Valley Native Returns as Dean of UTRGV

Finch Cantu | Pulse

On Sept. 3, the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley hired Ismael Amaya to be its new Dean of Students, allowing the former Valley resident the opportunity to return to his roots.

After Rebecca Gadson, the former dean, transitioned into her new role of Associate Dean for Policy Management and Residence Life, Amaya took up the mantle of the Dean of Students, taking over from interim dean Stephen Hirst.

Amaya is originally from Brownsville and a graduate of South Texas ISD Health Professions high school, so his entry into UTRGV is “a bit of a coming home for” him, he said.

The dean attended Texas State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and master’s degree in public administration.

As a Texas State alum, Amaya carries 22 years of experience working within the Dean of Students Office, where he spent the last 14 years as the Assistant Dean of Students. While 22 years may seem like a long time, Amaya said what motivates him to continue is the “idea of wanting to give back and provide [guidance] to new students.”

The dean of students (DOS) serves as the leader of the Dean of Students Office, which advocates for the interests of all Vaqueros and works to ensure student success at UTRGV.

According to the DOS website, this includes intervening to address disruptive or struggling students and overseeing a number of student-centric departments and programs. Such programs include Student Rights and Responsibilities, Student Accessibility Services, the Center for Student Involvement and the Student Food Pantry.

“I think the short of it would be that we’re here to support students,” Amaya said. 

He said he plans on helping students by providing opportunities for engagement, helping remove barriers, connecting them with resources to address any issues they may face and being a partner in reaching their goals.

The DOS Office also focuses on getting students acquainted with resources on campus that can support, guide and engage them throughout their time at UTRGV.

“We work with all of the departments across campus,” Amaya said. “So, if somebody brings a concern to us about something within housing or related to parking or related to security, our office does not oversee parking, security or housing, but we can work with the directors and the staff in those areas, either to ensure that the student is connected to the right person, so that that person or that team can explain what’s available.”

For some students, such as computer science junior Noel Rodriguez, it may come as a surprise that UTRGV even has a Dean of Students Office.

“Honestly, I can’t even come up with a guess,” said Rodriguez when asked if he knew what the Dean of Students Office is.

Like Rodriguez, Amaya said he spent a long time unaware of the functions of the Dean of Students until he began working within that office at Texas State University. 

Amaya aims to encourage Vaqueros to reach out by focusing on ways that students can engage with the DOS Office.

“Making sure that the opportunities are there, that students feel welcome and that there’s whatever it is that they’re interested in doing,” he said. “Ultimately, we want students to be involved with our office if they feel that we can support them and we can be there for them. … We’re here to help.”

Amaya had been interested in returning to the Valley since UTRGV was founded in 2013.

“I thought that [UTRGV]  was a game changer for the Valley,” Amaya said. “  I thought that those would be opportunities—for me, but for the Valley itself, for all the students here. … And yes, if you choose to go elsewhere, great, if that’s where you think you need to go. But the opportunities are going to be here.”

Amaya said he also appreciates the commitment of UTRGV (and legacy institutions University of Texas-Pan American and University of Texas at Brownsville) to community engagement.

“It doesn’t feel hard to get onto campus and feel that there is something for the community … and that’s really exciting to me,” he said.

Amaya said the DOS Office is also open to student suggestions of how to address any issues they may encounter on campus.

However, so far, Amaya has not shared any plans of his own to pursue changes to policies or programs under his jurisdiction. 

“To be fair to everyone who’s been here and doing work for years … I need to understand what’s been happening, what’s been done,” he said. “I definitely bring a lot of experience, but I’m not going to come in and say, ‘Let me tell you how to do it,’ because what is being done may be working great and there may be areas for improvement. We’ll be looking for those.”

Students can reach out to the Dean of Students Office at dos@utrgv.edu or by calling 882-5141 or 665-2260.