The Graduate School
Diana S. Natalicio
University President
M.A. & Ph.D., UT Austin
Diana Natalicio has served as President of The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) since 1990. In addition to her university leadership, Natalicio serves on a variety of national and statewide civic boards and commissions including the National Science Board, the NASA Advisory Council and the Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans.
In 1997, Natalicio's efforts to expand higher education opportunities to Hispanics earned her a $25,000 award in a nationwide recognition program. Although the cash award was intended for Natalicio's private use, she donated the money to set up a student scholarship endowment at UTEP.
Natalicio is not a native Texan. Rather, she explains that it was attending a Texas graduate school that prompted her decision to spend a career serving the state. "Going to graduate school in Texas enabled me to become a Texan. I have spent my entire professional career in El Paso. I probably would never have settled here had I not started my relationship with Texas in graduate school at UT Austin."