Water fountain located in front of the Robert C. Vackar College of Business & Entrepreneurship Building on the UTRGV Edinburg Campus. (UTRGV Archival Photo by Silver Salas)
Thursday, January 16, 2020
Community
By Amanda Alaniz
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – UTRGV’s Hospitality and Tourism Management Program is partnering with Luby’s to host the event “Healthy Eating and Wellness at Luby’s,” with a percentage of the sales going to student scholarships in the hospitality and tourism program.
The event will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 19, at all Luby’s locations in the Rio Grande Valley. Luby’s will give 15 percent of participating sales to the program.
The partnership began to form late last year during a kick-off celebration for the university’s new Hospitality and Tourism Management Program.
Luby’s Area Leader Edwin Medina said the restaurant was invited to be part of the celebration, so he spoke with Dr. Arjun “A.J.” Singh, founding director of the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program, about how they could help with raising funds.
“We do these types of events to give back to the community. And the community has helped us throughout the years and supported us. That’s just a little token of appreciation to give back and help anybody in need,” he said.
Singh said this is the beginning of a beneficial partnership with Luby’s, with a variety of future possibilities, including internships and hands-on learning for students and future events, as well as help to promote the restaurant.
“We talked to Edwin about internships, job placement and job shadowing. They’re excited about us being here and we’re excited about this partnership,” Singh said.
Diners who want to help the Hospitality and Tourism Management Program can eat at any of Luby’s 10 restaurant locations from Mission to Brownsville on Jan. 19.
For questions about the event or the program, contact Singh at arjun.singh@utrgv.edu.ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.