was made in the 1950s. When Don Haskins became basketball coach in 1961, he aggressively recruited black players. In 1966, Haskins' Miners won the NCAA Basketball championship, defeating an all-white Kentucky team in the final game.
This success story was retold in Haskins' autobiography Glory Road (2005), and in the 2006 movie Glory Road.
UTEP's sports programs have won a total of 21 NCAA Division I national championships.[10] UTEP is currently tied for 10th overall among schools in Men's Sports Division I championships.
UTEP owns the two largest stadiums in El Paso:
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![[3]](https://webspace.utexas.edu/dav332/www/003.jpg){kind=link}
![[4]](https://webspace.utexas.edu/dav332/www/002.jpg){kind=link}