The new UTRGV McAllen ISD Collegiate Academy is getting closer to becoming a reality.
Officials broke ground on the facility in January and celebrated a new milestone in the process – a Topping-Out Ceremony on June 19 in which officials from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, McAllen ISD and Noble Construction signed a metal beam which had been painted white for the occasion.
“It takes a team effort,” McAllen ISD Superintendent, Dr. J.A. Gonzalez said as he gestured toward the building. “That right there is a dream come true for many individuals”
Students will be able to earn college credit, at no cost to them, as they gain a head start on the path toward becoming future doctors, engineers or educators.
The two-story edifice will be 65,500-square feet and contain 16 state-of-the-art classrooms plus multiple labs for physics, biology, chemistry, computer science, computer-aided engineering, pre-engineering and instructional technology.
It will rest on a 38-acre property at the corner of McColl Road and Pecan Boulevard.
“Yes, we are here to lay the final beam of this building, but the reality is we are building bridges – bridges between education and community,” McAllen ISD School Board President Debbie Crane Aliseda said. “We open doors without asking students to close the ones behind them.”
The facility is scheduled to be complete by fall 2024. A group of 102 McAllen ISD students will be part of the first cohort to take courses toward a bachelor’s degree, saving them time and money.
"This is a really important day for us because it signals the halfway mark of completion of this facility,” UTRGV President Dr. Guy Bailey said. “When it opens up, students in McAllen (ISD) will have an educational opportunity that’s really unique in the state of Texas. They will graduate with a superb education, well-positioned for their future.”
This historic partnership will save an estimated $2.4 million per each class of 125 students over two years.
Students will be able to choose one of four study tracks – health science, computer science, engineering, or education, or focus on completing their academic core.
“As educators, it’s our job to make sure we help as many students reach their goals, their dreams, or whatever they aspire to be,” UTRGV McAllen ISD Collegiate Academy Director Elizabeth Gonzalez said. “This building will definitely bring that to them and to their families.”
To learn more about the UTRGV McAllen ISD Collegiate Academy, contact McAllen ISD’s Student Outreach at 956-687-MISD (6473).
PHOTOS: From top, officials from McAllen ISD, UTRGV and Noble Construction pose for a group photo in front of the construction beam they signed in the June 19 Topping Out Ceremony; McAllen ISD Superintendent Dr. J.A. Gonzalez (background) and UTRGV President Dr. Guy Bailey sign the ceremonial beam; the last beam is put into place between the first and second floors of the future UTRGV McAllen ISD Collegiate Academy; and five future Collegiate Academy students watch the proceedings.