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New Report Cites UTEP’s Contribution of $1.4 Billion to Local Economy
Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) has released a report showing that The University of Texas at El Paso contributes $1.4 billion to the local economy annually.
The $1.4 billion is equal to approximately 5.4 percent of the total gross regional product (GRP) of El Paso County, and is equivalent to creating 26,499 new jobs.
The full UTEP economic impact report is available upon request.
Mosquito Experts Prepare for Chikungunya Threat Along U.S.-Mexico Border
National mosquito researchers and officials from California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas will meet at UTEP to discuss surveillance and control of chikungunya, an emerging mosquito-borne virus that threatens the U.S.-Mexico border.
The conference will take place Monday, Feb. 23 and Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the El Paso Natural Gas Conference Center on the UTEP campus. Please click here for the agenda.
The meeting was created to prepare for the likely onslaught of chikungunya, an emerging infectious disease from the Eastern Hemisphere that first appeared in the Caribbean last year. It is expected to spread north to the southern United States.
The media and public are invited to listen in as the scientists present their areas of specialty and work together in response to the possibility of a widespread epidemic.
Campus Spotlights:
Miners Plan to ‘MOVE’ El Paso Saturday
More than 1,600 volunteers from The University of Texas at El Paso will disperse across the greater El Paso area on Saturday, Feb. 28, as part of the 6th annual Project MOVE, the University’s annual day of community service. Teams of students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends will help nonprofit agencies at approximately 50 sites around the region. They will landscape, build playgrounds, process donated food, repair nature trails, create gardens and many other tasks. Project MOVE (Miner Opportunities for Volunteer Experiences) continues the University’s efforts to serve El Paso, home to 84 percent of its students.
Visit projectmove.utep.edu for more information.
Conference Participants to Discuss State of the Homeless
The State of the Homeless Conference will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 in UTEP’s Health Sciences and Nursing Building, room 207. The conference will bring together advocates for the homeless with community leaders and policymakers to provoke awareness and action about issues of concern to homeless people in the Paso del Norte region.
The El Paso Coalition for the Homeless estimates that 1,394 men, women and children are homeless in El Paso.
Notable speakers include UTEP President Diana Natalicio; Dean of the College of Health Sciences Kathleen Curtis, Ph.D.; Consul General of Mexico in El Paso Jacob Prado; Juárez Mayor Enrique Serrano Escobar; and Bishop Mark Seitz of the El Paso Catholic Diocese. Representatives from the El Paso Coalition for the Homeless, County of El Paso and the Collective of Women’s and Children’s Services will provide the initial response to the call to action, which is to improve the lives and services provided to homeless persons. State Rep. Jose Rodriguez will offer closing remarks.
The conference is open to the public. It is the second event in a three-part series on the state of the homeless in El Paso.
Press Events/Photo Opportunities On Campus:
Monday, Feb. 23
1:30 p.m.
Union Building East, suite 312E
“Out of the Darkness: The Negro Leagues and the Integration of Major League Baseball”
The University of Texas at El Paso African-American Studies program is hosting a series of events for Black History Month. Eric Enders will give a presentation titled “Out of the Darkness: The Negro Leagues and the Integration of Major League Baseball.”
Please contact African-American Studies for any questions regarding Black History Month events at 915-747-8650 or dehealy@utep.edu.
Tuesday, Feb. 24
7:30-9 p.m.
Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall
UTEP Symphonic Winds Concert
The University of Texas at El Paso Symphonic Winds will perform Tuesday, Feb. 24. Ticket prices are $5 for adults; $3 for non-UTEP students and military; and free for UTEP faculty, staff and students.
Wednesday, Feb. 25
6-7 p.m.
Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center Auditorium
Art and Social Change “Difficult Dialogue: The Black Community, Ferguson and the New Jim Crow”
The Art and Social Change lecture will focus on the status of the African-American male in the United States, using as a context the recent shootings of Mike Brown in Ferguson, the school to prison pipeline and the rise of private prisons as a factor in making the mass incarceration of Black men a profitable venture. In light of the exhibit Tamms Year Ten, this lecture will highlight the relevance of how these situations come to exist.
6-8 p.m.
Union Complex East, Templeton Suite, room 313
“You are Here! Cyberstalking Live”
The Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution in collaboration with UTEP Campus Police will host the event “You Are Here! Cyberstalking Live.”
Special guest speakers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and UTEP Information Security department will speak about UTEP policies, state and federal laws, ways to avoid being stalked, where to report, and more.
The event is free and open to the public.
For more information or for special accommodations, please contact The Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution at 915-747-8694.
7:30 p.m.
Magoffin Auditorium
Living Legends
Living Legends combines dynamic choreography of Native American choreographies with the color and vitality of Polynesian and Latin American dances. Performed by talented descendants of these cultures and woven together by traditional and contemporary music, Living Legends’ program is a stunning tribute to the ancient cultures of the Americas and the Pacific.
Tickets may be purchased through ticketmaster.com and start at $19.90 plus applicable fees.
Thursday, Feb. 26
7 p.m.
Don Haskins Center
UTEP Women’s Basketball vs. Louisiana Tech
The UTEP women’s basketball team will take on Louisiana Tech during a conference game.
7 p.m.
Union Cinema
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 — “Get Reel” Film Series
The movie The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 will be shown in the Union Cinema, which is located on the first floor of the Union Complex in Union Building East. The movie is rated PG-13. Tickets are $2 for general admission or $1 with a valid Miner Gold Card.
7:30 – 9 p.m.
Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall
UTEP Symphony Orchestra
Join The University of Texas at El Paso Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Lowell E. Graham, D.M.A., in an evening of music titled “Explorations.” This concert will feature the winner of the UTEP Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Ernesto Villalobos, who will perform “Concerto for Trumpet” by Franz Joseph Haydn. Other composers in this colorful program are John Williams, Wallingford Riegger, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Don Gillis and Morton Gould.
For more information, please contact Lowell E. Graham, D.M.A., at legraham@utep.edu or at 915-747-5606, or visit music.utep.edu.
Friday, Feb. 27
7 p.m.
Union Cinema
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 — “Get Reel” Film Series
Sunday, March 1
2 p.m.
Don Haskins Center
UTEP Women’s Basketball vs. Southern Miss
The UTEP women’s basketball team will take on Southern Miss during a conference game.
2:30 – 4 p.m.
Fox Fine Arts Recital Hall
Symphony Band Concert
The University of Texas at El Paso Symphony Band will perform.