December 8, 2022Najim gives $2 million to grow experiential learning at UTSA Downtown Campus

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UTSA Campaign Leadership Council member and influential local philanthropist Harvey E. Najim has committed a $2 million gift to expand The Najim Center for Innovation and Career Advancement to the UTSA Downtown Campus. The new center expands the reach of the inaugural Najim Center, which debuted on the UTSA Main Campus in 2019 via a $3 million gift from Najim. UTSA expects that between the two campuses, the Najim Center will double its reach—from providing experiential learning opportunities to 500 students to serving over 1,000 students aspiring to be entrepreneurs and future workforce leaders.

The new Najim Center will be located in the new San Pedro II building, a $124 million development also known as the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Careers (IEC) facility. Constructed just across the San Pedro Creek from San Pedro I, which includes the School of Data Science and the National Security Collaboration Center, San Pedro II will leverage opportunities for academic programming and research collaborations.

The Najim Center’s programs offer UTSA students of any major the opportunity to gain valuable experiences that advance career success, a mission aligned with the institution’s bold vision to be a model for student success, a great public research university, and an exemplar for strategic growth and innovative excellence.

One long-term goal of the Najim Center expansion is for at least half of the students in the Carlos Alvarez College of Business to participate in the center’s programs. These opportunities provide students with a greater awareness of how classroom learning applies to the real world through experience-based learning to support their transition to life after college and into a career.

I love helping students. My primary objective is to make sure that more of these young people get their degrees and when they do, are prepared to enter the workforce.

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