University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas El Paso (also referred to as UT El Paso or UTEP) is a public, coeducational university, and a component of the University of Texas System. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy, and a mineshaft still exists on the mountainous, desert campus. It became Texas Western College in 1949, and The University of Texas El Paso in 1967. In 2009, enrollment was 21,011.
UTEP is the largest university in the U.S. with a majority Mexican-American student population (about 75%). It is the only such university to be classified RU/H ("Research Universities (high research activity)") by the Carnegie Foundation.[4]
Other notable features of UTEP are its campus architecture (modeled after the dzong style of Bhutan), and its athletic history (UTEP was the first college in the American South to integrate its intercollegiate sports programs).
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History
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- The school officially opened on September 23, 1914 with 27 students in buildings at Fort Bliss.
- 1916 - Enrollment had grown to 39 students and women were allowed to enroll. The Fort Bliss buildings burned down.
- 1917 - The school was rebuilt on its present site, on land donated by wealthy El Paso residents. The distinctive dzong architecture style was adopted.
- 1919 - The school name was changed to the University of Texas Department of Mines and Metallurgy.
- 1920 - The name was changed to the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy (TCM).
- 1923 - Students painted a large "M" for Miners on the Franklin Mountains; the "M" is still there today.
- 1946 - Zeta Epsilon Zeta Chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha International Fraternity was installed.
- 1949 - The name was changed to Texas Western College of the University of Texas (TWC). Gamma Gamma chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity was installed.
- 1961 - The nation’s first Peace Corps class was trained at TWC.
- 1963 - Sun Bowl Stadium was constructed.
- 1966 - TWC won the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship.
- 1967 - Name changed to The University of Texas at El Paso. Alpha Kappa Lambda granted a charter for Alpha Rho chapter.
- 1968 - UTEP alumnus Bob Beamon set a world long jump record at the Olympic Games.
- 1969 - UTEP won the first of seven NCAA Men's Cross Country Championships.
- 1974 - UTEP's first doctoral degree program in Geological Sciences was approved. UTEP won the first of seven NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships.
- 1975 - UTEP won both the NCAA Men's Outdoor and Indoor National Championships.
- 1976 - The Engineering-Science Complex was completed and the College of Nursing was also created.
- 1977 - The Special Events Center (now the Don Haskins Center) with 12,000 seats was completed.
- 1982 - Sun Bowl Stadium was Expanded, increasing seating capacity to 52,000.
- 1984 - The six-story University Library opened its doors to the public.
- 1988 - Diana Natalicio became UTEP's first woman president.
- 1989 - The Beta Chapter of Omega Delta Phi Fraternity, Inc. was installed.
- 1989 - UTEP's second doctoral program was approved (in Electrical Engineering).
- 1991 - UTEP started its Computer Engineering doctorate program.
- 1993 - UTEP started a Psychology doctorate program.
- 1995 - UTEP started a Environmental science and engineering doctorate program.
- 1996 - UTEP started a Pharmacy cooperative doctorate program.
- 1997 - UTEP coach Don Haskins was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Special Events Center was renamed the Don Haskins Center. The Biological Sciences doctorate program was started.
- 1999 - Don Haskins retired from coaching. The History doctorate program was started, and the MBA online degree program was launched.
- 2000 - Nursing cooperative doctorate program was started. Miner Village was completed and UTEP was designated as a Doctoral/Research-Intensive University by the Carnegie Foundation.
- 2002 - The $11 million Larry K. Durham Sports Center opened and the Sam Donaldson Center for Communication Studies was established.
- 2003 - Doctorate programs in International business, Civil engineering, Composition, and Rhetoric were started. $44 million in construction projects began for Academic Services and Biosciences buildings and an addition to the Engineering-Science Complex. [Mike Price]] was hired as football coach. The $1.8 million Helen of Troy Softball Complex was approved.
- 2004 - UTEP's 90th anniversary. The Miners football team went to the Houston Bowl and the men's basketball team mad its 15th NCAA Tournament appearance.
- 2005 - UTEP moved to Conference USA from the Western Athletic Conference. UTEP is classified "RU/H" by the Carnegie Foundation.
- 2006 - Texas Tau chapter of Phi Delta Theta International Fraternity was installed.
- 2008 - Fall enrollment at UTEP reached was a record 20,458, a 1.6% increase over 2007.
Academics
The University of Texas at El Paso is subdivided into several colleges, each of which offers a variety of degree programs including undergraduate, graduate and some post-graduate:
- School of Allied Health
UTEP offers 81 undergraduate degrees, 65 master's-level degrees and 16 doctoral degrees. The university ranked, in 2006, second in federal research spending among UT System academic institutions, and in fiscal year 2006 reported $45.7 million in total research spending.
