‘Task Force of the Future’

A promise to extend Brownsville higher education

UTRGV and the City of Brownsville came together March 18 to create a memorandum of understanding to enhance the experience of students on the Brownsville campus, according to a university official.

 Patrick Gonzales, vice president for University Marketing and Communications, said the university and the city are highly invested in higher-education opportunities.

“We’re coming together to see if we can take advantage of those opportunities and enhance the experience that our students on our Brownsville campus are already experiencing,” Gonzales said. 

He said the MOU will have four major focuses which will be reducing student travel, expanding academic programming, allocating resources equitably and enhancing student life.

The MOU comes with the creation of the “Task Force of the Future” which will have individuals from the City of Brownsville and the university, according to Gonzales.

The Task Force individuals for UTRGV consists of:

–Patrick Gonzales, vice president for University Marketing and Communications and spokesperson for the Task Force 

– Janna Arney, former vice president and provost

–Veronica Gonzales, senior vice president of Governmental and Community Relations 

– Stephen Hirst, associate vice president for Strategic Enrollment & Student Affairs

–Alma Rodríguez, dean of the College of Education and P-16 Integration 

–José Dávila-Montes, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts. 

Patrick Gonzales said the task force held its first meeting March 25 to address the memorandum and ensure each individual understands the assignments.

Brownsville Mayor John Cowen said he has been working with state Senator Adam Hinojosa, state Rep. Erin Gamez, Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino and the City Commission, according to a March 21 news release.

“Having recently met with UT Chancellor James Milliken and UTRGV President Dr. Guy Bailey, we revisited our concerns and as a result, today we now have an MOU in place,” Cowen wrote. “I look forward to collaborating closely going forward on these items and future areas of opportunity.”

The Rider contacted Cowen but was unavailable for questions.

The Rider also contacted Hinojosa, Gamez and Trevino but, as of press time Friday, has not received  statement.

Patrick Gonzales said UTRGV officials are happy with the strides made for student success since the university was founded and with its 10th-year anniversary approaching.

“All of our students, including those on the Brownsville campus, are graduating sooner than they did at the legacy institutions,” he said. “They’re paying less if you can believe that. Ten years later, the average cost of attendance is actually lower than what students pay 10 years ago.”

The spokesperson said the point of “dissolving the two legacy institutions” was to see results in student success.

“At [the University of Texas at] Brownsville, our students only had around 60 programs to choose from,” he said. “Now, UTRGV students in Brownsville have over 100.”

Biomedical science sophomore Mariana Gallardo said she agrees with the idea of bringing more classes to the Brownsville campus.

“We have a good amount of students and it’s not fair for us to be traveling over there to Edinburg because people work and they try to fit their schedule to whatever classes they can,” Gallardo said. “But, at the same time as a university, you should have the accessibility for students to be able to attend when they can and not forcing them to.”