TAMIU Annual Report 2020

NEWS TAMIU is the recipient of a $1,164,910 grant -- one of 53 statewide awardedby Texas’ Health andHumanServices Commission’s (HHSC) CommunityMental HealthGrant Programsupportingmental health services and projects. TAMIU’s competitive grant is a collaborationbetween its Student Counseling Services offices, Border RegionBehavioral HealthCenter, and Serving Children and Adults in Need. TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz praised the collaboration and its potential to powerfully impact TAMIU students. Dr. Marivic Torregosa , Deanof the College of Nursing andHealthSciences, is the Grant’s principal investigator. “We were honored to lead this collaborative effort that will help somany. Truly great universities must always provide students with the innovative support and resources they need to be well and suc- ceed. This is such an effort andwe are confident students’ liveswill be measurably bettered. We commendDr. Torregosa onher commitment to this collaboration,” Dr. Arenaz said. Over $45 million in funds were awarded statewide. HHSC established the programto support communities providing and coordinatingmental health treatment and serviceswith transitional/ supportive services for persons experiencing mental illness. Grant awardees match a portion of the state’s grant award to demonstrate their commitment to addressing local mental health needs. TAMIU GETS $1.1M GRANT FROM TEXAS’ HHSC InMarch, Lt. Gov. DanPatrick appointed Senator JudithZaffirini to the Senate Committees on Education and Higher Education. Her appointment came as Senator KirkWatson announcedhis retirement in February, thus leaving his seat on both committees vacant. Senator Zaffirini, a longtime champion of higher education and particularly TAMIU, is the second highest-ranking senator in the Legislature. She has a 100% voting record along with a near-perfect attendance record. In a 33-year Texas Senate tenure, she’s sponsored and passed 1,160 bills and 36 substantive resolutions. The committee appointments are considered especially substan- tial as Senator Zaffirini will be the only Senatorwith experience as an educator, having taught at various education levels for 13 years, and bringing that insightful perspective to the committees. At TAMIU, the Student Success Center, dedicated in 2012, bears her name. She is the inaugural recipient of theUniversity’s InnovadorAward , launched in 2019. She was reelected to her 10th term, Nov. 3, 2020. SENATOR JUDITH ZAFFIRINI NAMED TO EDUCATION, HIGHER ED COMMITTEES Pre-Pandemic photo 25