University of Texas at El Paso

UTEP's Miners dig the importance of higher education. The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) was founded in 1914 as a mining and metallurgy school but now offers some 80 bachelor's, 70 master's, and 14 doctoral degrees through six academic colleges. The university's six colleges offer education in Business, Engineering, Education, Health Sciences, Liberal Arts, and Science. The school draws 90% of its population -- a majority of which is Mexican-American -- from the US-Mexico border. Formerly Texas Western College, UTEP enrolls more than 20,000 students annually and has begun building its reputation as a research institution. Famous alumni include NASA astronaut Danny Olivas and ABC newsman Sam Donaldson.