[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 58 (Friday, April 15, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E496]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CELEBRATING THE 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF TEXAS SOUTHMOST COLLEGE

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                           HON. FILEMON VELA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, April 15, 2016

  Mr. VELA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Texas Southmost College 
(TSC) as the institution marks 90 years of educating students and 
providing opportunity in the Rio Grande Valley.
  Located in Brownsville, Texas, Texas Southmost College was founded in 
1926. It was initially known as The Junior College of the Lower Rio 
Grande Valley, and in 1931 the college changed its name to Brownsville 
Junior College. It was not until 1949 that the name was changed to 
Texas Southmost College (TSC). TSC is located on the U.S.-Mexico 
border, near the Mexican town of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, in the heart of 
downtown Brownsville.
  Texas Southmost College sits on the property once known as Fort 
Brown, a United States Army post that was active during the Mexican-
American War and the U.S. Civil War. TSC occupies former buildings and 
structures of historic Fort Brown.
  In May 1991, the Texas Legislature authorized the newly created 
University of Texas at Brownsville to enter into an agreement with 
Texas Southmost College to teach courses not offered at the college or 
university. This resulted in the creation of ``The University of Texas 
at Brownsville-Texas Southmost College.'' For more than 20 years, UTB 
and TSC operated simultaneously as one institution.
  For many years, Texas Southmost College has provided residents of 
Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy counties with opportunities to pursue 
associate degrees, workforce training, and continuing education degrees 
and certificates. TSC is committed to enhancing student success and 
degree completion through motivation, learning-centered, and service-
oriented educational and skills training programs.
  The mission of Texas Southmost College is ``Transforming our 
Communities through Innovative Learning Opportunities.'' Texas 
Southmost College fulfills this mission by educating our next 
generation of leaders in public service, science, teaching, medicine 
and other fields. Some of its notable alumni include Oscar Casares, 
author of Brownsville: Stories and Amigoland; Dr. Juliet V. Garcia, 
former president of UTB/TSC; Congresswoman Grace Napolitano of 
California; and Jaime Zapata, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
(ICE) agent killed in the line of duty while traveling from Mexico to 
the United States.
  In 2015, the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for 
Hispanics selected Texas Southmost College as a Bright Spot, 
highlighting its efforts to close the achievement gap and expand access 
to quality higher education opportunities for first-generation Hispanic 
college students.
  Texas Southmost College has made a lasting, positive impact in our 
community, and they will continue to play a critical role in shaping 
our region's future. I rise today to congratulate them on 90 successful 
years.

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