UTEP welcoming students back for the 2022 Fall semester

EL PASO, Texas - Monday, August 22nd marks the first day of classes for the 2022 fall semester at UTEP.

The university has announced that this year they've had the highest number of freshmen enroll in classes in the school's history.

There will be approximately 3,600 first-time-in-college students, according to an email sent out by UTEP.

To help ring in the new school year, the university is hosting more than 20 events during the fall semester to get students engaged and excited about their time at UTEP.

The first event of the year is the Texas Western Gold Rush, a special event with food, music and fireworks happening on the evening of the first day of school, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

You can find more information about other events for the fall semester at this link.

"And one of things we learned coming out of the pandemic is that we're really social creatures, and I think you know, the freshman class coming in has had two really disrupted years out of four in high school. So we need to meet them where there are, help them succeed, get students engaged form day one and back together again.," according to UTEP President Heather Wilson

Also new this fall, UTEP is opening a research institution called the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success.

The university says this institute "will serve as a national platform for researchers, thought leaders, philanthropists and policymakers to develop and evaluate policy and programs, advance innovation, and develop resources critical to accelerating educational outcomes among Hispanic students," according to an article posted on UTEP's website in June.