Manuel Phillip Berriozábal
- Ethnicity: Hispanic
- Gender: M
- Year of Birth: 1931
- Place of Birth: San Antonio, TX
Department of Math., Comp. Sci. & Stat.
University of Texas, San Antonio
San Antonio, TX 78285
Voice (210) 458-4496
Fax (210) 458-4500
mberrioz@lonestar.utsa.edu
Education
- Ph.D. Institution: Univ. of CA, Los Angeles, 1961
- Dissertation Title: Minimal Topological Spaces
- Advisor: Robert H. Sorgenfrey
- MS Institution: University of Notre Dame, 1956
- BS Institution: Rockhurst College, 1952
Biography
Manuel P. Berriozábal was born in San Antonio, Texas but grew
up in Independence, Missouri. His father came to the United States in 1910
from Durango, Mexico; his mother is of German descent. Although his parents
could only provide him with very little financial support for college,
he attributes their help to supporting him in other ways. "They impressed
upon me the importance of learning and making the most of Educational
opportunities. Neither of them went to college. I was the first in the
family."
Berriozábal explains that he developed a love for math at a very early
age. He especially enjoyed the organization and structure that math provides.
However, for him working with math figures did not come quite so easily.
"I was not a gifted student. I had to work hard in school," he said.
It was a small parochial school in Kansas City, Missouri where he was
inspired by a special seventh-grade teacher named Sister Mary James. She
encouraged and nurtured his academic aspirations and provided him with
his visions for the future. "When I had doubts, Sister Mary James would
tell me I could do it," he recalls.
She chose a small group of promising math students and prepared them
for the scholarship competition at the prestigious De La Salle Academy.
He won a scholarship and attended De La Salle. In a particular geometry
class, Berriozábal came to a lifelong realization and understanding about
math and its meaningful relationship to life. "I realized then, and I continue
to realize today, that logical thinking and problem solving can be applied
to every aspect of life. Once that is understood, we are no longer victims
of fate, blind faith, or memorized patterns."
Berriozábal continued his Educational goals and was awarded the Bachelor
of Science degree in mathematics from Rockhurst College in 1952; a Master
of Science degree in mathematics from the University of Notre Dame in 1956;
and a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California at Los Angeles
(UCLA) in 1961.
After he served for one year as a lecturer at UCLA, he joined the faculty
at Tulane University as an Assistant Professor. Four years later, he joined
the faculty as an Associate Professor at the University of New Orleans.
He was promoted to Professor six years later. He joined the faculty at
the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) in 1976.
In 1979, a feature story on UTSA in a local magazine quoted an anonymous
member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board concerning his
opposition to approving an engineering program at UTSA: "the Mexican-American
community is not where engineers come from anyway." This quote would serve
as a catalyst for a highly successful achievement in mathematics Education.
That very same year, Berriozábal started the now nationally recognized
Prefreshman Engineering Program (PREP) at UTSA. His colleagues were skeptical
about the program surviving. "I was told it was going to fail miserably
because you cannot get high schoolers to study math for eight weeks in
the summer," he recalls, and they said minority students would not survive
the structure and disciplined environment.
Students did indeed survive and they have prospered in the intensive
8-week summer mathematics enrichment program. Each year, a number of students
who have successfully completed PREP are awarded scholarships and graduate
from well-known colleges and universities throughout Texas and the United
States in the fields of engineering, science and mathematics.
PREP is currently conducted at 8 college campuses located in San Antonio
as well as 15 other college sites throughout 13 other cities in Texas.
In its 20 summers of operation, over 7500 middle and high school students
have completed at least one summer of San Antonio PREP. Of these students,
5300 have been Hispanic. The high school graduation rate of PREP participants
has been 99.9%, the college entrance rate is 92%, and their college graduation
rate is 87%. Of the college graduates, 53% have majored in science and
engineering. Moreover, San Antonio PREP in the past year received a Presidential
Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring
and a La Promesa Program Award from the National Latino Children's Institute.
Several years ago, TexPREP received a special commendation from the Texas Senate.
It is these accomplishments that caught the attention of the Washington,
DC-based Quality Education for Minorities Network and resulted in Berriozábal
being named one of the six Giants in Science at a conference held in February
1998. In May 1998, he was a recipient of the San Antonio "I Have a Dream"
Foundation Endeavors Award. PREP has also been replicated on eight college
campuses in 8 states outside of Texas. This effort, called PROYECTO Access,
has been conducted jointly by NASA, the Hispanic Association of Colleges
and Universities, UTSA, and the TexPREP office since 1996.
Berriozábal's wife of 23 years, the former Maria Antonietta Rodriguez,
was a member of the San Antonio City Council 1981-1991 and is widely known
locally for her commitment to the community. She reminds us all that he
is committed to the program he began twenty years ago. "He's deeply passionate
about Education and has a faith in young people and their abilities, "
she said. "Whether we are at receptions, or at a wedding, or coming out
of church, he's usually talking to someone about PREP or trying to steer
a young person toward math."
It is this sentiment that keeps the 67-year-old professor and director
from retiring and continuing to work for the promotion of young people
in the sciences. "Looking back, there were crucial times in my life when
people stepped in and encouraged me to persist," he said. "I consider it
a great privilege to serve students and help them make the most of their
abilities."
[Manuel P. Berriozábal]