New Liberal Arts dean named

Dávila-Montes brings decades-long legacy experiences and innovations to key leadership position

Dr. Jose Dávila-Montes, professor of Translation and Interpreting in the UTRGV Department of Writing and Language Studies, has been named dean of the College of Liberal Arts, effective Jan.1.

Dávila-Montes has been at UTRGV and legacy institution UT Brownsville since 2005 and has served as interim dean of Liberal Arts since June 2024.

He holds bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Translation and Cross-Cultural Studies from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, as well as an MA in Spanish Literature from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

Including Barcelona and SUNY Binghamton, his broad range of educational and geographic experiences include Dublin City University in Ireland, and Toyo University in Tokyo, Japan.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to continue the great educational and cultural work that the College of Liberal Arts at UTRGV and its legacy institutions have brought here for decades,” Dávila-Montes said. “Ours is a wonderful bicultural, bilingual region in which the study of the social sciences and the humanities is a true engine for change – not just in our area, but beyond – through empowering our community in the understanding of modern-day challenges, and in the search for solutions, individual success and collective well-being.

“We have so many great things to harness and put to work for the future, institutionally and locally,” he said. “This is an exciting time to be a part of UTRGV’s growth, and I look forward to working with our impressive team of faculty and administrators to bring our college and our students to the next level, all in the framework of a top-tier research university.”

Dr. Luis H. Zayas, UTRGV provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs, said Dávila-Montes has a distinguished pedigree of innovation that will be of great benefit to the university and, most especially, the students.

“UTRGV is truly fortunate to have Dr. Dávila-Montes and his vast experience as part of its leadership team,” Zayas said. “He has been in the Valley for almost two decades and adds institutional knowledge to his deep-rooted interest in language and education. We look forward to seeing where his vision for growth and development will lead us.”

Dávila-Montes created the predecessor to UTRGV’s current Translation and Interpreting Office in 2005. He also founded the first full-fledged Bachelor of Arts program in Spanish Translation and Interpreting in Texas in 2009 at UT Brownsville, and in 2010 at UTB he established the country’s first fully online MA program in Spanish Translation and Interpreting, which has been recognized as the top program of its kind in the country by OnlineSchoolsReport.com.

He is the author or co-author of 20 peer-reviewed articles, chapters, or books on translation studies, translation pedagogy, and Spanish contemporary literature and culture. His most current research interest centers on the neuroscience of rhetoric and its impact in the translation of persuasive texts.