President Wilson Announces New Research Program, Hiring 69 More PhDs
Regents’ Research Excellence Program is largest state-funded research program in UTEP history
State of the University Highlights:
• Regents Excellence most significant advancement in UTEP research since achieving R1 status
• UTEP brings in record fundraising haul for fourth year in a row
• New campus master plan envisions new student housing, union, student success center, parking
EL PASO, Texas (Aug. 23, 2024) – Research at UTEP is getting a game-changing, historic boost thanks to support from the Regents’ Research Excellence Program. The program will allow UTEP to recruit 69 new researchers to advance discovery in multiple fields. UTEP President Heather Wilson announced the annual $12 million research allocation at the University’s Convocation Ceremony Friday.
In year one of the program, UTEP has begun hiring 69 research-focused faculty and staff positions, including 22 tenured faculty, 29 research faculty, and 18 postdoctoral researchers. Areas of research focus include:
- Advanced manufacturing
- Cancer therapeutics
- Artificial intelligence
- Intelligence and national security
- Quantum computing
- Water scarcity
- Rehabilitation engineering
- Hispanic student success
“UTEP has never had this kind of support from the State of Texas for research,” said Wilson. “It’s a game changer and I am grateful to the Board of Regents and the State of Texas for their trust in us as one of the leading universities in the state. We will use these funds wisely and build on this.”
The new program provides funding for the University to hire senior, fully tenured research faculty who are prominent in their fields.
In addition to the tenured faculty and postdocs, these funds will almost double the number of research faculty at UTEP. Research faculty are expected to build externally funded research portfolios over 2-5 years to support themselves. As they support themselves, state funds freed up are then used to hire more research faculty, who then build their own research support. In that way, these funds become perennial support for research growth.
“This funding is going to propel UTEP forward for years to come,” Wilson said. “As the new hires earn grants to support their salaries and research, we will be able to take the state seed funding and hire more research faculty.”
The additional funding comes after yet another year of record research expenditures — $145.7 million — in FY23.
“We often measure research in terms of dollars spent, but I am even more proud of the impact of the work our faculty and researchers are having,” said Wilson.
Additional University achievements that were shared at Convocation included a new Campus Master Plan and record-high fundraising.
10-Year Campus Master Plan
The master plan was approved by the Board of Regents earlier this week and will guide UTEP’s building plan through 2034. The plan includes a number of major changes intended to improve student life on campus, make better use of existing space and address deferred maintenance in campus buildings.
“Next to our people, our facilities are the most important assets that we have,” Wilson said. “It’s important to plan for future expansion so the University can continue to thrive.”
The following major renovations are included in the 10-year plan: a new residence for first-year students; the replacement of El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center with a student success building; and, if students vote in favor of it, the demolishing and rebuilding of Union West to better accommodate student life, recreation, and organizations and rehabilitation of Union East. The plan also calls for additional conveniently located parking.
Another Year of Record-Breaking Fundraising
For the fourth straight year, the University has posted record fundraising. For FY24, UTEP has already surpassed last year’s fundraising number, which was $45.3 million in FY23. FY24 ends on August 31 and the University will announce final numbers later this year.
One major gift this past year was a $4.5 million matching grant from the Paso del Norte Health Foundation. The grant led to the establishment of UTEP Health, a renewed focused on meeting the health needs of the region by education more healthcare workers.
About The University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. Located at the westernmost tip of Texas, where three states and two countries converge along the Rio Grande, 84% of our 24,000 students are Hispanic, and more than half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 170 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top-tier research university in America.
Last Updated on August 23, 2024 at 12:00 AM | Originally published August 23, 2024
By MC Staff UTEP Marketing and Communications
