The University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus (UPRM) or Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez (RUM) in Spanish (also referred to as Colegio and CAAM in allusion to its former name), is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

land-grant university A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Signed by Abraha ...

Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Mayagüez (, ) is a city and the eighth-largest municipality in Puerto Rico. It was founded as Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria de Mayagüez, and is also known as ''La Sultana del Oeste'' (The Sultaness of the West), ''Ciudad de las Aguas Pur ...

. UPRM is the second-largest university campus of the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and ...

system. In addition to its status as a land-grant university, it is also a member of the sea-grant and space-grant research consortia. In 2009, the campus population was composed of 12,108 students, 1,924 regular staff members, and 1,037 members of the education staff. In 2013, the student population remained relatively steady at 11,838, but the instructional faculty dropped to 684. In the second semester of 2019 around 12,166 students where enrolled. UPRM has been accredited by the

Middle States Commission on Higher Education The Middle States Commission on Higher Education (abbreviated as MSCHE and legally incorporated as the Mid-Atlantic Region Commission on Higher Education) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evalua ...

(MSCHE) since 1946.

History

The

was created by an act of the Legislative Assembly on March 12, 1903, emerging as an outgrowth of the Normal School, which had been established three years earlier to train teachers for the Puerto Rican school system. In 1908, the benefits of the Morill-Nelson Act declared applicable to the island, fostered the rapid growth of the university. Evidence of that growth was the establishment of the College of Liberal Arts at

Río Piedras Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for " river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, ...

in 1910 and the College of Agriculture at Mayagüez in 1911 as a

. The founding of the institution is credited to D.W. May (Director of the Federal Experiment Station), José de Diego and Carmelo Alemar. In 1912 the name of the institution was changed to the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts or ''Colegio de Agricultura y Artes Mecánicas'' (CAAM). In 1918, an earthquake and a fire caused significant damage to the institution. The ruins of the entrance of one of the buildings, Degetau Hall — which not only withstood the earthquake, but proved to be almost indestructible after the rebuilt hall was torn down in the late 1950s — would later become the emblem of the institution. In 1988, the archway (the

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cul ...

) was rebuilt, landscaped and turned into a monument. The campus rectory was located at the José de Diego building, the oldest standing edification within the campus, built in 1911. The building was inscribed in the National Historic Building Registry as an architectural patrimony. In 1940, a clock tower was built into the main building. In 1993, the building underwent a restoration. In 1929, the Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria was created at the Mayagüez campus. The LAI is an athletic organization, similar to the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

, created with the purpose of promoting and regulating sports activities. It originally consisted of a three event competition: basketball, baseball and track and field. Currently the competition consists of more than 25 sports. Portico1

In 1942 as a result of university reform, the campus was organized with a considerable degree of autonomy into the Colleges of

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, and

Science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

under the direction of a

vice-chancellor A chancellor is a leader of a college or university, usually either the executive or ceremonial head of the university or of a university campus within a university system. In most Commonwealth and former Commonwealth nations, the chancellor ...

. In the 1950s the institution saw more programs added when the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Nuclear Center were established. The Puerto Rican Legislative Assembly reorganized the University of Puerto Rico's system in 1966. This reorganization of the system lead to the controversial change of its name to University of Puerto Rico – Mayagüez Campus, which is used in the present day as the official name of the institution. In 2007, 35.4% of all

degrees were granted to women at UPRM, one of the largest percentages in US universities. The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez is the second largest Hispanic-serving institution in the United States. In 2010 the campus went on strike as part of the 2010–2011 University of Puerto Rico strikes. In 2017 in response to budget cuts to the university system by the

Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico (FOMBPR), colloquially known as ''La Junta de Control/Supervisión Fiscal'' is a government entity whose role to revise and approve the budget and obligations of the government of Puerto R ...

the campus students voted to join the

University of Puerto Rico strikes, 2017 The 2017 University of Puerto Rico strikes were a series of student strikes which began on 28 March 2017, when the university's campus at Rio Piedras declared a one-week shutdown, from 28 March to 5 April followed by an indefinite strike, which beg ...

