By Javier Espinoza
Rodríguez is Newest Member of Edinburg Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors
Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at The University of Texas-Pan American, took on a new role recently to further advance the university’s commitment to community engagement. On June 18, Rodríguez was appointed by the Edinburg City Council as the newest member of the Board of Directors for the Edinburg Economic Development Corporation (EEDC).
The EEDC is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council.
As part of its creation in the 1990s by Edinburg voters, one of the five members of the EEDC Board of Directors must represent UT-Pan American.
Rodríguez was appointed to the EEDC Board of Directors following the departure of a fellow university leader – Dr. Glenn Martínez – who was selected as Department Chair and Professor of Spanish, in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese at The Ohio State University, located in Columbus, Ohio.
“This opportunity to become a member of the EEDC is one of those where you lead by example and to work quite extensively on making the university an engaged university, which allows us to become a connected part of the community which UTPA interacts with on a regular basis,” Rodríguez said.
As a board member, Rodríguez will attend board meetings and vote on key issues regarding job creation and social, cultural and economic development of the community.
Rodríguez will also visit with potential business investors and consultants who work in collaboration with the city, as well as facilitate and attend joint meetings with the university and the city’s key officials.
“All of these types of commitments involve effort and time and I am very pleased to do so for the development of the University and our community. We need to do what we can to enhance and strengthen those partnerships,” Rodríguez said.
The EEDC plays a key role in assisting companies to expand, while helping to attract new business and industry to Edinburg. It also serves as an advocate with state and local governmental entities.
With the immense growth that will occur as a result of the recent merger of UTPA and The University of Texas at Brownsville and the creation of a medical school, Rodríguez said he will stand as an essential link between the EEDC, UTPA and the new university as well as with the Valley and the state of Texas.
“This will enhance and expand the role that I play in the EEDC and with the role the EEDC plays in the formation of the new university and the leadership of the elected officials with the city of Edinburg,” he said. “We believe we should always strive, as UTPA, to serve the entire Rio Grande Valley and beyond. We work across the Rio Grande Valley in a variety of initiatives such as education and economic development, with ties to local government and industry. The new university will serve to build and expand the strength of that and much more.”
Rodríguez credits both the University and the EEDC as a great combination in the way they work hand-in-hand as the city of Edinburg prepares for UTPA’s transition into a new and much larger university and economic powerhouse.
“This new university will have an impact on the economic well-being of the Rio Grande Valley. That ties in nicely to our role with the EEDC as the role of the EEDC is to create jobs, create employment, and impact the quality of life, while our responsibility at UTPA is to create and develop students with the skills, knowledge and education that can benefit from opportunities,” he said.
Agustín “Gus” García, executive director of the EEDC, is enthusiastic about the addition of Rodríguez to the board and believes the new university will have a major impact on the Valley’s growth and potential future.
“It’s important for UTPA to understand and interact with our local business community as Rodríguez’ position with EEDC is key to understanding the impact these changes will have on the region’s growth,” García said. “The EEDC is one more avenue for the University to embrace. The business communities across the region tout the University for the assets it brings to the table. Large employers and potential prospects want to see that an institute of higher learning exists. UTPA meets that requirement and more.”
Rodríguez joined UT Pan American in January 2011 as Provost and Vice president for Academic Affairs and as a tenured professor in the Department of Sociology.
Prior to coming to UTPA, he served as deputy provost at the University of Delaware, where he also was a professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice and former director of the Disaster Research Center, the oldest and one of the leading social science disaster research centers in the world.
Rodríguez, who obtained his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Wisconsin, held a faculty position and several administrative positions at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez for more than a decade, and served from 1995 to 1998 as Director of the Minority Affairs Program for the American Sociological Association.
He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Michigan’s Population Fellow’s Program (Summers, 2001-2003); was selected as the Frey Foundation Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill (Spring, 2002); received a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Outstanding Achievement Award (2004); and was recognized as one of the Hispanics of the Year in the State of Delaware, for which he received the Professional Achievement Award (2007).
Rodríguez has served on a number of committees for the National Academies of Sciences and on review panels for the National Science Foundation and the Ford Foundation, and was the chair of the Latina/o Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association.
Javier Espinoza is an intern with the Department of Public Affairs at The University of Texas-Pan American. David A. Díaz contributed to this story. Permission is granted for the use of all or portions of this photograph, caption, and article by the news media, including Internet-only news media sites. Credit to www.EdinburgPolitics.com is not required but would be appreciated. The Edinburg Economic Development Corporation is the jobs-creation arm of the Edinburg City Council. It’s five-member governing board, which is appointed by the Edinburg City Council, includes Mayor Richard García as President, Fred Palacios as Secretary-Treasurer, and Felipe García, Jaime A. Rodríguez, and Dr. Havidán Rodríguez. For more information on the EEDC and the City of Edinburg, please log on to: www.EdbgCityLimits.com