The Gift of Opportunity

Courtesy of University Communications

A longtime educator, Richard Gutierrez says growing up poor and facing discrimination motivated him to make a difference.

Photo by Laura Trejo

Richard Gutierrez

“I believed that minorities were underrepresented and that more of us needed to become teachers and role models,” says Gutierrez, a UTEP graduate who has served as a political science lecturer at the university for nearly 18 years.

His passion for making a difference through education goes beyond teaching in the classroom, however. Gutierrez has made financial contributions to the departments of political science and history through the President’s Associates program.

The President’s Associates is a prestigious giving society that recognizes donors who make annual contributions of $1,200 or more to the university to support scholarships, endowed faculty positions, college and program support, or the university’s greatest need. Membership in the society includes benefits that enable donors to strengthen their connection to UTEP and the students it serves.

A lifetime member of the UTEP Alumni Association, Gutierrez says supporting UTEP’s mission of providing access and excellence to underrepresented students has been a rewarding experience.

“If one wants the best for their students, as well as a user-friendly working environment, then one needs to donate money to help make these things possible,” he says.

Launched in fall 2006, the President’s Associates has received more than $90,000 in gifts and pledges.

Among its recent members are Mabel Ng and alumna Patricia McCracken, who represent a growing number of female philanthropists supporting UTEP.

“There are more women in the workforce than ever before. We play an important role for young women coming up the university system,” says McCracken, director of worldwide marketing for BMC Software and a lifetime member of the UTEP Alumni Association. “Who better to contribute than those of us who benefited from our university experiences?”

McCracken’s gifts help support the College of Business Administration.

A friend of the UTEP Alumni Association, Ng helps support the Henry and Mabel Ng Endowed Scholarship Fund, established in 2000 by Ng and her husband, Henry, a UTEP alumnus and recipient of the 2006 College of Engineering Gold Nugget Award. The fund awards scholarships to graduate students pursuing degrees in civil engineering.

For Robert and Elaine Krasne, membership in the President’s Associates was a gift in more ways than one. Their sons, Richard and Alan Krasne, established the membership for them as a way to commemorate the family’s 30 years as El Pasoans and owners of Alamo Auto Supply. It was also a way for the Krasnes to leave their mark at UTEP and in the community.