May 2^nd 2013 Using Social Media in your Job Search

On May 2^nd 2013, Ronnie Garcia, UTPA-Career Services Advisor, provided graduate students alternative ways in which social media can assist in job search and networking potential with employers at the Graduate Resource Center (GRC) workshop. Garcia opened the session with a brief orientation about how Career Services works at UTPA and the resources they offer.  Attendees learned of the many benefits one can attain by effective use of social networks. Social Networking sites such as: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Skype were discussed.  The impact of the sites in today’s job market and how to utilize their tools were just some of the hot topics of discussion.

Graduate Resource Center (GRC) workshops are held once a month on Thursday evenings from 6:00 to 7:00 pm. For information about future GRC workshops, visit our website www.utpa.edu/gradschool  or call 956-665-3015.

April 30^th 2013 Student Leadership Academy

Erica Lopez, Assistant Director, UTPA- Office of Student Involvement, provided an interactive session with attendees offering up information about   the benefits of UTPA Student Leadership Academy (SLA) for graduate students.  Student testimonials about their experiences in SLA, allowed an insight into the resonating impact that an organization of this type can make upon each member.   Each member of the SLA receives a certificate of completion (rate is flexible) and can then list this item on their respective Curriculum Vitae or resume.  Door prizes and lively activities made for an afternoon of engagement with colleagues and staff.

Teaching Academy workshops are held once a month on Tuesdays during the lunch hour.  Lunch is provided along with an information packet for the event. For information about future Teaching Academy workshops, visit our website www.utpa.edu/gradschool  or call 956-665-3015.

Click here to register

Only six days left for students to apply for a Southwest Airlines Travel Award!

Being away from your hometown and not having money to visit loved ones is often difficult for college students.

But there’s a way you can make it happen.

The “Dándole Alas a Tu Éxito/Giving Flight to Your Success ^TM” ¡Lánzate! Travel Award Program offers undergraduate and graduate Hispanic students who attend college away from their hometown and demonstrate financial need a chance to be awarded between 1 to 4 tickets for themselves or immediate family to travel to/from a college or university.

Only students who meet eligibility requirements will be considered.

There are only Six Days Left to submit an Online Application by the deadline of May 15, 2013 at www.hacu.net

Dr. Javier Kypuros, an associate professor in mechanical engineering and a presidential fellow, said he and other faculty members in the College of Engineering and Computer Science have seen more students enter college better prepared to take rigorous classes in recent years. But there are still too few students who have the mathematics skills to pursue degrees in engineering and computer science.

“”It seems as though they’ve been prepared to take an exam, and that has impacted the way we teach students,” he said. “We’re having to figure out ways of introducing critical thinking skills without taking away from the rigor or the content of the existing course.”

That’s why with a $1.66 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation he received May 8, Kypuros is hoping to ensure more students enter college ready to succeed in engineering, computer science and other programs related to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

UT Pan American was one of just nine institutions nationally to be awarded a grant through a partnership between the NSF’s STEM Talent Expansion Program (STEP), Intel and GE called Graduate 10K+. The partnership awarded a total of $10 million to the institutions that submitted projects that focused on increasing the retention of undergraduate students in engineering and computer science programs.

UTPA was selected out of a total of 283 applicants and 57 of those that were eligible to compete for the Graduate 10K+ funding. The only other Texas institution to receive funding was The University of Texas at Austin Read More

Original Post by Jennifer Berghom for Public Affairs Representative on May 08, 2013

Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program

Application Deadline: June 3, 2013

CFDA Number: 84.022A

Funding Opportunity Number: ED-GRANTS- 050213-001

The U.S. Department of Education and the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office is pleased to announce a Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program opportunity.

Under the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Program, the institutional grants provide fellowships to enable doctoral students enrolled in modern foreign language and area studies programs at U.S. institutions of higher education to conduct dissertation research overseas for 6-12 months.