Organization

UPRM is comprised by the Colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Business Administration,

, and the Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies. The College of Agricultural Sciences includes the Agricultural Experiment Station.

Administrative Board

The Administrative Board of the Mayagüez Campus consists of the

Chancellor Chancellor ( la, cancellarius) is a title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the or lattice work screens of a basilica or law cou ...

as presiding officer, the deans, two academic senators elected among those faculty members of the Senate who are not ''ex officio'', senators, and an elected student representative. The President of the university serves as an ''ex officio'' member. The Board acts as an advisory body to the Chancellor, prepares the development plan of the Campus, approves the proposed budget prepared by the Chancellor, and grants tenure, promotions and leaves of absence. Administracion

Academic Senate

The Academic Senate at UPRM is composed of the members of the Administrative Board, the Director of the Library, the Director of the Counseling Office, representatives elected from the faculties whose total must not be less than twice the number of the elected ''ex officio'' members, an elected member of the Library and Counseling Office, and ten student representatives. The Academic Senate is the official forum of the academic community. Its main task is to participate in the formulation of academic processes within the university's legal structure.

Campus

The UPR-Mayagüez campus encompasses approximately 315 acres (1.27 km2). The campus has a sports complex that includes a gym, a weight room, rooms for dance/aerobic classes, courts for basketball, a tennis and volleyball complex, a natatorium, an outdoor sports field and the Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum. The Hotel Colegial serves as the only on campus dorms and is reserved for athletes. The campus offers two cafeterias, a bookstore, a

Popular Bank Popular, Inc., doing business as Banco Popular in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and as Popular Bank in the mainland United States, is a financial services conglomerate that has operated in Puerto Rico for over 125 years and in the mainland ...

branch, a lounge called La Cueva de Tarzán (Tarzan's cave) and a computer center, although several academic departments also operate their own computer laboratories. In 2016 after more than a decade in planning MUSA, a museum of art, was inaugurated on the campus. In 2019 a new cafe was opened in the College of Business Administration. The campus also contains the ruins of a historic structure called La Casilla del Caminero. The Mayagüez Campus General Library serves the campus community as well as residents of Mayagüez.

Academics

The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez consists of four major colleges: * College of Agricultural Sciences * College of Arts and Sciences * College of Business Administration *

College of Engineering Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education (bachelor's and/or master's degree), and any advanced education and specializations that ...

UPRM offers 52 bachelor's programs, 28 master's programs and five doctoral programs. UPRM offers undergraduate and graduate education in all of their four colleges. Doctoral programs are offered in the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering. The College of Agricultural Sciences includes the

Agricultural Experiment Station An agricultural experiment station (AES) or agricultural research station (ARS) is a scientific research center that investigates difficulties and potential improvements to food production and agribusiness. Experiment station scientists work with ...

and the Agricultural Extension Service. UPRM College of Engineering graduation rates are higher than the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M Unive ...

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seatt ...

and the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public land-grant research university in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States. ...

. It has increased the percentage of its faculty with doctorates from 66.5% in the 1999–2000 academic year to 79.4% in 2007. As of fall 2013, the campus had 684 instructional faculty (660 full-time and 24 part-time), which includes those who are tenured, on tenure-track, and not on tenure-track. In terms of student enrollment, a total of 11,838 students were enrolled (10,944 undergraduates and 894 graduates). The Mayagüez campus is one of two land-grant universities in the tropics and the only one where Spanish is the native language (although English is also used extensively). The academic calendar has two semesters: fall (early August to mid-December) and spring (early January to mid-May). While textbooks and research materials used at the

are often in English, Spanish is the language of instruction in most courses at UPRM, and students are required to have a working knowledge of the English language. The individual professor decides the language used in class lectures and in student evaluation activities.

