UTRGV’s College of Education & P-16 Integration will host its Community Open House this weekend for people to learn about educational opportunities while participating in a variety of activities.
Johnny Salinas, administrative assistant for the Human Development and School Services department, said the event will take place from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday in the Main Building Courtyard on the Brownsville campus and from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday in the Education Complex parking lot on the Edinburg campus.
Salinas said about 300 to 500 people are expected to attend.
Vejoya Viren, an associate professor of early childhood education, said the event’s purpose is to reach out to the community.
“It is a wonderful time for the community to come and meet the students, the staff and the faculty, [and] to learn about the different programs,” Viren said. “We’ll have the different departments talking about their programs. They’ll have their brochures ready, information ready.”
Both said the events will only differ between both campuses based on what student organizations will be tabling.
Viren said the groups will include United Together Caring Adults Reaching Early Childhood Students, Student Organization for Unique Learners, Bilingual Education Student Organization, Student Council for Exceptional Children and Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honor Society in Education.
She said the college started hosting the open house two years ago when UTRGV was established from legacy institutions UT Pan American and UT Brownsville.
“Since becoming UTRGV, there are more programs available at every level: undergraduate, graduate and doctoral,” Viren said.
Every department from the college will have an information booth. Activities for children will include bookmaking, reading aloud, book giveaways, games, face painting, lotería, cupcake walk and moon jumps.
Prize drawings will take place on both campuses with four prizes.
Salinas said the drawing is something new to the open house.
“The raffle is designed to help bring people in,” he said. “Usually, when you give stuff away, people are more enticed to come visit.”
The prizes consist of 43-inch HD TVs, iPads, and children’s bicycles.
Viren said there will be a “TeachLivE demonstration with a virtual reality classroom, where people can come and see how our teachers learn.”
“Basically, we are welcoming [the community] into our midsts and letting them know what the College of Ed. at UTRGV has to offer,” she said.
