Mission Statement

The Union strives to enhance the quality of student life and complement the University’s educational mission by providing a positive environment that is inclusive, welcoming, challenging, and responsive to students, faculty, staff, the university and the local community. The Union serves as a unifying force that honors each individual and values diversity.

Vision Statement

To serve as the epicenter of campus life and activities while providing a variety of programs, activities, services and quality and innovative conference facilities for the university and the El Paso community.

History

The original Union Building West was built in 1948 under the official name of the Student Union Building (SUB). The SUB originally had one main level and a basement level which at one point housed a bowling alley and barbershop. The SUB also housed the Union Ballroom which hosted all the school dances, food functions and student programming and continued to be used until the addition of new and larger rooms in the Union Building East. The Union Ballroom was redesigned in 1987 to house the UTEP Dinner Theatre.

In order to keep up with the growing student population the SUB went through 3 additions the last being in 1969 giving us a three story east building and a two story west building. Those additions have allowed us to house many of the Student Affairs administrative offices and lead to an official name change to, “The Union Building”. The Union Building is also unique to our institution because of the architecture. Almost all the buildings at UTEP are designed with Bhutanese Dzong architecture; although the Union Building has Bhutanese influences- it is one of the few buildings at UTEP without the distinct Dzong design.