Hispanic Business magazine has twice ranked UTEP as the number one graduate engineering school for hispanics. The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering has called (UTEP) "a model for other engineering institutions who say that today's minority young people from low-income families can't succeed in a rigorous math- or science-based discipline."
The National Science Foundation has designated UTEP as a Model Institution for Excellence, one of only six in the country. UTEP is one of only 11 universities nationwide to receive a $5 million Teachers for a New Era (TNE) research grant from the Carnegie Corporation.
Campus architecture
Modeled after Bhutanese monasteries, or Dzong architecture. To the left is the College of Business, to the right the College of Engineering Academic Services Building Library Larry K. Durham Sports CenterIn 1916, only two years after the school opened, the original buildings were destroyed in a fire. The school was rebuilt on its present site in 1917. Kathleen Worrell, wife of the school’s first dean Stephen H. Worrell, had seen pictures of Bhutanese buildings in National Geographic. Noting the similarity of mountainous Bhutan (which is in the Himalayas) to the location of the campus, she suggested that the new buildings be in the style of Bhutanese dzongs (monastic fortresses), with massive sloping walls and overhanging roofs. This idea was enthusiastically accepted by all.
Prominent El Paso architect Henry Trost designed the first four buildings. All buildings since then have followed this style, including a fifth by Trost in 1920, and three more by his firm in 1933-1937. While the early structures only copied the general appearance of a dzong, recent buildings incorporate internal elements of the dzong form as well.
The Kingdom of Bhutan has honored UTEP's appropriation of their country's style. Prince Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuk has visited the campus, and in 2009 the Kingdom presented UTEP with a hand-carved wooden temple to be erected on the campus. [5]
The "Himalayan" style of UTEP's campus made it an appropriate site for the Chenrezig Himalayan Cultural Center of El Paso, a Tibetan Buddhist facility.
School colors and logo
The school's colors were originally made orange and white. However, in the early 1980s, Columbia blue was added so now the official colors are orange, white, and blue. When the new UTEP athletic department logo was introduced in the fall of 1999, a darker hue of blue was incorporated into the logo, as well as a silver accent to go with the customary orange.
Pickaxe hand symbol
This hand symbol represents the traditional tool used by Miners, the pickaxe. This gesture is made by UTEP Miners fans when UTEP players are shooting free throws at basketball games, or any time UTEP kicks off at a football game.
The Miner Pickaxe hand symbol.School songs
"The Eyes of Texas" was adopted by the 1920 student body after the song had been "declared the school anthem for the University of Texas at Austin" [3] [4]."
UTEP's fight song, "Miners Fight" was also borrowed from the Austin campus. However, in the late 1980s and with the blessing of the estate of Marty Robbins, the UTEP Music Department wrote a new song to the melody "El Paso."
Lyrics
[5]">"The Eyes of Texas" (UTEP's Official Alma Mater)[5]
The Eyes of Texas are upon you, All the live long day. The Eyes of Texas are upon you, You cannot get away. Do not think you can escape them, At night or early in the morn- The Eyes of Texas are upon you, 'Till Gabriel Blows His horn.
"UTEP Fight Song"
Out in the west Texas town of El Paso, Home of the River they call Rio Grande. Down on the border the town of El Paso, Home of the Miners the best in the land. Fighting to win, the Miners of UTEP, Long live the College of Mines, GO COLLEGE OF MINES! Loyal forever, we're standing together, Onward to victory Orange and Blue, WE WILL BE TRUE! (Repeat)
"Miners Fight"
Miners Fight! Miners Fight! And it's goodbye to Kentucky. Miners Fight! Miners Fight! For we'll put over one more win. Miners Fight! Miners Fight! For it's Miners that we love best. Hail! Hail! the gang's all here, And it's goodbye to all the rest! (repeat)
"The Shadows on the Mountains" (UTEP's Band Hymn)
The shadows on the mountains fall, across the desert sands. We lift our voices to our home Along the Rio Grande With brothers standing ever near And sisters by our side Oh Alma Mater always true Our hearts with thee abide.
Nickname
It is presumed that the nickname "Miners" came from the fact that the school was founded as the "State School of Mines and Metallurgy." In doing research on this project, early mention of "Ore Diggers" and "Muckers" for the nickname was found, but nothing to determine if the name "Miners" was voted upon by the student body, or if a faculty member, John W. (Cap) Kidd, chose the name. Kidd was a big booster of athletics, especially football, and in 1915, when funds were rather lean at the school, Kidd donated $800 to equip the football team. He also assisted with coaching, although he was not the head coach. The present track facility on campus bears Cap Kidd's name.
Athletics
Main article: UTEP MinersUTEP was the first college in the American South to integrate its intercollegiate sports programs. This breakthrough was made in the 1950s. When Don Haskins became basketball coach in 1961, he aggressively recruited black players. In 1966, Haskins' Miners (an all-black team) won the NCAA Basketball championship, defeating an all-white Kentucky team in the final game.
