Originally published April 25, 2016
By Elizabeth Ashby
UTEP Communications
More than 2,000 gathered at Memorial Gym on April 17, 2016 to celebrate the achievements of outstanding students and faculty at The University of Texas at El Paso’s 34th annual Honors Convocation.
This year’s event moved from Magoffin Auditorium to Memorial Gym, an appropriate setting for the University to recognize the players from Texas Western College’s 1966 NCAA men’s basketball championship team, some of whom were in attendance.
In her introductory remarks, UTEP President Diana Natalicio drew parallels between the excellence achieved by that team 50 years ago and by the present-day campus community.
“Today’s UTEP has achieved similar national recognition for changing the face of higher education in the 21st century,” President Natalicio said. “We have demonstrated convincingly that 20th century expectations of student performance grossly underestimated the potential of students from a broad range of cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds.”
The Honorees
Honors Convocation included the first official introduction of the UTEP Alumni Association Top 10 Seniors for 2016. These students were selected by a committee of UTEP alumni, faculty and staff based on academic success and a proven commitment to the community. They are:
Keighton Ryanne Allen, Economics
Paulina Almada Felix, Mechanical Engineering
Oscar R. Casanova, Finance, Financial Analyst Concentration
Roya Edalatpour, Electrical Engineering
Rodrigo Lugo, Biological Sciences
David Ezra Morris, Microbiology
Monique Andr’e Navarro, Multidisciplinary Studies
Alexis Nicole Ramos, Biology, Biomedical Concentration
Troy A. Rowden, Double Major: English and American Literature and Philosophy
Ileana Idally Rubio, Industrial Engineering
Heather Mawson, a senior studio art student, was recognized for receiving the 2016 UT System Regents’ Outstanding Student Award in Arts and Humanities. Two students were selected for the honor from the UT System’s eight academic institutions in the 2-D and 3-D categories. Mawson will be recognized at the UT System Board of Regents’ meeting May 12 in Austin.
UTEP also recognized the newest professors emeriti for their service to the University. They include:
Ronald A. Hufstader, Professor, Music
Roy M. Arrowood, Jr., Associate Professor, Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
Antonio Gonzalez, Associate Professor, Teacher Education
Richard D. Sorenson, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Foundations
Don P. Schulte, Associate Professor, Educational Leadership and Foundations
President Natalicio recognized UTEP’s 10 recipients of The University of Texas System’s Regents’ 2015 Outstanding Teaching Award. This prestigious recognition from the UT System is for undergraduate educators within the system’s 15 academic and health institutions who have demonstrated extraordinary classroom performance and innovation in instruction.
Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Howard Daudistel, Ph.D., recognized student-athletes who received the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal and were named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll. This year, a record-high 154 UTEP athletes earned placement on the C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Future Miners
The ceremony also honored the next generation of Miners along with recent alumni and current students excelling at UTEP, including the University Honors Program graduates, candidates and scholars. Future students were named as new members of the Scholars Excellence Program, who earned academic awards renewable for up to four years and ranging from $1,500 to $8,000 a year. This year’s scholarships totaled nearly $6 million.
UTEP’s second class of Terry Scholars also was recognized, along with the inaugural class from 2014-15. These students earned the prestigious Terry Scholarship, awarded to outstanding Texas high school graduates and transfer scholars attending a public college or university in the state. These scholarships cover the full cost of attendance plus housing, and they amount to more than $80,000 over four years and up to $15,000 for one study abroad semester.