The Collegian Online

Maria Durón/Collegian

Mari Fuentes-Martin (left), associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, and Juliet V. Garcia, UTB/TSC president, cut a cake Sept. 1 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the University of Texas at Brownsville and the 80^th of Texas Southmost College.

Fifteen years ago, the clock on the Arnulfo L. Oliveira Memorial Library rang, marking the launch of the University of Texas at Brownsville and its partnership with Texas Southmost College.

On Sept. 1, dozens of people gathered at the same spot between the library and Gorgas Hall to recall that moment and the accomplishments that have taken place since then.

UTB/TSC President Juliet V. García told about 50 people gathered for the ceremony how the university has grown since 1991.

“The number of bachelor’s degrees has tripled and the number of master’s degrees has quadrupled and what began as a small campus of 47 acres has grown to become a swelling campus of over 380 acres with many state-of-the art buildings and several off-campus sites,” García said.

“I can’t believe that 15 years have passed since we formed this great partnership with the University of Texas … and the dream came true of becoming a four-year university,” said TSC Trustee David Oliveira, whose late father Arnulfo was president of Texas Southmost College and later Pan American University at Brownsville. “My dad had negotiations with the University of Texas for years. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the backing of some of the board members back then.”

Oliveira mentioned TSC board members, including Mary Rose Cardenas, who paved the way for the partnership to take place.

Claudia García, a UTB/TSC student when the partnership began and now an obstetrician/ gynecologist, explained her struggle to obtain a higher education. “I could understand [English] but I couldn’t speak it and I was very self-aware of my thick Mexican accent,” García said of one of the obstacles in her path. “I knew what I wanted to, do so I did it. … I was focused and I had a strong foundation.”

She finished high school in Mexico and became the first in her family to attend college and to become a physician.

Student Government Association President Abraham Ponce said the university is growing at a “phenomenal” rate. He said students have contributed to the university’s growth by the passing referendums to build the Student Union and the Recreation, Education and Kinesiology Center.

Ponce, along with Mari Fuentes-Martin, associate vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, and Terry Jay Phillips, interim dean of the College of Science, Mathematics and Technology led the audience in singing the university’s alma mater.

After the speeches, confetti filled the air and guests were treated to an anniversary cake and lemonade in the Free Speech Area.

The university has scheduled events throughout the academic year to celebrate the 15^th anniversary of UTB and the 80^th year of Texas Southmost College.