Messages from the Provost

Dear Colleagues: 

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Jose Davila-Montes as the next Dean of the College of Liberal Arts at UTRGV. Dr. Davila-Montes is a Professor of Translation and Interpretation in the Department of Writing and Language Studies and has served as the Interim Dean of the College of Liberal Arts since June 2024.

His academic background includes a BA, MA, and PhD degrees in Translation and Cross-Cultural Studies from Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, as well as an MA in Spanish Literature from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Dr. Davila-Montes has an array of diverse educational experiences including stops at Barcelona Autonomous University, Dublin City University, Toyo University, and the State University of New York at Binghamton. 

Dr. Davila-Montes has authored or co-authored 20 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, or books on translation studies, translation pedagogy, and Spanish contemporary literature and culture. His current research interests revolve around the neuroscience of rhetoric and its impingement in the translation of persuasive texts.

To the great benefit of our students and the university, Dr. Davila-Montes founded the first full-fledged BA program in Spanish Translation and Interpretation in the State of Texas in 2005, along with the predecessor to the current Translation and Interpretation Office at UTRGV. Soon after, he also had the privilege of founding the nation’s first fully online MA program in Spanish Translation and Interpreting in the nation (2010).

Please help me thank our search committee, composed of representatives from across Liberal Arts and the university, for their diligent work over the last few months.

As we continue the development and growth of the College of Liberal Arts, one of the largest colleges at UTRGV, we welcome Dr. Davila-Montes to this expanded role. Your support will be paramount to his continued success.

Luis H. Zayas, Ph.D.

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs