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Posted: 7/26/19

TAMIU Launches 50th Anniversary Celebration for 2019-2020: Sharing Story of Impact, Partnerships

 

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It’s a story 50 years in the making and this year, Texas A&M International University (TAMIU)  is sharing it with a 50thAnniversary Celebration, “A World of Difference,” launched Friday at a press conference at the University’s Western Hemispheric Trade Center.

TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz unveiled the University’s 50thAnniversary Brand and Theme and shared insight into what this special anniversary year will include. 

“For a relatively young University, we’ve made a measurable impact on our border culture, our regional educational attainment and our economy,” he observed, “our Anniversary Celebration will recognize that impact, those who have helped to make it possible and the power of partnerships.  Our Anniversary Brand visually defines the University at 50 and our theme, ‘A World of Difference,’  affirms that impact.  We’ve identified a full calendar year of events, including five signature events that will offer special opportunities for community engagement,” Dr. Arenaz explained.

To help drive his point home, he shared a series of videos that traced the University’s impact to today, as well as ways TAMIU will share the story of the University’s mission as delivered in the lives of graduates, faculty and staff, and partners in the communities TAMIU serves. 

First up for the Celebration will be dedication ceremonies for the University’s new Academic Innovation Center.  At 120,000 square feet, it will be the University’s largest classroom structure and home to its growing engineering and science programs and more.  Dignitaries from across the State and The Texas A&M University System will be on hand Monday, Aug. 26 to usher in the new three-story facility.

Arenaz also identified other components of the University’s anniversary year.

“It’s going to be a busy year…and so we’ve created a dedicated Celebration website which launches today.  It’s our digital home base for all things focused on this milestone. You’ll be able to time travel through our history, trace our impact, and meet some of our alumni, students, faculty and staff that have made our mission real.  It’s organized under three simple information hubs: Past, Present and Promise and will grow throughout the Celebration year. It will be accompanied by an online calendar and  aggressive social media use across all of our channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube,” he explained.

TAMIU students will bring their special energy to the Celebration with a service challenge that will see them “give back” to the community through 50,000 service project hours to celebrate the 50thAnniversary.

At Friday’s launch, May Criminal Justice graduate and now graduate student Mario Gutiérrez shared a brief video on the concept and students’ reasoning for the initiative.

“There’s a lot of things that can distinguish our education here at TAMIU:  our beautiful campus, our gifted faculty, challenging coursework and our fantastic Study Abroad program.  But, as students, we wanted to make a difference not only in ourselves, but in the community we call home.  For some of us, Laredo is our home… for others, it’s our home away from home. So we decided that for our Celebration year we were going to go big and serve our community…and we’ve got 50,000 ways we’re going to do just that,”  said Gutiérrez.         

Arenaz said the Anniversary Celebration also serves to underscore the importance of the community’s commitment, collaboration and continuity that has fueled the University’s forward progress.

“We’ve gone from one building to 16 buildings, from three degrees to over 80 degrees.  We’ve gone from 127 initial graduates to over 24,000 graduates from here and all around the world.  We’ve gone from the State’s first hybrid, upper-level institution to a graduate and doctoral degree-granting institution.  This has only been made possible by a community and donors that share our vision and partner with us, a Legislature that has supported our growth, and the A&M System which has helped guide our continued excellence,” he noted,  “These combined partnerships have really made our ‘World of Difference’ possible.”

Rosanne Palacios, the University’s vice president for Institutional Advancement, concurred with Dr. Arenaz and noted the Celebration offers opportunities for partners to join with the University throughout the year.

“We’re excited to work with current and new partners who share in the University’s exciting vision and future and to look at ways that we can innovatively collaborate to advance the University and our partnerships.  The University’s growth over the past 50 years has only been able to occur because of the solid, enduring nature of our community partnerships and we look forward to sustaining those and forging new partnerships,” Palacios said.

 In closing, Arenaz said one of the elements of the Celebration has special interest to him: a web-based opportunity for people to share their story of the University’s impact on their life.

This story, now 50 years in the making, is not one story, but many….it is your story, it is our story.  It’s a story of partnerships, dedication and innovation… and it’s a story of challenges surmounted, lives changed, a community elevated and a quality of life here that’s been accelerated. We’ve launched an online capability for people to share that special Texas A&I University at Laredo story, or Laredo State University story or  TAMIU story for all to share.  You can imagine the stories, photos or videos that can be shared,” he smiled.

For additional information on the University’s 50thAnniversary Celebration, visit tamiu.edu/50, contact the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 956.326.2180, email prmis@tamiu.edu, or visit offices in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268.  

More of the University’s story is at tamiu.edu, or its social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

Visit a Gallery for this event.

 

50th Anniversary Launch
TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz joins Dustdevil Mascot, vice president for Institutional Advancement Rosanne Palacios and Student Government Association President Adrian Salcedo for the 50th Anniversary Launch.

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