Research

UPRM is one of the important centers in the Atlantic region for the study of tropical marine science due to its location, facilities, and researchers. The research facilities includes the Puerto Rico Water Resources and Environmental Research Institute, the Caribbean Coral Reef Institute (CCRI), the Research and Development Center, the Agricultural Research Station and the Caribbean Atmospheric Research Center (ATMOSCarib). The College of Engineering offers computerized laboratories for teaching, measuring fatigue and fractures in different materials, designing manufactured products and the processes to build them, and computer design. There is a Center for Civil Infrastructure used to design structures resistant to natural disasters and transportation systems. Other research areas include development of solar powered vehicles and boats, use of

satellite photography Satellite images (also Earth observation imagery, spaceborne photography, or simply satellite photo) are images of Earth collected by imaging satellites operated by governments and businesses around the world. Satellite imaging companies sell im ...

to study earth phenomena, and study of the environmental impact of industrial toxins. The Departments of English, Humanities, and Hispanic Studies also produce first-rate scholarship. Some of the most important fields include digital humanities, Caribbean cultural studies, and transnational topics. In addition to the numerous research laboratories under direct faculty supervision, the Mayagüez campus has several research and development institutes that provide valuable support for research activities. Arts and Sciences is the college with the largest portfolio of funded research at the university and the highest number of patents, mostly from the Physics Department. Most of the science education funded efforts are in the following areas:

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

and mathematics education, detection of explosives,

environmental sciences Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physics, biology, and geography (including ecology, chemistry, plant science, zoology, mineralogy, oceanography, limnology, soil science, geology and physi ...

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used ...

, ecosystems and

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

, oceanic processes,

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal ...

and advanced materials, human behavior and

energy In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of ...

.
Its researchers, faculty, graduate and undergraduate students are at the forefront of areas such as

tsunamis A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater ex ...

, nanotechnology,

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

, oceanic processes, bio‐markers,

coral reefs A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. ...

, applied economics, disasters, monitoring of seismic activity,

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic ('' genetic variability''), species ('' species diversity''), and ecosystem ('' ecosystem diversity'') ...

and

physical oceanography Physical oceanography is the study of physical conditions and physical processes within the ocean, especially the motions and physical properties of ocean waters. Physical oceanography is one of several sub-domains into which oceanography is div ...

. The research facilities includes a campus-wide

wireless network A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes. Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and business installations avoid the costly process of introducing ...

available to the whole university community (over 80 access points), Internet 2 Institution with an OC3 access line, video conference facilities, online course development platform, 42 academic computer labs for students (1,032 computers estimated), about 5,000 computers estimated including administrative, faculty and research facilities and a campus network backbone infrastructure interconnecting over 40 buildings fiber optics. The Puerto Rico Seismic Network, in charge of monitoring seismic activity for the Caribbean region, is on the campus.

College of Engineering

The college is accredited by ABET. It is among the top 10 U.S. universities in the field of engineering in number of students enrolled. The University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez produces around 600 engineers every year. A National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME) report for the 1996–1997 academic year indicates the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez graduated by far the largest number of Hispanic engineers.

Student life

Athletics

The university's mascot is a bulldog named Tarzán. Tarzans for men and the

Janes Janes is an English patronymic family name. Its root is believed to be from the possessive of the given name '' Jan'' (see ''Jayne''), '' John'' or ''Ian''. In England, the name appears to have its densest roots in Bedfordshire and Gloucestershi ...

for women sports team, respectively. The Mayagüez campus is a member of the LAI ( Liga Atlética Interuniversitaria). It is the only university that participates in all sports sponsored by the LAI. It currently participates in 16 men's sports and 12 women's sports with a total of 373 athletes. Its main building is the Rafael A. Mangual Coliseum. The campus has had an Olympic swimming pool in the Natatorio RUM and a Tennis Center since the 2010 Central American and Caribbean Games. Since September 1, 2003, the Mayagüez campus competes as an independent university in the

's Division II. It participates in men's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, swimming,

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

, track (outdoor),

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

, taekwondo, and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat s ...

and in women's

, swimming and

Activities

The campus has over 100 student organizations. Some annual events include: * '' Cinco Días con Nuestra Tierra'' (Five Days with Our Earth): Every March, agricultural students organize a five-day event in celebration of agriculture. * ''Justas Intercolegiales'' (Intervarsity Games): Every April, there are athletic competitions between Puerto Rican universities. * ''Cena Internacional'' (International Dinner): Every November all international students, the faculty and staff get together for a dinner. * ''Encendido de la Navidad'' (Christmas Enlightening): Each December, students, faculty, staff, and community attend the tree lighting ceremony to start the Christmas holiday season on campus.

