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“UTSA
in the News” is a synopsis of items that have appeared in periodicals
mentioning UTSA, its faculty, staff, students and programs. November 2002 The University of Texas at San Antonio
will receive a $300,000 grant to establish the framework for a small-business
assistance network in Mexico. The network is to be modeled on the Small
Business Development Centers (SBDC) in the United States. The funds,
which will be provided during a three-year period, were awarded by the
U.S. Agency for International Development's Teaching, Internships, Education
and Scholarship (TIES) program for Mexico. Sharing the grant will be
the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara which will work with UTSA to
develop the Mexican SBDCs. Ultimately, the Mexican government intends
to create more than 100 of these centers as part of a U.S./Mexico Partnership
for Prosperity initiative announced earlier this year in Monterrey. Are Latino academicians
being held to different standards than other groups when it comes to
professional advancement? This question continues to surface as many
Hispanics find themselves in a holding pattern, vying for upper-level
administrative positions or senior faculty ranks and falling short of
being selected. When it comes to competing for top-level executive positions,
Hispanics often find that they make the final round but never reach
the stage of being offered an appointment. For those seeking advancement
through the faculty ranks, it can take years to find the right combination
of research and teaching accomplishments that will result in recognition
by majority peers. Raymond Padilla, professor of education policy at
the University of Texas at San Antonio said that the tenure model should
be revised. The Institute of Texan Cultures has
unveiled its renovated Czech Texan exhibit. Dozens of Czech descendants
celebrated Czech Heritage Day to the tunes of polka music as attendees
learned that the first Czech immigrants who came to Texas in the early
1850's were not that different from other arrivals. The reasons varied--from
freedom of religion to economic advancement--but the dreams were the
same. Czechs came to the country seeking a better way of life. San Antonio education officials advocated
bilingual education during a recent presentation where the debate was
one-sided. "We live in a global community and economy that must
recognize the importance of bilingual education," said Blandina
Cardenas, College of Education and Human Development dean at the University
of Texas at San Antonio. UTSA education officials are currently working
on a study about the kinder readiness of San Antonio students. Cardenas
said there is no official bilingual education kinder readiness program
being conducted at UTSA, but results have already been yielded statewide
on where bilingual kids are before they enter kindergarten. As part of
a statewide effort to increase minority student enrollment in post-secondary
education, local colleges and universities have banded together to start
a 13-year campaign to educate and assist people in taking that next
step. The "Closing the Gaps" campaign has set a goal to bring
in 300.000 additional students to the 200,000 expected to enroll in
Texas colleges, universities and technical schools by the year 2015.
It is designed to motivate and mobilize support groups that include
community leaders, parents, and college leaders to create an environment
that fosters the benefits of additional education. "It's imperative
that we enroll additional students into higher education because students
who pursue education past high school will learn significantly more
than students who choose not to go," said David Gabler, assistant
vice president of communications at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The 15th annual State Farm Insurance/UTSA
Walk for Women's Athletics will raise money to benefit women's athletic
scholarships. Two chances to walk will be held, participants can walk
to the UTSA track or they can walk around campus. Participants must
contribute or raise a minimum of $25. Corporate sponsorships are available
and offer advantages such as advertising, program space and signs. The Texas Prefreshman Engineering Program
at the University of Texas at San Antonio received the Texas Higher
Education Star Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
The program, founded in 1979 by UTSA Professor Manuel Berriozabal, identifies
achieving middle and high school students with the interest and potential
for careers in science, engineering and technology, and other mathematics-related
areas, and supports them in the pursuit of an education in these fields.
The program provides enrichment sessions staffed by professionals from
various disciplines and industries such as college faculty, high school
teachers, industrial engineers, scientists and mathematicians. The San Antonio Technology Accelerator
Initiative's new leader plans to launch a major fund-raising drive and
expand the city's high-tech base. But Randy Goldsmith, SATAI's new executive
director, does not come cheap. SATAI's board has agreed to pay him $180,000
a year, $30,000 more than its last director, and if Goldsmith meets
the board's goals to pump up the city's technology base and entrepreneurial
efforts, he will receive another $36, 000 at the end of his first year.
Goldsmith also will have a position at the
University of Texas at San Antonio, where SATAI is based. But he does
not plan to teach during his first year there. A two-day summit examining critical
housing issues in San Antonio and Bexar County is set to take place
at The University of Texas at San Antonio Downtown Campus and the Radisson
Hotel Market Square. The summit includes 26 sessions on a variety of
topics, including the basics of community revitalization, marketing
the inner city and the role of schools and universities in communities.
Assistant City Manager Jelynne Burley said the event is a follow-up
to the inaugural housing summit the city sponsored last year. Burley
said officials hope the summit will enable the public to learn more
programs that can assist current and potential homeowners. The University of Texas at San Antonio's
student chapter of the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists
(MAES) has received the Outstanding Chapter of the Year award at the
2002 International Symposium held recently in Anaheim, Calif. UTSA is
one of more than 50 MAES student chapters nationwide. In addition to
receiving the award, three members of the chapter Karen Florendo, Juan
Portillo and Rebecca Martinez, placed first in a research design competition
sponsored by Ford Motor Co. UTSA's MAES team has won the competition
two of the last three years. MAES member Ricardo Ramirez also received
a scholarship from General Motors at the competition. UTSA's winning
design was the "key keeper." which when placed on a key chain
can prevent the doors from locking a driver out of the vehicle. The
device can also be programmed to automatically set seat, mirror and
radio adjustments before the driver enters the vehicle. "These
students are bringing national recognition to the University of Texas
at San Antonio with the awards they have received over the last three
years and they are setting the standard for other MAES student chapters
to follow," says Carlos Cortez, MAES advisor. Representatives of 11 U.S. agencies
will be in San Antonio with gobs of money for small businesses capable
of conducting research and development. Under federal law, the 11 agencies
must save 2.5 percent of their research and development funds for small
businesses. That equals $1.5 billion and each R & D project can
receive up to $850,000. The agencies are looking for research on just
about everything. "There are thousands of topics," said Julie
Ingalls, director of the Small Business Development Center's Technology
Center at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
"The Department of Defense topics alone are
an inch thick. There are hundreds of them." At a reception for the 2002 recipient
of the Senator Gregory Luna Memorial Endowed Scholarship, the late senator
was remembered. At the University of Texas at San Antonio-Downtown Campus
University president Ricardo Romo joined friends, family and former
colleagues of the longtime Texas legislator who had a scholarship started
in his name shortly after his death in Nov. 2000. A key figure in establishing
the UTSA-Downtown branch in August of 1997, the memory of the former
vice chairman of the Senate Education Committee was remembered. "Greg
Luna was not only a supporter of UTSA, he was a true champion of education
for all," Romo said. "He would want all of us to continue
his good efforts and remarkable work on behalf of higher education.
Comments or
questions to Kris Rodriguez
(krodriguez@utsa.edu)
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