UT System Chancellor Visits UTRGV

University of Texas System Chancellor James Milliken visited the Edinburg campus Thursday to speak about how the university is operating during the pandemic.

Milliken said he talked to UTRGV President Guy Bailey and Deputy President and Interim Provost Janna Arney regarding how the different online learning environments are performing. He met with students who are scheduled to graduate in December and are “hoping for in-person graduation.”

Asked about the conversations he had with the students, Milliken replied the importance of them continuing their education, even though it is remote learning. He said there are challenges students face, such as decreased occupancy in labs to maintain safety and student teaching having to follow safety guidelines.

“They were, I think, excited to be back in school in the fall and looking forward to continue and graduate,” Milliken said during a news conference in the Visitors Center.

 He said the UT System is working with lawmakers in Congress on the CARES Act. As of Aug. 13, over $11 million has been distributed, according to UTRGV’s CARES ACT Reporting webpage. He said there could be another care package on the way and it is “under debate right now.”

Compared to other UT System institutions, Milliken said UTRGV has a higher need of financial aid for its first-generation students, Pell Grant recipients and other financial aid population, noting that a primary reason for students to drop out is financial stress.

Hundreds of schools attempted to have students return to campus during the pandemic. But some, such as the University of Notre Dame, made headlines for its increase in COVID-19 cases after welcoming back its students.

Milliken said the UT System will continue to monitor with the leadership of the 14 institutions and not “make an across-the-board standard.”

“We thought it was important that we plan to be open in some way because that was the way we were going to try to keep people on a path to graduate,” he said. “We also knew these plans had to be flexible and that we have to be able to shift quickly, if necessary.”

Milliken said that international students faced challenges as well. Aside from the “mixed messages” of international students returning to the United States or coming to the country if classes were completely online, many were not able to get visas since visa windows have not been open.

He said he is impressed with how UTRGV planned its online education, the COVID-19 testing sites, and how he saw people at the Bursar Office Thursday wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.

“You can put all the rules in place but at the end of the day, it’s students and the other members of the university community respecting each other and taking responsibility,” the chancellor said.