[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 6634-6635]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 IN RECOGNITION OF DR. JULIET V. GARCIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FILEMON VELA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 30, 2014

  Mr. VELA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Juliet V. Garcia 
president of the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB). Dr. Garcia 
was recently named by CNN Money/Fortune as one of the World's 50 
Greatest Leaders--a list which includes Pope Francis, German Chancellor 
Angela Merkel, Bono, and the Dalai Lama. Her leadership skills are an 
asset to Brownsville and South Texas.
  Dr. Garcia began her tenure as president of UTB in January 1992. 
Previously, she served as president of Texas Southmost College and was 
the first Mexican-American woman to become president of a college or 
university in the United States.
  During Dr. Garcia's tenure, she has relentlessly advocated for 
increasing access to higher education in South Texas, which is 
reflected in UTB's enrollment statistics. The UTB student body is 91% 
Hispanic and 71% are first-generation college students.

[[Page 6635]]

  UTB has experienced tremendous growth under Dr. Garcia's leadership. 
The school's budget has increased from $31.4 million to $145 million, 
classroom space has quadrupled and many new buildings have been 
constructed including: a library, a life and health sciences building, 
a student union, an education and business building, an early childhood 
learning center, a recreation center, a performing arts center, and two 
biomedical research buildings.
  Currently, Dr. Garcia is guiding UTB through a merger with the 
University of Texas-Pan American to create the University of Texas-Rio 
Grande Valley. Importantly, the new university, which will include a 
medical school, will have access to state oil and gas royalties through 
the permanent university fund.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity to honor Dr. Juliet V. 
Garcia., and I appreciate you joining me in recognizing her commitment 
to higher education.

                          ____________________