Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Grants, Community
By Maria Gonzalez
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – APRIL 9, 2024 – UTRGV will hold a groundbreaking ceremony and special announcement on Thursday, April 11, to highlight the start of new facility improvements.
Supported by a $2.4 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the initiative is poised to significantly transform the workforce, research and economic landscape of the Rio Grande Valley.
UTRGV President Guy Bailey and Jorge Ayala, EDA regional director, will share insights on the project's scope and its implications for enhancing the region's workforce, economic growth and research capabilities.
“UTRGV's commitment to serving the entire Valley community is significantly advanced through these new facility improvements,” said Verónica Gonzáles, UTRGV’s senior vice president for Government and Community Relations. “This is envisioned to be a one-stop shop, where entrepreneurs with an idea, small business owners, and even larger manufacturing companies can receive assistance in starting or scaling up a business, manufacturing, and commercializing a product.”
The ceremony will take place, from 2-3 p.m., at the Community Engagement and Student Success (CESS) Building, located at 1407 E. Freddy Gonzalez Dr., Edinburg, marking a historic step in UTRGV’s drive to foster advancements in the region’s workforce, economy, research, and community welfare.
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.