As The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley prepares to open its doors in the fall, we have an unparalleled opportunity to come together as a region for one of the most significant transformations the Rio Grande Valley has ever experienced. UTRGV offers the chance of a lifetime to affect change, transform the Valley, and build a University that will offer students in the Rio Grande Valley the same range of educational opportunities that other prestigious universities across the nation offer. UTRGV is on schedule for an August 2015 opening for the General Academic component and an August 2016 opening for the Medical School. UTRGV’s two legacy institutions, UT Pan American and UT Brownsville, have served the students of the Rio Grande Valley very well, and their legacies have laid a strong foundation

for UTRGV. We hope that the support of those alumni, donors and friends of our legacy institutions will continue as we open the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. With that support, we can soon rank among the best universities in the state. Please stay engaged with UTRGV. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the most exciting educational prospect in the United States today. We Are One regional University, spanning four counties and six locations. We Will Create new opportunities for the 21st century! This brief newsletter will update you on some of the latest developments at UTRGV. Please be on the lookout for our magazine to be published in April 2015.

a message from your president

Guy Bailey, UTRGV President

BROWNSVILLE • EDINBURG • HARLINGEN • MCALLEN • RIO GRANDE CITY • SOUTH PADRE ISLAND

OUR PURPOSE • To be a University that serves the entire Rio Grande Valley

• To expand educational opportunity in the Rio Grande Valley and become an emerging research institution

• To integrate general academic and medical education

• To be a catalyst for improved health care and to address other issues affecting the region and state through its research efforts

• To be a bicultural, biliterate, and bilingual institution.

APRIL 2015

UTRGV is taking every step to deliver a University of the #FirstClass. We have received great interest, with more than 9,000 applications received since October from students eager to join the Vaquero family. Acceptance letters will be delivered this month welcoming the Class of 2019. Along with their acceptance letter, incoming freshmen will receive an admittance packet including pertinent University information, a Vaquero bumper sticker, a poster that includes a “to-do” list and instructions encouraging students to take a selfie for posting on social media with the hashtags #UTRGV and #FirstClass. UTRGV has designated $800,000 to begin awarding $20,000 scholarships over four years to 160 incoming freshmen. In addition, our Academic Calendar for the next two years, degree plans and standardized class meeting times have been approved. We will also host Discover UTRGV this month, a free open house event designed to inform students and their families about what it takes to become part of the UTRGV family and succeed! The event will take place on March 21 at the Brownsville campus and March 28 at the Edinburg campus. Information sessions, scholarship giveaways, an academic fair, food and entertainment are all part

#FirstClassCOMMUNITY

Just over a year ago, Dr. Francisco Fernandez joined the UTRGV family as the inaugural dean of the School of Medicine. Since then, he and his team have been working tirelessly to ensure that UTRGV is prepared to welcome its first cohort of 50 medical students in August 2016. As part of

those efforts, the School of Medicine celebrated Match Day on March 20. Match Day is a nationally recognized event that matches fourth year medical students with training opportunities as resident physicians in the branch of medicine they will practice in. This spring, 42 new residents

and 27 existing residents will be placed in the areas of family medicine, internal medicine, surgery and obstetrics and gynecology. The UTRGV School of Medicine will host orientation for the new residents on June 17 at the Regional Academic Health Center (RAHC) in Harlingen. A total of 69 trainees will be ready to join UTRGV’s resident physician programs, which have been established at the following local hospitals:

• Doctors Hospital at Renaissance (DHR)

• South Texas Health System (McAllen Medical Center (MMC))

• Valley Baptist Medical Center (VBMC)

The School of Medicine’s accreditation process is also under way. The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) approved its candidacy for accreditation and a site visit for preliminary accreditation has been scheduled for June 28. These

are the first of a series of steps to achieve full accreditation. Thereafter, the inaugural class can be recruited. In 2016, UTRGV will have 50 additional resident physicians and its first 50 medical students enrolled.

Our progress in the School of Medicine is the result of an exceptional leadership team and the support of many partners. Over $4M to support the School of Medicine’s greatest needs has been contributed since the fall of 2014. The United Health Foundation, H-E-B, the McAllen Medical Center Foundation and the Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation, among many others, are stepping forward to provide our future medical students with the finest educational experience. To learn about partnership opportunities with the School of Medicine, contact the UTRGV Office of Institutional Advancement at (956) 365-8779.

of the festivities. Visit utrgv.edu/discover to learn more. We are working to ensure that all

students, both new and current, will transition to UTRGV with ease and enthusiasm.

