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Dear University Community,

I trust all enjoyed the annual Washington’s Birthday Celebration festivities this weekend. Many of our friends and colleagues from across The Texas A&M University System joined us and Porter Garner, Jr., a Laredo native and President and CEO of the Texas A&M University Association of Former Students, was named Mr. South Texas.

• This week, we welcome Congressman Henry Cuellar and Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp to campus Wednesday as we celebrate TAMIU’s Center for Countering Human Trafficking. The Center conducts research focused on producing evidence-based curricula to help future educators and healthcare workers likely to encounter human trafficking victims here and beyond. Join us Wednesday at 1 p.m. in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library Colonnade.
• Our celebration of Black History Month continues with a lecture and film screening this Tuesday from 2 - 5 p.m. in Academic Innovation Center (AIC) Room 126. “Rediscovering the Revolution: Summer of Soul (2021) and the Harlem Cultural Festival” will be led by Dr. Emily Vanchella, TAMIU visiting lecturer, College of Arts and Sciences, department of Fine and Performing Arts. On Monday, Feb. 26, at 3:20 p.m. Dr. Asligul Berktay will share her lecture “Carnivalizing Slavery: African Diaspora Festiva Celebrations and Black History” in Student Center 230. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, Dr. Celine Jacquemin will lead “Reconstructing Identity to Fight Genocide Ideology in Rwanda,” at 3:20 p.m. in AIC Room 128. All lectures are free of charge and open to the public.
• The next in our series of free FAFSA Drives, “FAFSA For U,” to help students navigate the new application, is Wednesday, Feb. 21. Subsequent sessions continue through April. Details are here.
• This Friday, TAMIU Dance faculty member Tim Rubel will offer up a one-man dance-theatre comedy show, “Thirst,” a story of single-ness on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Theatre. Find out more.
• Students, the TELUS App offers you a way to prioritize mental health...in the palm of your hand. It’s available for free download today.
• Select TAMIU students and full-time faculty and staff have received an email for participation in a Healthy Minds Study with the University of Michigan and the Jed Foundation (JED). Please share your important insight...you could also win some great prizes!
• In Rhizome news...are you a poet and you know it? Enter the Rhizome Poetry Contest. The winner will recite their original work at the Rhizome performance on April 12 and be featured on the Rhizome music album. Details are here. Submissions close March 12, 2024.

Have an exceptional week and Go Dustdevils!

- Pablo Arenaz, Ph.D., President

TAMIU Presents Series of Lectures Honoring Black History Month

A series of events honoring Black History Month will take place at TAMIU this February. Organized in conjunction by students and faculty, the events are free and open to the public.

• Rediscovering the Revolution: Summer of Soul (2021) and the Harlem Cultural Festival | Tuesday, Feb. 20 from 2 - 5 p.m. in the Academic Innovation Center, room 126
• Carnivalizing Slavery: African Diaspora Festive Celebrations and Black History | Monday, Feb. 26, from 3:20 - 4:20 p.m. in Student Center, room 230.
• Reconstructing Identity to Fight Genocide Ideology in Rwanda | Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 3:20 - 4:20 p.m. in AIC, room 128.

TAMIU Staggs Academy Offers Two Open House Info Sessions for Parents, Students Feb. 21, March 21 

Two more information sessions are left for parents and students exploring the possibility of their student attending the Julieta and Frank Staggs Academy of International and STEM Studies on the TAMIU campus in Fall 2024 to earn concurrent high school and college credits.

The remaining Open House dates are scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 21 and Sunday, March 21 at 6 p.m. at TAMIU's Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 111. The sessions are free and open to the public. Additional information is online at https://www.tamiu.edu/coas/theacademy or by phone at 956.326.2860. Information is available in English or Spanish.

One Man Show 'Thirst,' A Dance-Comedy about Being Single, Bows Feb. 24

Tim Rubel, TAMIU assistant professor of Dance, will present and perform Thirst, a “story of single-ness” on Saturday, February 24, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. in TAMIU’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Theatre. Admission is free. This show contains adult language and mature themes and may not be appropriate for all audiences.

TAMIU Continues Free 'FAFSA for U' Sessions on New Application

We're hosting a series of free FAFSA Drives to help students navigate the U.S. Education Department’s new Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Our next drive is happening Wednesday, Feb. 21 in the Senator Judith Zaffirini Student Success Center Testing Center Lab 201.

Rhizome @ TAMIU

“Rhizome” is a multidisciplinary contemporary art project organized by Artist and Visiting Assistant Professor Crystal Wagner that will be created at TAMIU this Spring 2024. It involves the collaboration between faculty and students in the music, art, dance, theater, and humanities and the community at large.

Several opportunities will be offered for public participation, including Open Build Days, and printmaking workshops. Open Build Days are scheduled to occur every Friday through March 15, 2024, from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Participants will meet at the TAMIU Center for the Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA) main lobby.

Printmaking workshops are scheduled on Saturday, Feb. 24 and Sunday, Feb. 25, from 1 - 5 p.m. in the CFPA Printmaking Studio, room 220 A

‘Las Castañuelas' Performance Highlights TAMIU's 'Music on the Menu' Feb. 28

Leading the performance of “Las Castañuelas” will be Altagracia Azios García, legendary Laredo dancer and instructor who has long championed the art of Spanish flamenco dance. The performance is free of charge and open to all..

Healthy Minds Study at TAMIU Online Survey Continues Through Feb. 29

We are joining other members of The Texas A&M University System in partnership with the Jed Foundation (JED), a national leader in establishing best practices and policies on student mental health, suicide prevention, and substance misuse. Select TAMIU students and full-time faculty and staff received an email for participation in a Healthy Minds Study with the University of Michigan.

TAMIU Athletics Update

TAMIU is a member of the Lone Star Conference and competes in 11 sports: volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, softball, baseball, men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's golf.

• Late Surge Pushes Dustdevils Past Greyhounds
• Dustdevils Complete Series Sweep of Aggies
• Dustdevils Fall 12-3 in Game 1 of Doubleheader
• Dustdevils Sweep Doubleheader

Upcoming Events

• Music on the Menu Las Castanuelas - Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 12:10 p.m.
• Spring 2024 Graduation Application and Payment Deadline - Thursday, Feb. 29
• Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium Schedule
• TAMIU Small Business Development Center Schedule

TAMIU News Hub

At Texas A&M International University our faculty, students, and staff know how to Go Beyond. Every day, they lead change, solve problems and advance thinking. Through instruction, faculty and student research and public service, TAMIU improves the quality of life for citizens of Laredo, the border region, the State of Texas, and national and international communities. We proudly share their stories through our weekly news distributions, online News Hub, digital and traditional publications, and our Trailblazer Weekly Bulletin. Share Our Beyond.

View our complete News Hub at https://go.tamiu.edu/newshub.