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We join the many people who are celebrating Guy Bailey’s 10 years as president of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It’s a decade marked by rapid successes and growth — and recognition by education analysts and experts.
UTRGV was created through the consolidation of UT-Brownsville and UT Pan-American in Edinburg, but those universities were merely seeds that have blossomed into more than the sum of those original parts.
From that starting point, Baily has been able to manage expansion and investment that has built new facilities and programs all across the Valley, all while maintaining one of the lowest costs for students in the country. The university now boasts the only medical school in deep South Texas, with specialties that include the only podiatric program in the state and new degree programs in optometry and physical therapy. The medical school growth has offered a double benefit of enabling students to pursue healthcare professions that weren’t available before, while helping address the chronic shortage of medical professionals this region has long suffered.
The medical school isn’t the only area of development. During Bailey’s tenure UTRGV has created 16 new bachelor’s programs, 15 master’s degrees, five doctoral degrees and four professional degrees.
The university also has established itself as a top research institution, which has drawn top minds who wish to conduct such research, from medicine to engineering and astronomy.
Bailey has talked with pride about those new programs, which has helped address the “brain drain” that long plagued the Valley.
“In the past, this region lost many students to other universities simply because we couldn’t provide the academic programs they were seeking,” he recently said. “These new programs, along with several more that are on the way, are helping us retain the best and brightest students in the Valley.”
All the while, UTRGV has consistently been a the top of lists for the best value in higher education as well as one of the top institutions serving minority students.
Notably, Bailey has worked to turn the remnants of UTRGV’s two legacy institutions from glorified professional schools into a true university, with expanded facilities and activities for students who wish to live on campus. Those activities include the expansion of the university’s athletic programs to include a real college football team, which will begin its first year of competition in 2025.
It’s worth noting that the president has helped the university be an active part of the community, from offering health services to underserved areas through its UniMóvil mobile clinic to supporting the border region’s unique culture through mariachi music, folkloric dance and other programs. UTRGV has also invested in programs that incorporate public school students and the community at large, such as McAllen’s International Museum of Art and Science.
In building a university that has expanded opportunities and programs for students, while maintaining one of the best values in higher education, Guy Bailey has cemented his legacy as a top administrator in higher education. We’re fortunate to benefit from his talents.
RELATED READING:
‘Time of my life’: Guy Bailey looks back on 10 years as president of UTRGV
