EDINBURG, Texas – The UT-Rio Grande Valley College of Engineering and Computer Science welcomes its largest freshman class ever, the college’s dean announced Rio Grande Guardian.

Dr. Ala Qubbaj says that over 1,100 new students will arrive on campus for the fall semester.

“We have the largest freshman class ever in engineering, over 1,100 new students. We are the fastest growing college at UTRGV with over 5,000 students, both aspiring engineers and computer scientists. Of these, almost 1,000 are girls, or 20 percent. These are historic numbers,” Qubbaj told the Guardian.

“This significant growth is the result of our growing success/reputation as a major producer of highly skilled engineers in the state and country. Our students receive a high quality and affordable education here at RGV.”

Farias Award

In his interview with the GuardianQubbaj said he will award Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Chairman Fred Farias III with the Dean’s Medallion at the CECS convocation in fall 2024.

“Dr. Farias was instrumental in the approval of all new PhD programs at THECB. He absolutely deserves this award,” said Qubbaj.

Faculty, staff and students, including new doctoral students, will attend the graduation ceremony, which will take place on Friday, August 30, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. in the HPE2 Gym (Room 118) on the Edinburgh Campus.

About Fred Farias, III

Dr. Fred Farias III, OD, MS, FAAO, of McAllen, Texas, is president and CEO of 20/20 Vision Care. He has served on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board since 2015 and was appointed board chair by Governor Greg Abbott on June 3, 2021. He previously served as vice chair of the board and chair of the Academic and Workforce Success Committee. He is also a member of the Texas Higher Education Foundation.

Dr. Farias is a member of the American Academy of Optometry, a past president of the Texas Optometric Association and the Rio Grande Valley Optometric Society, and a past member of the Board of Trustees of the American Optometric Association. He was named Optometrist of the Year by the Texas Optometric Association in 2015 and Optometrist of the Year by the National American Optometric Association in 2016.

He was appointed by the Governor to the Texas Optometry Board, where he chaired the Licensing and Administration Committee, and is a founding board member of Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation. He is a lifetime member of the Chancellor’s Executive Committee of the University of Texas (UT) System and the UT Austin Development Board, and a member of the UT Longhorn Foundation Athletic Advisory Council.

Dr. Farias is a past recipient of the Outstanding Young Texas Exes Award from the University of Texas at Austin and the 2017 Lifetime Achievement Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Southern College of Optometry. In 2019, Dr. Farias was named an Outstanding Alumnus by the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas at Austin.

Additionally, Dr. Farias is involved in the McAllen community. He chairs the Government Affairs Council of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, volunteers for InfantSEE, a free public health program that provides professional eye care for infants statewide, and organizes and sponsors vision screenings throughout South Texas. He has served on many local and statewide boards, including the Vannie E. Cook Cancer Center, the Rio Grande Valley Arthritis Foundation, and the Museum of South Texas History.

Dr. Farias received a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin, a master’s degree from Harvard Medical School, and a Doctor of Optometry from the Southern College of Optometry.