Message from the President
Dear Colleagues,
As I shared in March, UTRGV is proud to partner with the City of Brownsville on the Task Force of the Future — a collaborative effort to enhance the academic experience for our students in Brownsville.
The task force is already laying important groundwork such as exploring ways to expand course offerings and bring new programs—like engineering—to Brownsville for the first time. Our students are graduating faster and with less financial burden than ever before, and these investments will help extend those outcomes. New academic offerings in Brownsville will open more doors to high-demand, well-paying careers in the region’s growing industries.
In addition, it is also important to recognize the significant work already underway by the vice provost team (Dr. Jonikka Charlton, Dr. Laura Saenz, and Dr. Christine Shupala) under the leadership of Dr. Luis Zayas, our Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. Their collaborative efforts have made substantial progress in enhancing the academic experience on the Brownsville campus, and their work will continue to be vital in advancing our shared goals. I want to emphasize that these initiatives are everyone’s responsibility, and it is through collective effort that we will ensure the success of these transformative changes.
To support this ongoing work, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Alma Rodriguez will serve as our new Vice Provost for Academic Affairs—Brownsville, effective June 16. In this role, she will continue her leadership as dean of the College of Education and P-16 Integration, while also working closely with Dr. Zayas and other members of the vice provost team to foster a unified academic vision that supports balanced, high-impact growth across our campuses.
A proud product of Brownsville, Dr. Rodriguez has served as a teacher, school administrator, and faculty leader in the Valley for almost three decades. She was appointed dean at UTRGV in 2019, and her experience and passion make her ideally suited for this important new role.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Rodriguez as we continue our mission to be a university for the entire Valley—focused on student success and powered by opportunity.
Sincerely,
Guy Bailey
President