The Fifth Decade

Laredo Morning Times | lmtonline.com | Sunday, January 19, 2020 | E5 50 Anniversary Spanish translation and in theatre. A Master of Sci- ence in Nursing Administra- tion was approved in 2013, a master’s in communica- tion was approved in 2014 and a Master of Science in Mathematics-Applied Sta- tistics was added in 2016. Also added in 2014 were the Haven, Green Dot and Safe Zone programs along with an artist in residence maria- chi program. TAMIU began offering a minor in women’s and gender studies in 2017, and in 2018, its Master of Arts in Counseling Psychol- ogy was accredited through 2022. The university also added a new nursing pro- gram in partnership in 2018 with UT Health San Anto- nio, which was then known as the University of Texas Health Science Center. TA- MIU also emphasized con- tinued growth in 2018 by creating the Imagine 2045 Committee formed to help guide the university into the future. That future includes a bachelor’s degree in public health which is likely to be available in 2021. “That’s part of the rea- son I came to Texas A&M International because I saw an opportunity for moving TAMIU forward and chang- ing the course slightly to be- come a different institution than we were in 2008 when I came,” Arenaz said. “When I first took over as president, I talked about how we’re a diamond. Diamonds become more brilliant when you cut more facets. We’ve tried to cut more facets so we be- come a more brilliant dia- mond.” Educational partnerships As its available programs and fields of study have ex- panded, so to have TAMIU’s educational partnerships. The partnerships range from within the city to across the globe. A local partnership was established in July 2011 as TAMIU signed a Memoran- dum of Understanding with Laredo College, which was then called Laredo Commu- nity College. The agreement allowed students to have joint admission between the two schools. The expansion of the engineering program was enhanced in 2014 thanks to an agreement within the Texas A&M University System. TAMIU and Texas A&M University-Kingsville signed an agreement which facilitated the transfer of pre-engineering students to TAMUK’s Frank H. Dotter- weich College of Engineer- ing. Arenaz signed a Memo- randum of Agreement in February 2015 with the Governor of Tamaulipas. It allowed for faculty and student exchanges and for collaborative research and activities with universities throughout the state of Tam- aulipas. UT Health San Antonio agreed in September 2017 to a Memorandum of Un- derstanding with TAMIU for an early acceptance program known as the Laredo Early Acceptance Program. In May 2018, Arenaz and Carolina Zaragoza, the Con- sul General of México in Laredo, signed a Memoran- dum of Understanding that reestablished the Institute of Mexicans in the Exterior Be- cas Program at TAMIU. “We are an international university, and we’re the only one in Texas that has international in our name,” Arenaz said. “I thank Sena- tor Zaffirini for that. She’s the one that put it in the legislation and fought for it. We’ve embraced the idea. We have the ability to de- velop joint and dual degree programs with international universities. We look into those opportunities. We’re always looking for partner- ships in Mexico and beyond where we can develop re- lationships for student ex- change and opportunities for faculty to engage with each other. “It’s a wonderful op- portunity we have. We also push our students to have an international experience. We have expanded our study abroad programs. It helps our students because it gives them a very different per- spective. It’s all part of the international aspect of our institution that we’re trying to build on.” Embracing the digital age Part of establishing an identity as an international institution has been embrac- ing technology and the digi- tal age. Along with enhanc- ing the university’s global presence, advancements in technology have also made international partnerships and collaborative research easier than ever. TAMIU’s venture into the digital age took a pair of steps forward in 2011 as it debuted its app and pro- duced a digital version of its annual president’s report for the first time. The godust- devils.com athletics website launched in 2012, and any students interested in check- ing it out could easily get on- line thanks to the expansion of the university’s wireless network to cover 100% of the campus. The university took several steps forward in 2013 starting with the busi- ness school adding online programs. The College of Education launched an on- line master’s program, and TAMIU discussed online programs with 40 Mexican universities. TAMIU also improved the student expe- rience by adding Microsoft TAMIU 2020/Vision of our Past Spirit Week Presidential Lecture Series presents Dr. Jerry Thompson Discover TAMIU Homecoming & Tailgate TAMIU athletics BBQ Party & Car Show Residential Lecture Series The Big Event TAMIU Alumni Golden Celebration Jan. 30 Feb. 3-8 Feb. 6 Feb. 29 Feb. 2020* March 21 March 25 March 28 March 28 Upcoming Schedule