NEWS: TAMIU schedules Moment of Silence to honor president’s passing
From Staff Reports
Published Friday, Oct. 4, 2024
On Thursday evening, Oct. 3, TAMIU lost its highest leader: President Pablo Arenaz. A Special Moment of Silence to honor the memory of the sixth president is slated for Monday.
At noon Monday, Oct. 7, at the Acequia Fountain, between the Dr. F.M. Canseco and Anthony J. and Georgia A. Pellegrino halls, the administration, faculty, staff and students of Texas A&M International University plan to remember Arenaz’s life and work.
TAMIU President Pablo Arenaz poses for a photo on the third floor of the Sue & Radcliffe Killam Library in this undated photograph.
Arenaz passed away unexpectedly Thursday night, according to a University press release.
“No cause of death or additional information is available currently and funeral arrangements are pending,” the release reads.
During his time here, Arenaz reported to Texas A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp.
“Texas A&M International University has thrived under Pablo,” Sharp said in the press release. “He was truly one of the best presidents in the country! He will be difficult to replace as a president and a friend!”
In the release, TAMIU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Claudia San Miguel gave a statement on behalf of the faculty, staff and students.
“… we are all profoundly saddened by the passing of Dr. Arenaz,” San Miguel said in the release. “He was kind and generous and a leader we all admired. It is difficult to imagine this campus, this community, without his larger-than-life presence.”
Arenaz became president of TAMIU in 2016. Prior to that, he served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at TAMIU beginning in 2008.
Prior to his time at TAMIU, he served as vice provost for graduate studies and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Texas at El Paso. He also held other positions at UTEP.
Prior to moving into administrative positions, he earned a doctorate in genetics and cell biology from Washington State University, a master’s in biology from the University of Nevada at Reno and a bachelor’s in education from UNR. He also conducted postdoctoral research at Temple University’s School of Medicine, Fels Research Institute. As a professor, he held assistant, associate and full professor of biology positions.
According to the press release, Arenaz’s goal since arriving at TAMIU “focused on enhancing academic quality, building research capacity and scholarship and increasing curricular and co-curricular opportunities for students, including internship and research opportunities.”
His work at TAMIU led him to direct some of the University’s most dynamic growth, including STEM and the health sciences. Recently, he stood at the forefront of the ongoing $71.2 million campus construction for the Health Sciences Education and Research Center, located near the Academic Innovation Center, and the expansion of the Western Hemispheric Trade Center.
According to the press release, he was originally from Las Vegas and could trace his ancestry to the Basque Country of northern Spain.
Arenaz is survived by his wife of 33 years, Norma Arenaz, and four adult children: Jonathan, Cristina, Rebekah and Pablo III.