This success story was retold in Haskins' autobiography Glory Road (2005), and in the 2006 movie Glory Road.
Notable athletic achievements
UTEP's sports programs have won a total of 21 NCAA Division I national championships.[6] UTEP is currently tied for 10th overall among schools in Men's Sports Division I championships.
- Men's Basketball: 1 (1966; the only NCAA Men's Basketball title won by a university from the state of Texas)
- Men's Cross country: 7
- Men's Indoor Track & Field: 7
- Men's Outdoor Track & Field: 6
Sports venues
UTEP owns the two largest stadiums in El Paso:
- Sun Bowl Stadium, seating capacity 52,000, opened its doors in 1963 and is currently the home to the UTEP football team and to the annual Sun Bowl game. Sun Bowl Stadium is also now home to the Texas vs. The Nation Game, a college football all-star game.
- Don Haskins Center, seating capacity 12,222, was built in 1976 and is primarily used by the men's and women's basketball teams. It is known as "The Bear's Den."
- University Field (UTEP), seating capacity 500, was built in 1991 and hosts the women's soccer team.
Notable people
Faculty
- Steven Best, professor of philosophy and co-founder of the North American Animal Liberation Press Office
- Urbici Soler y Manonelles, Spanish sculptor
- John Haddox, American philosopher, Latin-Americanist
Alumni
- F. Murray Abraham • Academy Award Best Actor winner
- Ana Alicia • Actress
- Nate Archibald • NBA Hall of Famer, chosen as one of the Top 50 Greatest NBA Players
- Roger Argenis • Lead singer of the alternative rock band Aerial
- Antonio Davis • NBA All-Star, president of the National Basketball Players Association
- Sam Donaldson • ABC News veteran
- Bob Beamon • Olympic gold medalist, world record holder in track and field
- Hank Cohen • President of MGM Television Entertainment
- Joe Devance• Basketball Player PBA
- Greg Foster • Former NBA player and one time NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers
- Hector Guerrero • Professional wrestler, performed on WWF and NWA
- Jack Handey • Best known for his "Deep Thoughts" on Saturday Night Live
- Tim Hardaway • NBA All-Star, 2000 Summer Olympics gold medalist
- Edward Wakefield - All-Conference USA player at UTEP and later a Greek basketball league player
- Larry Wilkins All-Conference USA player at UTEP and later a Spanish basketball league player in Spain
- Idris Haron, member of the Parliament of Malaysia.
- John Harvey - Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back
- J. P. Hayes • Professional golfer
- Johnnie Lee Higgins • wide receiver & special team specialist for the Oakland Raiders.
- Ed Hochuli • National Football League referee
- Thomas Howard • linebacker for the Oakland Raiders
- Suzanna Hupp • Former Republican state representative from Lampasas County and Second Amendment advocate
- Chris Jacke • BBA 1989, All-American place kicker, Super Bowl champion with Green Bay Packers
- Shoshana Johnson • U.S. Army Specialist, former Iraq POW
- Seth Joyner • 1991 NFL Defensive Player of the Year by Sports Illustrated, one-time Super Bowl champion
- Don Maynard • Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Lee Mays • Former National Football League Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver
- Paul Moreno • Former Texas Democratic State Representative, longest serving Mexican American elected official in the United States
- John D. Olivas • First UTEP alumnus to be selected as an astronaut by NASA and a member of Space Shuttle Mission STS-117 crew aboard the Atlantis, launched on June 8, 2007
- Bob O'Rear • A founder of Microsoft
- Nolan Richardson • Former NCAA champion collegiate men's basketball head coach at the University of Arkansas
- Hector M. Sanchez • First deaf student to graduate from UTEP (1996)
- Tony Tolbert • Three time world champion with the Dallas Cowboys
- Weronika Bloczynska ; Professional Tennis Player
- Manuel Leon Jr - Writer
- Taurian Fontenette- Streetballer
See also
References
- ^ http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/el-paso-tx/utep-3661
- ^ a b [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ Carnegie Foundation 2005 profile for UTEP
- ^ Soltero, Ed (January/February 2009), "UTEP’s Bhutanese Campus Goes Modern", Texas Architect, http://texasarchitect.org/ta200901-intro.php
- ^ Schools with the Most NCAA Championships
External links
- University Communications
- Student Newspaper of The University of Texas at El Paso
- University of Texas El Paso
- Horizons Online News, electronic news site
- UTEP Magazine
- UTEP Research Guide
- Official UTEP Athletics site
- UTEP Basketball & Football Talk
- UTEP Marching Miners
- University of Texas at El Paso Film Studies Program
- 2007 UTEP football preview
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Categories: Public universities in Texas | Educational institutions established in 1914 | El Paso County, Texas | University of Texas at El Paso | University of Texas System | Schools of mines | Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools | Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities | Education in El Paso, Texas | Consortium for North American Higher Education Collaboration
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