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Escotet begins new role as UTB/TSC School of Education dean
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BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS – AUG. 15, 2008 – Change and innovation should be part of every university’s mission, said Dr. Miguel A. Escotet, the new dean of the School of Education at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. 
“I am a dreamer, and I like to put dreams into opportunities and apply them to my work. I tend to think in my life you need to have your mind on the skies and feet on the ground,” said Escotet, who began his new position with UTB/TSC earlier this month.
The Leon, Spain, native wants to push for improvements in academic quality and establish stronger scholarly work ties between students and School of Education faculty.
He wants to see the school reach out to higher education in Matamoros and throughout Mexico, South America and the Caribbean, but Escotet said the university cannot lose its local identity as it builds more international ties.
“Today, education is global,” he said.
Escotet said students should appreciate the area’s bilingual culture, but he said language development needs to be emphasized more to get students thinking globally.
UTB/TSC students should also continue to pay attention to the university’s Quality Enhancement Plan, which unites English Composition II and Biology I through analytical and critical writing through the Power of Two initiative.
“I think it’s very important for the future of the university and the citizens of this area,” Escotet said about the QEP. “The community needs to understand if we do expand quality, it will be spread and will be good for all families.”
The education faculty have their own roles to play in the success of their school and university. Escotet said he expects his faculty to always have the curiosity of a student and keep up to date on all they do regarding their work. He said foreign language development provides mobility with students and faculty.
He said he would also like to teach courses in the near future to continue engaging with students.
Escotet previously served as director of the Institute of Graduate Studies and Continuing Education at the University of Deusto in Bilboa, Spain. He has also held academic positions at Florida International University in Miami, Fla. and has been a visiting professor at Fort Lewis College in Colorado and The Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pa.
Internationally, Escotet has been president of Universidad Iberoamericana de Postgrado in Salamanca, Spain, provost and founder of the Open National University of Venezuela and academic dean and dean of the School of Education at the University of Oriente in Venezuela.
He is also a past sub-secretary for the Minister of Education in Venezuela and general secretary of the Organization of Iberoamerican States for Education, Science and Culture in Madrid, Spain.
Escotet studied engineering and philosophy early on and earned a professional and research degree in clinical psychology at Javeriana University in Bogota, Colombia. He also has a master’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin and a doctoral degree from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, Neb.
For more information, call the School of Education at (956) 882-7466.