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UTEP, America’s Leading Hispanic-Serving University, Unveils 10-Year Strategic Plan

Last Updated on April 07, 2021 at 9:15 AM

Originally published April 07, 2021

By UC Staff

UTEP Communications

EL PASO, Texas – The University of Texas at El Paso today unveiled its strategic plan for the next decade, built upon UTEP’s unique advantages and highlighting its status as America’s leading Hispanic-serving university.

The University of Texas at El Paso unveiled its strategic plan for the next decade April 7, 2021, built upon UTEP’s unique advantages and highlighting its status as America’s leading Hispanic-serving university.
The University of Texas at El Paso unveiled its strategic plan for the next decade April 7, 2021, built upon UTEP’s unique advantages and highlighting its status as America’s leading Hispanic-serving university.

“With this strategic plan, we have reaffirmed and embraced who we are – America’s leading Hispanic-serving university. That is more than a description; it is a responsibility,” said Heather Wilson, President of UTEP.

The plan includes initiatives that build upon UTEP’s unique advantages, including its place; the unique diversity of its people; its culture of care; and its community engagement and strong partnerships.

In addition to advancing research and fostering student success through teaching and learning, UTEP’s strategic plan places a strong emphasis on community engagement. It includes initiatives that will increase cultural and educational activities to enrich community life, including artistic, cultural, scientific and educational events and intercollegiate athletics.

UTEP also plans to develop and strengthen local public radio station KTEP-FM (88.5) as a platform to tell the stories of our region to the community and the nation.

Other community-focused initiatives include establishing the UTEP Business Engagement Center to help meet the needs of regional businesses for employee training and certification, facilitate corporate-sponsored research and technology commercialization, build a network of entrepreneurs, and serve as a resource for economic development entities to understand the talent available in the region.

UTEP began the strategic planning process in January 2020 by envisioning possible futures, each rooted in elements of the University’s history and proven successes. With these futures as a foundation for creative exploration, a 22-member advisory committee comprised of faculty and staff representatives from across the University worked to identify current and possible initiatives that could be scaled to help the University more fully achieve its mission.

UTEP will measure its progress toward each goal by tracking key metrics. Examples include degrees awarded, retention rate, scholarly publications, patents, workforce productivity in the El Paso region, education level in the El Paso region, national recognitions for UTEP, and UTEP representation on national boards and committees.

Learn more at utep.edu/strategic-plan.

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, 94% of our nearly 25,000 students are minorities, and half are the first in their families to go to college. UTEP offers 166 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs at the only open-access, top tier research university in America.