Draft:University of Texas Education and Research Center at Laredo

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Laredo (UT Center at Laredo) is a public, multi-institution academic health science center in Laredo, Texas, United States. While the UT Center at Laredo does not yet confer its own degrees, it offers degrees and certifications through five affiliate universities: The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio(UT Health San Antonio), The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and The University of Texas Medical Branch.

About
The journey to the establishment of the UT Center at Laredo began with the creation of the Mid Rio Grande Border Area Health Education Center(MRGB-AHEC) in 1993. The Mid Rio Grande Border AHEC remains operational and continues to serve its part of the South Texas region as a cohort of the South Texas Area Health Education Center, operated by UT Health San Antonio.

On June 19,1999, Texas Senate Bill 1288, authored by Judith Zaffirini and sponsored by Henry Cuellar, was passed during the 76th Texas Legislature which established the University of Texas(UT) Health San Antonio Laredo Regional Campus. Despite this being its official name, the campus would be recognized as The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Laredo Campus Extension as seen in this photo: On May 28, 2021, Texas Senate Bill 884, authored by Judith Zaffirini and sponsored by Richard Raymond, was passed during the 87th Texas Legislature which led to the establishment of The UT Center at Laredo. The bill did not take effect until September 1, 2021, which could be considered the center's establishment date. On November 30, 2021, a ceremony was held at the campus to commemorate this milestone.

The D.D. Hachar Building
A two-story building, designed by Guillermo "Willy" Cavazos of Cavazos Architects, opened in 2002. The architectural style of the building is evocative of Spanish Colonial Architecture with its use of Cantera Stone and "over-sized Mexican brick."

The University of Texas Education and Research Center at Laredo Clock Tower
A clock tower on campus that was constructed along with the D.D. Hachar Building and follows a similar architectural style.

The Academic Building
A two-story building, designed by Alta Architects and constructed by Bartlett Cocke General Contractors, opened in 2007. The building's L-shape allows it to wrap around the D.D. Hachar Building creating a courtyard with paths connecting the two buildings. To further their connection, the Academic Building also followed a similar architectural style as the D.D. Hachar Building.

The library of UT Center at Laredo, found on the first floor of the Academic Building, contains physical books that pertain to the various subject areas instructed and digital access to other UT System digital libraries for enrolled students.

The Laredo Veterans Affairs(VA) Outpatient Clinic
While not connected to the buildings previously mentioned, The Laredo VA Outpatient Clinic is owned by The University of Texas System and operated in conjunction with the UT Center at Laredo, The City of Laredo, and The United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The single-story building was constructed by the US Federal Properties Company and opened in 2013. To achieve a sense of cohesion, the building followed an architectural style similar to the aforementioned buildings.

Dementia, Geriatric & Brain Health Clinic
The Dementia, Geriatric & Brain Health Clinic stems from the UT Health San Antonio's Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's & Neurodegenerative Diseases and is operated on campus. This clinic provides the Laredo region with local access to neurology services, neuropsychology/diagnostic testing, genetic counseling, genetic testing, online support groups, support resources, and advanced treatment with clinical trials.

The Laredo Veterans Affairs(VA) Outpatient Clinic
The Laredo VA Outpatient Clinic, located at 4602 Bartlett Avenue, Laredo, Texas, one block north of the D.D. Hachar and Academic Buildings, offers primary care, mental health care, podiatry, pathology, and nutritional/dietary services for veterans. The clinic also has a pharmacy and laboratory on-site for prescribed medication and testing, respectively.

Simplified Logo
In 2017, The University of Texas at Dallas(UT Dallas) faced issues with retaining its identity across social media platforms. This dilemma led to the creation of UT Dallas' simplified logo, The UTD Monogram, which aimed to solidify its brand and identity while maintaining the message of UTD's communications. Seeking to avoid a similar issue, The UT Center at Laredo created a simplified logo to maintain their identity and message across their social media accounts. The simplified logo features a shortened version of the center's name, "UT Center @ Laredo," in three different font styles and colors.While the UT Center at Laredo's website does not provide the school's official school colors, the colors of the official and simplified logos have three recurring colors: Orange, Navy Blue , and Light Blue (official)/(simplified).

Alternative Logo
The UT Center at Laredo's alternate logo depicts hierarchy, in a literal and visual sense, by including the Seal of the University of Texas System above the text: "The University of Texas Education & Research Center at Laredo."