Introduction
The University of Texas - Pan American is a comprehensive regional institution serving the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Located in Edinburg, the county seas of Hidalgo County, UTPA is the fifth largest component of the UT System and the 10th largest public university in Texas. More than 85 percent of the University of Texas - Pan American's 15,889 students are Hispanic, giving UT UTPA the highest number of Hispanic students in the state and second largest in the nation.

History
The institution that has become the University of Texas - Pan American was founded as a two-year college by the Edinburg School District in 1927. It joined the state system of four-year colleges and universities in 1965 as Pan American College. Named "Pan American" to reflect its desire to bridge the cultures of North and South America, the university's name reflects the school's rich cultural and ethnic diversity.

The university changed its name to Pan American University when the first graduate degrees were offered in 1971. It became The University of Texas - Pan American upon the consummation of a merger with the University of Texas System on Sept. 1, 1989.

Degree Programs
The University of Texas - Pan American offers 56 bachelor's degrees and 42 master's degree in more than 50 fields of science, engineering, business, arts and humanities, education as well as social and health sciences. UTPA also offers a doctorate in business administration with an emphasis on international business, and a doctorate in educational administration. Cooperative degrees with two University of Texas System health science centers - bachelor of science degrees in occupational therapy and physician assistant studies - are also offered.

UTPA is divided into six colleges - Arts and Humanities, Business Administration, Education, Health Sciences and Human Services, Science and Engineering and Social and Behavioral Sciences.

Education is the largest college at UTPA with more than 2,400 undergraduate students preparing to become teachers. Another 940 students are getting ready for their bachelor of science degrees in nursing, and almost 600 are studying criminal justice. One of the newest departments - Engineering - boasts 570 undergraduate students and 550 students are studying accounting. UTPA has the only accredited manufacturing engineering program in Texas.

The most recent additions to the University of Texas - Pan American's list of degree programs are a master of science in computer science, a master of science in engineering, a master of science in social work, a master of science in criminal justice, a master of education in special education, a master of science in rehabilitation counseling and a master of fine arts in art. Approval was granted for a cooperative pharmacy program between UTPA and UT - Austin leading to a doctorate in pharmacy (Pharm. D) degree.

The University of Texas - Pan American has the only physician assistant studies program in Texas offered outside of a medical school. The university's MBA for physicians program is one of a few that is offered outside of a medical school setting and directed in practicing doctors. The UTPA rehabilitation counseling graduate program received national accreditation from the Council of Rehabilitation Education, becoming the only fifth higher education institution in Texas to receive this honor.

UTPA tied with the University of Texas for the highest success rate of research projects funded through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Both institutions had an 18.9 percent success rate in securing their funding.

Student Success
The University of Texas - Pan American students are among the most academically prepared in the state. Sixty-eight percent of UTPA students who apply to medical schools are accepted, compared to the state average of 38 percent, and 85 percent of UTPA Premedical Honors College students are accepted. UTPA is fourth in the state in the number of graduating teachers and is first in the nation in preparing bilingual teachers. UTPA's Computer Science master's degree program has reached the five-year predicted enrollment after just two years, and continues to grow.

UTPA freshmen are second only to UT - Austin in the number of students earning Advanced Placement credit. UTPA students routinely pass the state CPA exam at a higher rate than the state average. UTPA engineering graduates regularly place above the state average in the National Engineering Certification Exam, and are highly sought by top national and international companies. Some are hired ever before they graduate.

With the help of faculty, five UTPA engineering students spent a year designing and building the Engineering Department's wind tunnel, which is capable of exceeding speeds of 200 MPH.

Growth and Expansion
The University of Texas - Pan American has had tremendous growth in recent years. Since 1990, the university has added six bachelor's degrees, 14 master's degrees and its first two doctoral programs. New degree programs in health sciences and engineering are supported by new buildings that include state-of-the-art facilities and a new student computer laboratory. UTPA makes innovative use of new technology to prepare students for careers and life in the 21st century. It is a leader within the UT - System in its use of interactive video telecommunications and other information resources.

UTPA's newest buildings include a $23 million Engineering Building, opened in 1996, and a $26 million Science Building, which was completed for the fall of 1997. The engineering and science buildings are equipped with cutting-edge technology, including laboratories with 44 Pentium computers, six Sun workstations, a high-bay laboratory area with a 15-ton traveling crane, a scanning electron microscope with 10,000 magnification, and a Mach 3 (approximately 225 MPH) wind tunnel. Other labs feature digital systems, electronics, microprocessors, low-power electronics, electromagnetics/microwaves, senior designs, automation/control, injection molding, computer-integrated manufacturing, materials inspection, quality/reliability, Intel digital design, fluid dynamics, solar energy, heat transfer and vibrations.

The International Trade and Technology Building was funded in part by a $2.25 million grant from the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce and opened in the spring of 1998. ITT has been host to a number of national and international conferences and summits.

The Academic Services Building houses more than 500 computer workstations for student use, all with Internet access. A $7.4 million expansion of the University Library has recently completed, as was a new Student Union.

Thanks to a $7 million gift of computer hardware and software from Wal-Mart Stores and NCR Corporation, UTPA now ranks in the top five percent of universities nationwide in computer technology. The system includes an NCR WorldMark massively parallel computer system, equipped with approximately 1.7 terabytes of storage.

A terabyte of information equals 250 million pages of text, meaning this system can store 425 million pages of information, making it larger than 88 percent of the Teradata systems installed worldwide, and, in many cases, larger than those used by major corporations. By operating these systems, UTPA students will see firsthand the opportunities and challenges associated with very large databases. The University of Texas - Pan American was one of only six universities and colleges nationwide to receive this donation.

Research efforts at the University of Texas - Pan American include special centers that focus on international business, education, coastal studies, and speech and hearing. Outreach centers assist area businesses, manufacturers and local government districts. UTPA also is home of the Texas - Mexico Border Health Coordination Office, which coordinates the activities of the various UT - Systems components to improve the health of Texans living along the border.

The University of Texas - Pan American will house the Medical Research Division of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Regional Academic Health Center, moving the university into the forefront of health science research. The only biomedical research facility on the Texas - Mexico border, the research center will attract top national scientists, distinguished research faculty, as well as providing a unique opportunity for UTPA students to work alongside them.

Less than 20 miles from the Mexican border, the University of Texas - Pan American has cooperative agreements with Mexican universities in Tamaulipas and Monterrey, and is the only university in the United State to serve as a satellite office of INEGI, the Mexican equivalent of the U.S. Census Bureau. The FCC granted the University permission for a microwave radio link connecting it to La Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas in order to support further cooperative ventures between the two entities.