Center Celebrates 20 Years with Recognition Ceremony

To celebrate the 20th anniversary since the opening of the TTU Center in Sevilla, the Center hosted a Recognition Ceremony to honor our founding members and distinguished partners for their work and contribution to so many years of successful studying abroad experiences at the Center.

Front row from left: Donna K. Wright, Dr. Allan Kuethe, Dr. Sara Pink. Back row from left: Dr. Douglas Inglis, Dr. Angel Martinez, Dr. Walt Oler and Dr. Susan Larson.

We were honored to be joined by two of the original founders of the TTU Center in Sevilla: Dr. Allan Kuethe and Dr. Douglas Inglis.  Also in attendance was Dr. Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Vice Provost of International Affairs, Whitney Longnecker, Director of Study Abroad, Rachel Jarnagin, Director of Administration and Finance, Donna K. Wright, retired Sevilla Coordinator, in addition to family members and past students of our Center in Sevilla. 

The Ceremony took place at The Center on Monday, November 7 among alumni and current TTU Sevilla students. Dr. Sara Pink, Director of the Center, welcomed the participants and introduced TTU Provost Dr. Ronald Hendrick, who joined the ceremony virtually to make some remarks about the significant impact studying abroad has on students' personal, academic, and professional lives. Vice Provost Dr. Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, joined the Provost in congratulating The Center for this landmark achievement and reemphasized the importance the Center has had on the lives of so many students throughout the years.

Dr. Pink then provided a presentation that included a brief history of the Center as well as an overview of the current programs and activities.

Representatives of the College of Arts and Sciences, Huckabee College of Architecture, and Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering were in attendance and accepted ‘Special Contributors' Awards. Dr. Susan Larson, Qualia Professor of Spanish, accepted the award on behalf of Arts and Sciences, Architecture was represented by Dr. Angel Martínez, and Dr. Walter Oler, Emeritus Associate Professor, received the award for Engineering. Donna K. Wright, former Coordinator for Sevilla, was also awarded for her valuable contribution to the success of the Center.  

The three visionaries of the TTU Center in Sevilla, Dr. Donald Haragan, Dr. Allan Kuethe and Dr. Douglas Inglis all received Founders Awards. In their acceptance speeches, Dr. Kuethe and Dr. Inglis talked about their initial vision of the Center and how delighted they were to see its evolution over the years to become a successful project that completely fulfilled their expectations.

Former and current students of The Center were also invited to share how studying abroad had impacted their lives. There were some heart-warming and inspiring stories from students both past and present.  Finally, after the ceremony's conclusion, all participants celebrated the success of these 20 years with a reception where everyone, old and new, mingled and conversed about their shared life-changing experiences at the TTU Center in Sevilla.  It certainly was a night to remember!

Learn more about the TTU Center in Sevilla, Spain.