Duration: Applicants may apply for a maximum grant performance period up to eighteen months in duration; proposed start and end dates should be October 15, 2013-April 15, 2015.  The minimum time abroad is six weeks total.  

Eligible Applicants:  U.S. institutions of higher education.

Eligible Participants: An individual is eligible to participate in a Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship if she/he is: (1) A citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States; (2) is a graduate student admitted to candidacy in a doctoral degree program in modern foreign languages and area studies at a U.S. higher education institution; (3) is planning a teaching career in the United States upon completion of his or her doctoral program; and (4) possesses sufficient foreign language skills to carry out the dissertation research project. An individual applies for a fellowship by submitting an application through the institution of higher education in which the individual is enrolled.

Financial Provisions: The institutional award may pay travel expenses to and from the residence of the fellow and the country or countries of research; a maintenance stipend for the fellow and his or her dependents related to cost of living in the host country or countries; an allowance for research-related expenses, such as books, copying, tuition and affiliation fees, local travel; health and accident insurance premiums; and other expenses in the country of study deemed necessary for the project’s success and approved in advance by the U.S. Department of Education.

The DDRA program will not provide funds for: 1) visa fees; 2) passport expenses, including photographs; (3) equipment costs (laptops, digital cameras, records, etc.); (4) research or transcription assistants; (5) language tutoring, tuition, or fees that might be required by the American grantee institution, (6) medical expenses such as malaria pills or vaccinations.  Please note that students may not accept certain grants (IIE, Boren, IREX, Japan Foundation) in the same fiscal year that a US/ED Fulbright-Hays grant is awarded.

The application package will be available starting May 2, 2013 at www.G5.gov, please scroll to the bottom of the page to e-Application Packages. Both the student and the institution of higher education must complete portions of the application correctly and submit via the G5 e-Application system. For more information, please go to http://www2.ed.gov/programs/iegpsddrap/applicant.html.

Speech and Hearing Center Open House
Tuesday, May 7th, 2013
1:00 pm to 2:00pm
Health Sciences and Human Services West (HSHW) Room 1.206
Join us in celebrating Better Hearing and Speech month. The Speech and Hearing Center will be hosting an open house, Tuesday, May 7^th, 2013 from 1:00 – 2:00pm.

We would like to invite all interested students, Communication Sciences and Disorders majors and the UTPA community to visit our open house. Discover what a rewarding career in COMD is all about and the services that the Speech and Hearing Center has to offer.

Original Post by Edna Reyes for Academic Affairs on Apr 29, 2013

Original Post by Manuel Zavala for Academic Affairs on Apr 29, 2013

If it weren’t for academic scholarships and financial aid, Alexis Garza said he simply could not afford to attend The University of Texas-Pan American. The studio art student earns just enough at his stained glass job in McAllen coupled with the financial assistance to go to college.

“It’s a great job but it’s just not enough. I would need to take up a second and even a third job to go to school if I didn’t receive help,” Garza said.

However, the UTPA junior is able to breathe easy and focus more on his studies, thanks to a scholarship made available by contributions from UT Pan American alumni, students and the community.

“I’d probably be in a lot of financial debt with loans if we didn’t have scholarships like these,” Garza said. “I’m so grateful for these scholarships.”

The University launched its Count Me In! drive in 2011 to increase alumni participation. The alumni participation rate reflects the percentage of former students who make contributions to the University throughout the year.

“We still aren’t at the point we want to be for our alumni participation rate. We are floating around the four percent mark and we’d like to finish the year off at least at five percent, which still isn’t very high,” said Yvette Padilla, director of stewardship and annual giving for UTPA. Read More

Original Post by Roxanne Lerma Casares on Apr 23, 2013

As of April 29th, Human Resources will be located at the Marialice Shary Shivers (MASS) Building, 2nd Floor.
Phone: (956)665-2451. Website: www.utpa.edu\hr

Original Post by Tanzeer Ahmed for Business Affairs on Apr 26, 2013