CONGRESSMAN GONZALEZ ANNOUNCES NEARLY $1.2 MILLION FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS RIO GRANDE VALLEY, ESTABLISHING CENTER FOR EQUITY IN ENGINEERING 

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) announced that the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) will be receiving $1,199,998 from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the Center for Equity in Engineering and broaden participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) studies.

"The future of the American workforce will be centered around STEM and South Texas students need to be prepared to excel in these fields," stated Congressman Gonzalez. "UTRGV has been ahead of the curve and invested in our students success since its inception. With great faculty, administrators, and students at UTRGV, our region will continue to be a hub for growth and innovation."

"We are grateful to the National Science Foundation for its continued support, and we are especially honored to be among the first in the country to be awarded funding to establish a center like this one," said Dr. Ala Qubbaj, dean of the UTRGV College of Engineering and Computer Science and principal investigator on this project. Our Center for Equity in Engineering: Engage, Educate, Enrich will help us further our mission to increase the enrollment and success of Hispanic students, particularly Latinas, in engineering higher education. UTRGV is set to become a national model for diversity, inclusion and professional preparation of underrepresented minority students in engineering," he said.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) is a majority Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with a student population that is over 95% Hispanic. The goal of the Center for Equity in Engineering is to increase enrollment, retention, and advancement rates of Hispanic students in higher education engineering.

UTRGV offers students over 120 programs at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels led by internationally acclaimed faculty. With campuses throughout the Rio Grande Valley, UTRGV empowers students to be successful in the fields of higher, bilingual and health education, biomedical research, and emerging technology that advance positive change.

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