UTRGV, UT Center at Laredo collaborate to produce more social workers

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley announced an expansion of a collaboration with The UT Center at Laredo Thursday that will expand the university’s social work program in Laredo at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The institutions held a signing ceremony for the memorandum of understanding (MOU) in Laredo Thursday to officially announce the partnership, which has been in effect since March 15.

Last year the Texas Legislature approved the establishment and operation of a multi-institution center in Laredo for educational activities, community outreach and research in health professions, including social work, a release from UTRGV said.

The program stipulated in the MOU is funded for two years with the option to renew, allocating $350,000 annually to hire faculty and staff. “To help support Laredo’s need for quality and affordable education in this high-demand field, we have done what we really do best,” UTRGV Provost and Executive Vice President Janna Arney wrote. “We come together, and we work together. We collaborate with our local and state partners to create opportunities for advancement.”

Arney and UT Center at Laredo Director Adriana Nunemaker both cited a growing demand for social work in Laredo.

“The value UTRGV brings to our community is substantial, and its prestigious School of Social Work is second to none,” Nunemaker wrote. “We are always in desperate need of more healthcare workers, and I am happy to say that our students will be receiving the most valuable education from this wonderful university.”

According to the release, UTRGV and Laredo College have partnered to give students the opportunity to obtain bachelor’s degrees in social work since 2009. Under the new memorandum of understanding, students will complete their first 30 credit hours at Laredo Community College and finish their bachelor’s degree in social work through UTRGV at UT Center at Laredo.

“We have realistic growth projections to expand the in-person bachelor’s degree in Social Work, expanding our accelerated online program for master’s degrees in the next two years,” Dr. Luis R. Torres-Hostos, professor and founding dean of the UTRGV School of Social Work, wrote. “We plan to offer the master’s degree in-person here, as well. The opportunities are tremendous, as the program continues to grow and fill a gap in service in Laredo.”

The institutions plan to double enrollment in the social work program over the next five years.

“The idea is to have our graduate program in Laredo be a cohort model, which means that the group is admitted together and go through the program together,” Torres-Hostos wrote. “This makes sense logistically, when considering scheduling classes and efficiently allocating other resources like advising and field education. And it’s also beneficial for the students because they’re going through this experience as a group, with built-in support.”