http://www.themonitor.com/SiteProcessor.cfm?Template=/GlobalTemplates/Details.cfm&StoryID=1640&Section=Valley

He said his role in taking the University of Southern Mississippi from a teacher’s college to a leading university with 21 doctoral programs has prepared him to take UTPA to the next level.

"I’m familiar with where you are and the opportunities on the horizon," Hudson said.

As president, he said he would expand UTPA’s research possibilities and graduate and Ph.D. programs. He’d also encourage more interaction with the community.

Having overseen the development of more than 1,000 online courses at the University of Southern Mississippi, Hudson said he’d also like to take UTPA down a technological path. He emphasized that online learning should only supplement classroom interaction.

"I hope we will never replace the traditional method of teaching," he said.

Hudson, a Mississippi native and a first-generation college student, obtained his doctorate in geography. He said he developed a "love affair with Latin American culture" as an undergraduate at the University of Southern Mississippi. He later studied and worked in Colombia, Spain and Mexico and worked for the U.S. State Department.

Hudson also developed the University of Southern Mississippi’s foreign-exchange offerings, which include programs throughout the world. He said he could help UTPA expand its opportunities for overseas study and research, and he’d like to see the university attract students from all over the world.

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