- Mailing Address
-
500 W. University Ave.
El Paso, Texas 79968 - Phone
- (915) 747-5890
- Email address
- futureminer@utep.edu
- Website
- https://www.utep.edu/
- School Information
- "The University of Texas at El Paso is one of the largest and most successful Hispanic-serving institutions in the country, with a student body that is over 80% Hispanic. It enrolls nearly 25,000 students in 166 bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral programs in 10 colleges and schools. With more than $100 million in total annual research expenditures, UTEP is ranked in the top 5% of research institutions nationally and fifth in Texas for federal research expenditures at public universities" (Source: https://www.utep.edu/about/). The university hosts 166 degrees programs. The total undergraduate enrollment is over 21,000 and the student to faculty ratio is 25 to 1.
- General Information
- After the death of George Floyd, UTEP has universally promoted anti-racist curriculum across various departments and programs. These programs each released statements in solidarity, containing promises to promote anti-racist concepts in its teaching format. The university has also created faculty programming for diversity, equity, and inclusion. See developments below:
Actions Taken
- Curriculum Changes and Requirements
-
-
The Chicano Studies curriculum involves "local, national, and global frameworks to address race, class, gender, and sexuality paradigms that shaped, and continue to shape, the field of study as well as the experiences of Chicana/os and all Latina/os in the United States."
-
Additionally, the programs of Art, Creative Writing, Criminal Justice, English, History, Languages and Linguistics, Music, Political Science, Psychology, and Women's and Gender Studies each released statements of solidarity for the death of George Floyd. Each of these departments reiterated their goals of promoting anti-racist curriculum in their program frameworks.
-
- Program and Research Funding
-
-
The Center for Faculty Leadership and Developments offers workshops on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This includes programming such as "Integrating Cognitive Diversity and Inclusion for Innovation."
-
The Chicano Studies program also hosts events such as "A Dialogue on Race and Social Justice Issues."
-
UTEP's George Floyd Promise Fund was created "in response to the tragic death of George Floyd" and will "support diversity, inclusion and equity programming on campus."
-
UTEP's College of Engineering is one of many colleges that participate in the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program which works to diversity the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (S.T.E.M). UTEP's President states, "We teach each other how to challenge the verbal and physical aggressions of those who would want to oppress people for the color of their skin, or because they are born beyond an ocean or a line in the sand."
-
- Resources
-
-
The President of UTEP has an Advisory Committee on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Their statement of purpose reads: "The President's Advisory Group on Diversity at The University of Texas at El Paso seeks to foster and model a campus environment that is welcoming, accessible and inclusive to all students, faculty, staff and visitors. Our purpose is to promote diversity as a strength and an institutional value, as well as a core element of academic and professional excellence."
-
In June 2023, UTEP's online program, UTEP Connect, published an article titled "Why Are Diversity, Equity and Social Justice So Important in Education?" The article reads in part as follows: "Creating a classroom culture that is welcoming to all is undoubtedly a top priority, regardless of age range...Open discourse on topics like social justice can be nerve-racking at first, but it allows students to become confident in the fact that when they speak up they will not only be listened to but heard."
-
UTEP's online program, UTEP Connect, recommends "5 Essential Books and Films on Diversity, Equity and Social Justice" which includes the titles, "Racial Microaggressions: Using Critical Race Theory to Respond to Everyday Racism” and "Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America."
-
- Symbolic Actions
-
-
The African American Studies program released the following statement in response to the death of George Floyd: " We stand in indignation with the families of Mr. George Floyd, Ms. Breonna Taylor, Mr. Ahmaud Arbery, Ms. Atatiana Jefferson, Mr. Philando Castile and the many men and women throughout history, both known and unknown, whose lives have been taken by police violence, white supremacist ideations and institutional racist policies and practices."
-
In response to the death of George Floyd, the Chicano Studies program stated, "As program faculty and staff of the UTEP Chicano Studies program, we recognize the importance of addressing anti-Black sentiment in our communities and commit to addressing these matters across our curriculum with our students."
-
On June 13, 2020, UTEP's Faculty Senate released a statement in response to the death of George Floyd which reads in part as follows: "The recent killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breona Taylor, and countless others at the hands of police officers and the global protests demanding that 'Black Lives Matter,' occurring within the context of a long history of systemic racism in the United States have brought attention to the urgent need for respect for all individuals. We recognize that there is No Time for Silence. On behalf of UTEP faculty, we want to reaffirm our commitment to fostering diversity, inclusion, and equity in our curriculum, our outreach and retention efforts, and partnerships."
-
The school states that it does not require any DEI training for the employment of faculty and staff or the enrollment of any students, meeting the law passed in January of 2024.
-