Texas Border Business
RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Department of Intercollegiate Athletics announced on Wednesday Dr. Margaret Graham, Professor and Chair of the Department of Anthropology, as the new Faculty Athletics Representative.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Graham as our new Faculty Athletics Representative. Dr. Graham is well respected on our campus, brings a wealth of experience in higher education, and has a true passion for UTRGV Athletics which makes her a perfect fit for this role,” UTRGV Vice President and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque said. “On behalf of our coaches, staff, and student-athletes, we look forward to working with Dr. Graham as we continue to enhance the student-athlete experience and place a premium on our young people’s educational endeavors.”
Graham will serve as a liaison between the university and the athletics department, and as a representative of the university in Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and NCAA affairs.
She will also function as Chair of the Athletics Council and a member of the mental health task force while advising the student-athlete advisory committee. Actively engaging with administrators and coaches, Dr. Graham will monitor the student-athlete experience and be involved in their personal and academic welfare. She will also assist in preparing any requests for waivers or appeals regarding NCAA or WAC legislation.
“I grew up in a household of avid sports fans where the sounds of Chicago Cubs baseball and Indiana Hoosiers basketball games were a mainstay,” Graham said. “I also grew up during the pre-Title IX era when girls and women faced many limitations in school sports programs and in the world of sports in general. I am, therefore, absolutely delighted and honored to take on this important role as Faculty Athletics Representative. I have been an enthusiastic fan of both women’s and men’s sports at UTRGV for many years. As a professor, I am a strong advocate for student-athletes who must juggle complicated schedules as they pursue their program of study and their athletic program simultaneously. I look forward to joining the team and working with the athletics department, faculty, and student-athletes as we continue to forge a vibrant and academically successful athletics culture at UTRGV.”
Graham has been working at the university since 2005, when she joined legacy institution The University of Texas Pan American (UTPA) as Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Anthropology. She was promoted to Associate Professor in 2010 and became Assistant Dean of the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2013. She also simultaneously served as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Health Promotion & Community Health Sciences at Texas A&M from 2012-15.
In 2015, with the start of UTRGV, Graham took on the role of Coordinator of the Anthropology Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Anthropology programs. She was promoted to Professor in 2016 and took over as Interim Chair of the newly created Department of Anthropology in 2019. She became Chair in 2020.
Among Graham’s honors and distinctions are the 2014 College Faculty Excellence Award for Mentoring and the 2009 Provost’s Award for Latin American Studies. She was a member of the Leadership Team for the UTRGV ADVANCE Program from 2012-2018.
Graham earned her Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with Distinction while also completing a certificate in Latin American Studies at Indiana University in 1980. She completed a Master of Arts in Anthropology at Michigan State in 1985 before earning her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Michigan State in 1991.
