Welcome back: UTEP celebrates 'success of our students'
It looks like the University of Texas at El Paso is poised to welcome a record number of freshmen to campus for the first day of 2023 classes.
Over the past few days, students began the annual ritual of packing up at home and moving on to campus. The El Paso Times was there when members of the UTEP softball team helped their freshmen teammates move in at Miner Canyon for the fall 2023 semester.
UTEP considers itself "America’s leading Hispanic-serving university." About 84% of its 24,000 students are Hispanic, according to a university news release.
School officials will host a number of events this week to welcome students — an attempt to build Miner pride among the student body. A campaign is underway to sell out the Miners' opening home game at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Incarnate Word Cardinals at the Sun Bowl.
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During UTEP President Heather Wilson's convocation address late last week, she lauded recent accomplishments across the Borderland university’s nine colleges and schools.
“We have a lot of great news at UTEP,” said Wilson. “It all points to the success of our students and the impact of our research.
“I am grateful for the hard work of our faculty and staff in achieving amazing results this year — and UTEP is taking advantage of this momentum to foster well-being in our community.”
She announced that tuition will not increase for the next two academic years.
After a dip in undergraduate enrollment because of the COVID-19 pandemic, UTEP reported its highest level of freshman enrollment in fall 2022. This year, Wilson said, the university is on track to beat last year’s record.
Wilson also noted that the university is focusing on boosting “persistence,” a new metric that tracks freshmen who stay enrolled and return to their sophomore year, especially for students at a “high-risk” for dropping out.
The university is also introducing its newest PhD program this fall. Sociology, which already has 17 doctoral students, will stand among 24 already offered. Wilson hinted at a new PhD program in quantum physics in the coming years.
The president noted that graduates of UTEP’s College of Nursing have a 91% pass rate on industry exams, compared to 82% nationally, and that six out of 10 nurses in the West Texas region were trained at UTEP.
Looking ahead, Wilson said that UTEP is exploring the possibility of opening a law school, which would be the only institution of its kind in El Paso.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP students return to campus for first day of 2023 fall semester