SCHOOL OF MEDICINE UPDATE

In Fall 2015, UTRGV will welcome its first entering class of students, who will become part of the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas.

Opening in 2016, the School of Medicine will offer critical health care to the RGV and cutting-edge resources to students pursuing careers in medicine. Pictured above, Dr. Kristina Stillsmoking provides students with hands-on training using a human simulation mannequin at the UTRGV Smart Hospital.

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The 84th Legislative Session commenced in late January and we are working with our state legislators to communicate UTRGV’s greatest needs. Among our agenda items are operational support for the new School of Medicine, for which construction is under way, and support for the construction of facilities distributed across our campuses including a new $42.5M Interdisciplinary

Engineering & Academic Studies Building (Edinburg campus) and a $50.6M Multipurpose Academic Center (Brownsville campus). During this legislative session, we joined with Rio Grande Valley cities, chambers of commerce and economic development corporations for RGV Day at the Capitol. This was the first time the region partnered as a delegation for the event, demonstrating unity across the Valley.

COMMUNITY

“AWESTRUCK” DURING UTRGV VISIT

UT SYSTEM CHANCELLOR

During the UTPA men’s basketball game on March 7, UTRGV unveiled its new athletic apparel and footwear provider, Adidas, which sponsored 2,000 free Vaqueros T-shirts that were given away to game attendees. UTRGV fans in Brownsville also sported Vaqueros T-shirts during a watch party at The Vermillion.

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During UTPA’s final home men’s basketball game on March 7, the UTRGV Department of Intercollegiate Athletics officially rolled out its new “We Are One” campaign, celebrating the coming together of our two legacy institutions. Fans from across the Rio Grande Valley, including students, faculty

and staff from both UTPA and UTB, came together to cheer on the athletic program, which will move forward under UTRGV. During the game, the first 2,000 fans in attendance received free UTRGV Vaqueros T-shirts and everyone had the opportunity to see how the athletic logos and word marks were

designed. They also got a sneak peek at some of the new UTRGV athletics uniforms. To watch videos about the creation of the athletics logos and word marks, and to view the new uniforms, become a fan on Facebook at Facebook.com/UTRGVVaqueros.

84th Texas Legislative Session

Chancellor William McRaven made his first official campus visit in mid-January and his presence underscored the impact that UTRGV will have on South Texas. Together with his wife, Georgeann, they met with administration, faculty, staff and student leaders of UTRGV, including the School of Medicine. They visited campuses in Brownsville, Edinburg and Harlingen. The day was filled with productive and informative meetings. Chancellor McRaven said he was “awestruck by the exceptional quality, speed and extraordinary diligence and detail” with which UTRGV is taking shape, and he remarked on the “cohesiveness and determination of all involved” to open the doors only five months from now. The Chancellor thanked the Texas Legislature, the UT System Board of Regents, Chancellor Cigarroa and the entire South Texas community “for their vision and foresight to do something so grand and unprecedented for Texas and the nation.”

Future UTRGV students visited with state legislators during RGV Day at

the Capitol in February and reminded them that their support will change the

lives of countless students.

COMMUNITY

UTRGV’s Research Centers of Excellence As the first major public university to be established in the 21st century in Texas, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is capitalizing on every opportunity to provide our students with a first class education. A primary mission for UTRGV is to become an emerging research institution within the next seven years. As part of that effort, UTRGV has established four Research

Centers of Excellence designed to address pressing local, regional and global issues and enhance the educational experience for both undergraduate and graduate students. The Centers will explore the ecology and health of the coast and wetlands, support manufacturing activity on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border, support space

communication systems and the emerging space industry, and address major health issues affecting the region including diabetes and obesity. To learn more about these Centers, visit UTRGV.edu. For opportunities to partner with or support these Centers, contact the UTRGV Office of Institutional Advancement at (956) 365-8779.

• The South Texas Coastal Research Center

• The Center for Advanced Manufacturing

• STARGATE

• The South Texas Diabetes and Obesity Institute

UTRGV’s Research Centers of Excellence are focused on developing areas of research that are critical to the region.

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