Amanda Guillen

President Diana Natalicio delivers a speech on the upcoming centennial year at the UGLC.

President Diana Natalicio spoke Thursday at the Undergraduate Learning Center patio to discuss the upcoming centennial year and the festivities that are to follow.

Guests at the event got a sneak peak of the Welcome Center, presented by Maribel Villalva, director of the Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens.

A toast and ribbon cutting ceremony opened the doors to the new Welcome Center, which will be used for visitors during the centennial year.

Gallery’s filled with artwork, UTEP themed exhibits and student exhibits were featured at the museum.

The UTEP Welcome Center will officially be open to the public on Monday.

A public unveiling will take place during the opening, finally revealing what has been hidden behind a giant black tarp in front of the museum.

Willarda Edwards is on the board of the Alumni Association and is also the president elect for UTEP’s centennial year. A UTEP alumna, she traveled from Baltimore for this event and she said she is excited for the upcoming year.

“I think this is wonderful, I think that the fact that in the last 25 years UTEP has really done a lot of outreach in respect to the community,” she said. “I am a very proud alum of the University of Texas at El Paso and I want to see us celebrate the heritage of the university.”

Natalicio recognized the eight members of the UTEP faculty that have been awarded with the UT System Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Award.

Dave Macintyre, art professor, was one of the eight faculty members to receive the award in Austin.

“This is a real nice event because it really does commemorate the centennial opening and I think it is just a fantastic event to be involved in as a faculty member,” Macintyre said.

The eight professors were awarded medallions and commemorative certificates from the university and a $25,000 unrestricted cash award.

Natalicio mentioned UTEP’s No. 7 ranking by Washington Monthly during her speech.

She said UTEP’s ranking is important because it improves the university’s image.

“This national recognition reflects the convergence of UTEP’s successful transformation into a nationally prominent research university,” Natalicio said.

Amanda Guillen may be reached at [email protected].