Juliet Garcia to receive national recognition for leadership in higher education

The League of United Latin American Citizens will honor Juliet V. Garcia, Ph.D., with the prestigious National Leadership Award at its 18th annual LULAC National Legislative Conference and Awards Gala on Wednesday in Washington, D.C. 

The award recognizes Garcia as a key leader who has served and positively impacted the Hispanic community. The LULAC National Legislative Awards Gala has a strong tradition of recognizing influential leaders. Previous honorees include President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, U.S. Senator John McCain, U.S. Senator Richard Durbin, the Honorable Rudolph Giuliani and former U.S. Secretaries of State Colin L. Powell and Hillary Clinton, among others.

“This is an incredible honor and I am overwhelmed to have been selected for it by LULAC, an organization I deeply respect,” Garcia said. “Having the opportunity to do important work on behalf of a community that I love and see such meaningful progress has been a great privilege.”

Before Garcia was named the founding executive director of the University of Texas Americas Institute in May 2014, she served as president of The University of Texas at Brownsville for 22 years. As president of UT Brownsville, she broke barriers and amassed an impressive assortment of recognitions and accomplishments.

Garcia became the first female Mexican-American president of a college or university in 1986 and has become a national thought leader in higher education. Under her leadership, UT Brownsville has more than doubled in size and has produced 35,000 college graduates. Garcia played a key role in the creation of UT Rio Grande Valley and was an early champion of establishing the new university. In 2009, TIME magazine named her one of the top 10 college presidents in the nation, and this year she was named one of the top 50 world leaders by Fortune magazine.

“Dr. Garcia is sought out by people around the world for her expertise and has built a stellar reputation as an advocate for equality and access to education,” said UT Board of Regents Vice Chairman Gene Powell. “We are extremely fortunate to have someone of her caliber in the UT System family. Her passion and dedication know no bounds.” 

In her new role with the Institute, Garcia is focused on helping to resolve complex and critical issues facing the Americas for broad social impact and to nurture next-generation leadership.  The UT System Board of Regents has articulated a clear vision for the impact it anticipates UT institutions will have not only on the region, but throughout Texas and reaching into Mexico and Central and South America. The UT Americas Institute is a key part of building a strong international presence.  

“Dr. Garcia has long been a champion for her students, the people of the Rio Grande Valley, and for education on a national and international scale,” UT System Chancellor Bill McRaven said. “Her life’s work has been to elevate and inspire through education and I can think of no one more deserving of this award.”

About The University of Texas System

Educating students, providing care for patients, conducting groundbreaking research and serving the needs of Texans and the nation for more than 130 years, The University of Texas System is one of the largest public university systems in the United States, with nine academic universities, six health institutions and an enrollment of more than 213,000. The UT System confers more than one-third of the state’s undergraduate degrees, educates two-thirds of the state’s health care professionals annually and accounts for almost 70 percent of all research funds awarded to public universities in Texas. The UT System has an annual operating budget of $15.6 billion (FY 2015) including $3 billion in sponsored programs funded by federal, state, local and private sources. With about 90,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in the state.