By Juan Montoya
A Brownsville-born physician who was the founding dean of the School of Rural Public Health at the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center since 1997 is emerging as the front runner for the position of president of the newly-announced UT Medical School in South Texas.
Ciro Valent Sumaya, who was born in Brownsville and was the valedictorian of Brownsville High School’s Class of 1959, is one of scores of applicants for the position of president after the UT System announced that it was dissolving the "partnership" between it and Texas Southmost College by 2015. Several close friends who attended TSC with him from May 1959 to August 1960 say he would be a perfect fit for either the medical school or the Brownsville UTB campus.
Sumaya, a 1962 Phi Beta Kappa, graduated with high honors from The University of Texas at Austin. He also earned his medical degree from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 1966 and has a master’s degree in public health and tropical medicine from Tulane University School of Medicine and School of Public Health in New Orleans. He has been the Dean of the School of Rural Public Health at the Texas A&M University System Health Science Center since 1997.
"I attended school with him and he's top notch," said local pharmacist Adolph Crixell. "He's a local person who has never forgotten where he's from."
Sumaya was honored in 2008 as a UTB-TSC Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient.
At the time he said he was "“caught by surprise” and “extremely happy” to be selected for the recognition.
“Starting at TSC helped me grow...both in maturity as well as earn a quality education,” Sumaya said at the time. “I transferred everything satisfactorily to UT-Austin. I had no problems whatsoever and I think that testifies to the quality of education that was going on at that time. So it was a very good decision to stay and go to TSC."
4 comments:
I am confused at your suggesting one person will be the president of the proposed Medical school and the combined UTB/Pan American University. They will be different entities, although work together, and may share headquarter facilities.
And as for the Founding Dean of the proposed Medical school, Sumaya was not one of the 4 finalist candidates chosen. Those 4 candidates have already made their visits to the Valley and is is expected that one of them will be chosen for the new position of Founding Dean of the proposed Medical School.
Perhaps Sumaya has applied for the position of President of the new University, and I hope he has, because he would make a very good President, in my opinion. But I had heard that he was retiring.
Being the founding Dean of a medical school at age 72 is quite a stretch. It is doubtful he could take the pace for more than a few years. Years do make you smarter, but they don't make you stronger.
Juan no way julietta garcia has it in the bag, so leave it alone why you crying? gl
I think Sumaya might make a good medical school Dean, but he doesn't have the experience to be the president of a large university.
Also, as Juliet Garcia has still been saying she doesn't know if she will 'apply' for the president position of the new UTB/UTPA merged university leads me to think she may know that they won't hire her even if she applies. The new president is scheduled to be decided upon and announced in less than 2 months.
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