Join us as we honor President Emerita Diana Natalicio's enduring impact and celebrate the future of the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success.

The Diana Natalicio Impact & Legacy Celebration brings together campus and community for a series of events celebrating Dr. Diana Natalicio’s influence on higher education and the future-focused work her leadership continues to inspire. Through conversations, reflection, and shared learning - from an open house to a panel discussion and inaugural lecture - the celebration invites participants to engage with ideas, leaders, and models that advance opportunity, student success, and institutional transformation. Throughout the series, attendees will also be introduced to the work of the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success and its role in advancing this vision. We encourage participants to join one or more events as part of a collective moment of reflection, connection, and forward momentum.

Join the celebration on January 22, 2026, as we honor impact, legacy, and the future of opportunity in higher education.

• Diana Natalicio Institute Open House

8:30 am – 11:00 am, Education Building, 9th Floor
Guests are invited to visit the home of the newly established Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success. The open house will offer an opportunity to tour the new space and enjoy coffee and light refreshments.

• Panel Discussion: Driving Education’s Next Era of Opportunity

11:30 pm, Tomás Rivera Conference Center, Union Building East, Room 308
Higher education’s future will be shaped by institutions willing to learn from what has worked, examine it with rigor, and scale it with intention. This panel brings together institutional leaders and scholars to examine how UTEP has strategically advanced opportunity, and why this model matters for the future of higher education.

Through multiple lenses (internal institutional change, scholarly insight, and national leadership) the conversation will explore how universities can move from aspiration to action, using evidence, leadership, and place-based innovation to expand access and student success. Attendees will gain perspective on why opportunity-centered transformation is not only possible, but essential for higher education’s next era.

This session will also introduce the work of the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success as an engine of knowledge advancing systems of opportunity.

A book signing by Dr. Hrabowski will follow the panel.

• Shiloff Family Lecture Series: Inaugural Lecture by Freeman Hrabowski, Ph.D.

6:00 pm, Interdisciplinary Research Building Lobby
Through the generosity of the Shiloff Family, the Diana Natalicio Institute for Hispanic Student Success carries forward the vision and values of Dr. Diana Natalicio. The Shiloff Family Lecture Series welcomes leading voices to campus and community to deepen understanding, inspire dialogue, and generate action around the future of higher education.

The Natalicio Institute proudly presents the inaugural Shiloff Family Lecture, featuring Freeman A. Hrabowski III , one of the nation’s most respected and influential voices in higher education.

A former university president and internationally recognized leader, Dr. Hrabowski is widely known for advancing inclusive excellence and reimagining the role of universities in times of change. Drawing on themes from his newest book, The Resilient University , he will offer a compelling vision for how institutions can respond to today’s challenges with clarity, courage, and purpose—strengthening their capacity to expand opportunity and advance student success.

Known for his clarity, warmth, and ability to inspire action, Dr. Hrabowski brings a vision of higher education that resonates deeply with UTEP’s mission and history. This inaugural lecture invites campus and community audiences to reflect on what is possible when universities lead with intention and an unwavering commitment to opportunity.

A book signing and a networking reception will follow the lecture.

Guests are encouraged to RSVP