UTEP Fall 2012 Convocation

   Rankings, enrollment and the centennial of the university were among the topics mentioned at President Diana Natalicio’s state-of-the-university address. The address took place at the annual Fall Convocation at 3 p.m. Sept. 27 at Magoffin Auditorium.

   “In the 21st century, the spirit of democratization of higher education is alive and well on many public university campuses across the country,”Natalicio said in her speech. “Especially those in large urban areas where institutions like UTEP are taking the worldwide legacy to the next level.”

   The state-of-the-university address began with service awards to UTEP employees who have provided 10 or more years of service to the university.

    At the address the Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award, which is given to 10 professors throughout the state, was presented to Jorge Gardea-Torresdey, chairman of the Department of Chemistry.

   “When I came to UTEP 30 years ago, I was not expecting to go very high,”Gardea-Torresdey said. “I had mixed emotions, but I am very, very happy.”

   Natalicio said Gardea-Torresdey is one of UTEP's most outstanding faculty members.“He excels in everything he does and he’s a great teacher," Gardea-Torresday said. "He's a great researcher, he’s a great campus citizen and I’m very happy he’s a member of our faculty.”

   Natalicio also spoke about the campus transformation project, the grants and scholarships that were awarded in the past year, the number of degrees that were awarded, graduate programs and technology and online education.

   “It seems long, but it’s actually very short, there’s so many more things I could talk about, so many more things I could explain,”Natalicio said after the speech. “I’ve got all of (the speeches) for 25 years—I’ve been president for 25 years—I’ve got all the convocation speeches. It’s almost like a history of the university, it’s really wonderful.”

Jasmine Aguilera may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.