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UTB-CBIRD Report: “At The Crossroads” Education & Training 73
UTB/TSC’s Cross-Border Institute for Regional Development
(UTB-CBIRD)
The Cross-Border Institute for Regional Development (CBIRD) is a binational
institute which promotes public-private partnerships for socio-economic
development and a binational regional vision. In 1999 UTB/TSC was a founding
partner in the creation of this binational collaborative initiative with the Instituto
Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM), the IC² Institute at
The University of Texas at Austin, and the Houston Advanced Research Center
(HARC). UTB-CBIRD is dedicated to being a positive catalyst to facilitate a
working dialogue between academic, business, and government interests to
accelerate regional and binational economic, educational, social, and cultural
development.
In addition to UTB-CBIRD, a CBIRD office has also been established at The
University of Texas Pan American in Hidalgo County and at IC² Institute, The
University of Texas at Austin. In Northeastern Mexico, two additional CBIRD
offices are being formed: CBIRD-CODERT (Consejo para el Desarollo Regional
Transfronterizo), Tamaulipas and CBIRD-ITESM (Instituto Tecnologico y de
Estudios Superiores, Monterrey). Together the four CBIRD entities will provide a
binational network to help transform and diversify the economic and social
conditions of the lower border region. These CBIRD entities also work with the
Lower Rio Grande Valley CBIRD-TRAC (Texas Region Action Council) to better
connect with communities and their organizations to network and talent and
know-how – regionally and binationally -- to accelerate regional development.
UTB-CBIRD works by:
⇒ Developing opportunities at the community level
⇒ Facilitating cross-border cooperation, collaboration and coordination
⇒ Bringing together government, business, academic, and philanthropic
foundations as well as other non-government organizations with the
common goal of developing the cross-border region.
⇒ Developing and reporting the metrics for benchmarking and progress
assessment. (This report is an example of a UTB-CBIRD Benchmarking
project).
⇒ Facilitating the development of civic and social entrepreneurship.
⇒ Providing technical assistance for expanding the internal capacity of
UTB/TSC components to meet the educational and training needs of
their clients.
School of Public Health
In partnership with UTB/TSC the Brownsville Regional Campus of The University
of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health, was officially
dedicated, May 24, 2002. The UTB/TSC located facility offers a Masters of
Public Health degree and is a division of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Regional
Academic Health Center (RAHC) 1 . Interactive television classes network faculty
and students from all five UT School of Public Health campuses located in El
Paso, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston, in addition to Brownsville. The
Brownsville Regional Campus is supported by a binational advisory committee
and, the cross-border academic and medical communities are working together
to develop leading-edge teaching and community-based research programs.
1 See Section 5 for a more complete descriptions of the RAHC.
One Region -- One Future