Radio Colegial

In 2007 a group of students from the

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its operation ...

(IEEE)-UPRM Chapter, created an Internet Radio Station starting with one weekly radio program and then broadcasting its programming through a web portal

Student organizations

There are hundreds of student organizations in each faculty of the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez Campus including but not limited to the following: *Students for the Exploration and Development of Space, SEDS UPRM - space exploration student organization. *''Campus Verde'' - an environmental organization dedicated to spreading awareness of climate issues and how students can help protect the environment. *''SPECTRUM'' - LGBT student organization that has coordinated various drag shows. *''Creative Artistic University Workshop'' (Taller Artístico Creativo Universitario, TACU) - an artist student organization dedicated to providing materials and information with the end goal of helping artist present their works at annual expositions. *''Come Colegial'' - a student organization founded in 2014 that helps by providing food to disadvantaged students. In 2019 Come Colegial was extended to all the campuses of the University of Puerto Rico. The organization has continued to provide food during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico. *''Hope for a Rescue'' - an animal rescue group. * ''SIEMPREVIVAS'' - a feminist group that organizes support groups and provides services for victims of domestic violence. *''University Institute for the Development of Communities'' (Instituto Universitario para el Desarollo de las Comunidades, IUDC) - a student organization that carries out investigations and promotes community development around the island. *Medicine Education Development, MEDLIFE UPRM - Medical students association that carries out charity work.

Notable alumni

File:AAMGSiani.jpg, Antonio Mignucci, PhD 1996, a biological oceanographer specializing in the management and conservation of marine mammals File:Gonzalez Sanabria.jpg,

Olga D. González-Sanabria Olga D. González-Sanabria is a Puerto Rican scientist and inventor. She is the highest-ranking Hispanic at NASA Glenn Research Center, and a member of the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame. González-Sanabria, Director of the Engineering and Technical ...

, BS, is the highest ranking

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

at NASA Glenn Research Center File:Orlando.Figueroa.jpg,

Orlando Figueroa Orlando Figueroa (born September 9, 1955), previously the NASA Mars Czar Director for Mars Exploration and the Director for the Solar System Division in the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters and the Deputy Center Director for Science ...

, BS 1978, Director of the Mars Exploration Program in NASA File:William A. Navas.jpg, William A. Navas Jr., BS 1965, the first Puerto Rican to be named an

Assistant Secretary of the Navy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (ASN) is the title given to certain civilian senior officials in the United States Department of the Navy. From 1861 to 1954, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy was the second-highest civilian office in the Depa ...

File:ADM Joxel Garcia.jpg, Joxel García, BS, former four-star admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. He served as Assistant Secretary for Health and currently serves as the President of the Ponce School of Medicine File:Emilio Diaz Colon.JPG,

Emilio Díaz Colón Major General Emilio Díaz Colón (born c. 1947), is a former United States National Guard officer who served as the Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard. In 2011, he became the first member of the PRNG to be named superintendent ...

, Adjutant General of the Puerto Rican National Guard and later the Superintendent of the Puerto Rican Police Force.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:University Of Puerto Rico At Mayaguez Mayaguez Land-grant universities and colleges Buildings and structures in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Education in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico Universities and colleges in Puerto Rico 1911 establishments in Puerto Rico Educational institutions established in 1911 Liga Atletica Interuniversitaria de Puerto Rico Tourist attractions in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico NCAA Division II independents