HOMECOMING TOURS

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6

 

OLD MAIN 100 YEAR CELEBRATION                                                                  12:30 PM

Buildings have stories to tell and Old Main, the oldest building on the UTEP campus, has more than most. Nestled against the mountain on Circle Drive, Old Main was built in 1917 and was the first of the original five buildings built on the current campus.  Join Dr. Natalicio as we commemorate another milestone for UTEP’s beautiful campus.  Please RSVP to udevents@utep.edu or by calling (915) 747-8547

 

OPEN HOUSE AND SPECIAL TOURS                                                 1:00- 4:00 PM

           

OLD MAIN TOURS – CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

Faculty, staff and students will be available to lead tours and answer questions.

 

HERITAGE HOUSE                          

The Heritage House, through the Heritage Commission, showcases the history of the University since its founding as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy. You will be hit with a heavy dose of nostalgia as you peruse past photographs and other memorabilia, including yearbooks, freshman beanies, sport and club memorabilia and more.  Volunteers from the Heritage Commission will be on hand to show off the collections.

           

LHAKHANG CULTURAL CENTER TOUR                                                             

The Lhakhang, first displayed by the Smithsonian during its 2008 Folklife Festival, and now located on UTEP’s beautiful Centennial Plaza, is a stunning replica of the lhakhangs found throughout the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan. Traditionally used as a place of meditation or reflection in Bhutan, the UTEP Lhakhang is a permanent cultural exhibit showcasing exquisite Bhutanese craftsmanship and artisanship. In 2008, the Lhakhang was gifted to the people of the United States by the Kingdom of Bhutan and entrusted to The University of Texas at El Paso. It is the only structure of its kind outside of Bhutan.  Staff and volunteers from the Centennial Museum will be available to lead small tours and answer questions.

 

PETER AND MARGARET DE WETTER CENTER (ALUMNI LODGE)

Please consider the de Wetter Center your home-away-from-home for the weekend.  We will have refreshments and our friendly staff and volunteers will do their best to answer any questions you might have about UTEP and Homecoming Weekend.  The Lodge will be open Monday – Friday from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm and will have special hours on Saturday of Homecoming, 8:00 am – 2:00 pm.  Come in, rest, relax, use the restroom or look around the beautiful 1938 former Zeta Tau Zeta house – where the blue glassed wall either kept the boys out or the girls in, depending on who tells the story!

 

CHIHUAHUAN DESERT GARDENS

The Chihuahuan Desert Gardens is a botanical garden dedicated to the flora of the Chihuahuan Desert and adjacent regions in the United States and Mexico. The Gardens were formally dedicated in September 1999 and currently contain over 625 different species of plants, thus comprising one of the largest captive assemblages of Chihuahuan Desert flora in the world.  Guests are invited to tour the gardens on their own or with volunteer tour guides who will be available to lead small groups and answer questions.

 

CENTENNIAL MUSEUM

The Museum serves UTEP and the binational community of the Chihuahuan Desert region.   The current exhibit shares the story of The Bracero Program established in 1942.

BIOSCIENCE RESEARCH BUILDING

(Tour time is 2:00 pm and will last approximately an hour.  Capacity is limited.)

Marvel at the five-story, 140,000-square-foot, $45 million structure that houses the Bioscience Research Building.  A collaborative setup, with core facilities within the building focusing on Analytical Cytology, Cell Culture and High Throughput Screening, Biomolecule Analysis, DNA Analysis, Bioinformatics Computing and Statistical Consulting.  Faculty scientists and students are working together to study diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and diabetes.  (Please RSVP to jreed2@utep.edu before October 1, 2017 to reserve a spot).

 

HEALTH SCIENCES AND NURSING BUILDING/NURSING SIMULATION LABORATORY

Located in the Health Sciences and Nursing building at UTEP, the state-of-the-art Simulation Lab is a 16,000 square-foot facility featuring nine simulation laboratories; an apartment-style setting with bedroom furniture, kitchen and bathroom; four testing rooms; and six standardized patient rooms where students train in “real life” scenarios dealing with everything from home health care, maternity/pediatrics, cardiovascular care, and medical surgical care in a safe learning environment. The 54-bed facility is one of the largest university-based simulation centers in the country.

            UNION GALLERY

‘Photovoice’, a project run through the Center for Accommodations and Support Services that showcases the impact our campus can have for students with disabilities and highlight ways that we can all be supportive and aware.

ENGINEERING – 3D PRINTING AND MECHANICAL LABS

(Open between 2 - 4 pm only)

Explore the Lockheed Martin Corporation  (LMC) Mechanical Engineering Lab and the LMC 3D Printing Design Studio. These labs focus "on providing practice based learning experiences to train next generation engineering graduates ready to meet new paradigm of technological challenges.  Additionally, visit the W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation, a unique multidisciplinary research facility focused on the use and development of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies (3D printing).  Learn about the hands-on research experience that such a lab provides our UTEP Engineering students. 

 

STANLEE & GERALD RUBIN CENTER FOR THE VISUAL ARTS

Featuring the exhibit of Suzi Davidoff: Simplified World

Suzi Davidoff has been intricately engaged in the West Texas landscape she calls home, creating drawings paintings and prints that reflect both soil and sky and often incorporating found materials including cochineal, clay, natural charcoal and lichen.  In this exhibition featuring new work, Davidoff presents a series of drawings on found maps and globes and with an accompanying hand-drawn animation, a new medium for this established artist.

 

UTEP BOOKSTORE

Commemorate your trip “home” with some UTEP gear.  The bookstore will have complimentary refreshments and offers a 20% discount to all UTEP Alumni Association members (on select items).

 

OFF THE MAIN CAMPUS TOURS/OPEN HOUSE

 

MINER CANYON*

Hop on the Miner Metro and take a ride to the newest and most ambitious student housing community here at UTEP.  The $23 million dollar complex sits on 6.2 acres, boasts two four-story residential buildings and a large community center.  The complex accommodates 352 students in 83 apartments of various configurations.  The buildings are some of the most technologically advanced on campus and facilitate a living/learning environment that promotes academic and social success amongst UTEP students.  Tours of the community center and a show room will be led by students who live in and work at the Canyon.

UTEP STUDENT RECREATION CENTER*

UTEP is home to a $32 million, tri-level Student Recreation Center, a gift from the UTEP students, that offers everything from two swimming pools to a state-of-the-art cardio studio. The Student Recreation Center leads many activities and day trips through their Outdoor Adventure Program and students are encouraged to participate in intramurals and club sports.  Take a Miner Metro shuttle to visit the beautiful UTEP Recreation Center where student staff will lead you on a tour of one of the largest Rec Centers in the UT System.

*The UTEP Miner Metro Shuttle Service is free to campus visitors