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Sombrilla Mast

Sombrilla

The University of Texas at San Antonio Online Magazine

Kicking It

A simulator designed by UTSA students boils down the science of football’s perfect kick

Under the Mortarboard

Decorating mortarboards has become an unofficial highlight of commencement

Saving the Past

In Iraq, two UTSA professors have joined the effort to preserve ancient sites.

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The Paseo A Stroll Around Campus

Teaching our future
Teaching Our Future

The teachers and faculty at Forester Elementary exemplify the education pipeline.

Unlocking the Cloud
Unlocking the Cloud

Cutting-edge technologies come to UTSA.

Rowdy Cents
Rowdy Cents

Students can learn money management techniques with this free program.

Let the word go forth
Let the Word Go Forth

Professor Ethan Wickman turns a president’s words into music

Overheard
By the Numbers

Alumni Profiles

Class Notes

Compilation of alumni submissions and reports from newspapers and other media outlets

In Memoriam
There’s a code for that

Dariela Rodriguez ’00, M.A. ’08

Banking with a heart

Steve Schipull B.B.A ’89

Let’s Circle It
Let’s Circle It

One San Antonio middle school is working with UTSA and UT Austin to change how students are disciplined.

In Brief
Football Games Rescheduled

The scheduling of three UTSA football games has been changed to accommodate national television.

Flowing Fountain

Sombrilla Fountain re-dedication ceremony was held March 4 at the Main Campus.

Economic Impact

The UTSA Institute for Economic Development generated $1.6 billion in business growth for its clients during the 2013 fiscal year.

Diploma Dash hits 30

On March 1, more than 2,100 runners turned out for the 30th annual Diploma Dash.

Roadrunner Sports
Athlete Spotlight

Meet Megan Low, the UTSA softball team’s not-so-secret weapon.

Sports Briefs

Find out what's been going on with UTSA Athletics this semester.

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Community Uniting Our Alumni

President's Note

Today, we couldn’t fit them onto a single stage!

 

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

- Eleanor Roosevelt

This year’s spring commencement is a wonderful occasion for the UTSA community to pause and celebrate yet another milestone in our university’s history— the graduation of 100,000 students since UTSA was established.

Forty years ago, the first graduating class of 82 students fit comfortably in the frame of a single photograph. Today, we couldn’t fit them onto a single stage! That first class may have been small in number, but the hopes and dreams of its graduates were just as large as the aspirations of those who received their diplomas this May.

To mark the occasion of 100,000 graduates, this issue of Sombrilla takes us to the past and looks to the future. It allows us to relive that first graduation, on Aug. 18, 1974, and tells the stories of some who were there. With the knowledge and skills they acquired at UTSA, these graduates went on to achieve great things in their professional and personal lives. In the process, they have changed the world.

Of course, the story would not be complete without an introduction to some of our most recent graduates. We get to know about their families, their triumphs and challenges, and their future as educators, entrepreneurs and engineers

Throughout its history, that’s what UTSA has been all about—cultivating the future. Just imagine how that future is being changed by 100,000 Roadrunner alumni! Our students come from around the world, and then they go out and remake it.

While 100,000 graduates is a great milestone on the road to Tier One designation, it is much more than just a single achievement for UTSA. It represents a multitude of achievements for every graduate who dared to build a better life and every parent who sacrificed in that pursuit.

So on this historic occasion, congratulations are in order for all UTSA grads and their families—every class from then to now.

Together, we have accomplished more than awarding 100,000 academic degrees. We have fulfilled hundreds of thousands of dreams.

And of course, there’s more to come.

Saludos,

Signature Ricardo Romo

Ricardo Romo

Read More

THEN & NOW

Graduation traditions then and now

View the Flipbook

Sombilla Spring 2014 cover

COVER PHOTO

One of the thousands of recent UTSA graduates displays her excitement on her mortarboard at the fall 2013 ceremony.
Cover photo: Mark McClendon

BACKGROUND PHOTO

Students celebrate at the fall 2013 commencement.
Background photo by: © Edward A. Ornelas/San Antonio Express-News/ZUMAPRESS.com