The “Thank You for 30” Campaign at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was developed after UTEP President Diana Natalicio announced her retirement. Throughout her 30-year tenure as president, Dr. Natalicio has been a tireless champion of higher education access and excellence, leading the transformational growth of campus to better meet the needs of the student population UTEP serves. As a result, UTEP has seen steady and record-setting growth in enrollment, an increase in the number of doctoral programs offered and an exponential increase in research expenditures, elevating the university to the Carnegie R1 designation. Moreover, UTEP has seen record-setting growth in the number of graduates - two-thirds of all of UTEP’s alumni have graduated in the past 30 years.
From the Judges
The University of Texas El Paso's "Thank you for 30" campaign is an innovative, exciting, and engaging fundraising campaign that celebrates an amazing legacy of leadership. The awards committee agreed that this campaign provided a framework for other institutions to work from and sets the standard for celebrations of presidential leadership. UTEP should be commended for their efforts and success with this initiative.
