New facilities, programs coming to UTEP this semester

Good Morning El Paso joins UTEP to kick off their first day of the fall semester on Monday.

UTEP says new and returning students will be greeted with the Miner Welcome event, which started on August 20 and will end with the 35th annual Minerpalooza on September 11.
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Victor Arreola with UTEP's Communications and Marketing Department says they're welcoming around 27,000 students with 14 straight days of student-driven events and celebration.

On Monday night, the 6th Annual Texas Western Gold Rush is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m., and it will include a live concert, giveaways, fireworks and special guests.

Minerpalooza is on September 11 on Centennial Plaza, which serves as a capstone to this year’s Miner Welcome and is free and open to the public.

UTEP says last August, the UT Board of Regents allocated $118 million to fund maintenance projects to refresh and revitalize the UTEP campus.

Back in May, UTEP broke ground on Miner Crossing, the new student housing north of Kidd Field.

There is also construction on Arroyo Park underway, which will restore the Arroyo once dominated by the old liberal arts building.

Earlier this year, UTEP says the UT System Board of Regents approved $65 million to create a new student success center.

UTEP says it is currently recruiting the first class of the new mining engineering program and pushing to create a new law school with the help of the community.

The Miners are also now part of the Mountain West Conference, and says the move reunites them with plenty of old rivals from conferences past.