TAMIU Annual Report 2020

I am borrowing liberally fromDickens’ A Tale of Two Cities . In the past year we have experienced the best of times and the (somewhat) worst of times. In the pages of this Report, youwill see howTexas A&M International University, our students, faculty and staff, have been resilient in the face of adversity andmore impressively, howthey have continued to engage with peers, the University and the community. We truly have a caring and committed group of students, faculty and staff that we all can be proud of. The 2019-2020academic yearwas supposed tobe a banner year for us – a year-long celebration of the 50th year of our founding as Texas A&I at Laredo and the 25th anniversary of our move to the northeast campus, the changing of our name to Texas A&M International Uni- versity – and the creationof a four-year comprehensiveUniversity. We started the year with a bang – the dedication of our new state-of-the art Academic Innovation Center. The AIC, as we call it, is a 118,000 sq. ft. classroom and laboratory building built for the 21st Century. In October, we hosted the 50th Anniversary Presidential Awards Dinnerwherewe honoredTony Sanchez, Jr., The Trustees of the Lamar Bruni Vergara Trust and the Killam Family for their commitment to the establishment and continued growth of TAMIU. We also created a newaward, the Innovador Award , recognizing an individual whohas impactedhigher education in this region. Our first recipient, Senator Judith Zaffirini, was recognized at the December Commencement Ceremony. In February, The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents met at TAMIU as part of our Celebration. The last time the Regents met at TAMIU was in 2002. Then COVID-19 disrupted our celebratory plans. However, the Alumni Association, alongwithour Assistant Director for Alumni Rela- tions andher staff, pulledout the near impossible – a 50thAnniversary Virtual Alumni event, including honoring our first two Outstanding Alumni – Dr. Norma Cantú and Dr. Henry Cuéllar. We look forward to dedicating the Trailblazer Tower next fall as the final component of the 50th Anniversary Celebration. A TALE OF COMMITMENT AND RESILIENCE MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT WHEN LAREDO NEEDED OUR HELP, OUR NURSING STUDENTS AND FACULTY VOLUNTEERED TO WORK AS CONTACT TRACERS, PROVIDING CRITICAL PERSONNEL IN THE MIDST OF THE PANDEMIC CRISIS. - DR. PABLO ARENAZ 3