The PTAA
 |
History
The strength of our association is in it’s lifetime members and the commitment they have made to the PTAA. As with any association, it is important to look to the past to better prepare for the future. The strength of our association lies in its “alumni in waiting” (students) and our 26 classes of alumni. We have a rich tradition that has brought us from UTSA, to the basement of UTHSCSA main campus, to our own department on North Campus, and from a BS, to MPT, to the future DPT. But our most valuable asset is the graduates that have experienced this tradition, and we rely on them to help shape our future through Lifetime Membership to the PTAA. Many of you may not be aware that there was a PT alumni organization that existed from summer of 1988 until the spring of 1992. Peggy McKinley (’85) was the original president, and together with her classmates organized 2 CE courses and raised money. Their early success was noted by the School of Allied Health, who thought that there should be one unified allied health alumni association. The PT organization merged its dues and monies into this association along with the other allied health programs. However, because many allied health graduates identified with their individual programs/professions, the allied health association along with the PT organization ultimately did not succeed.
In summer of 2004, with the blessings and administrative support of the UTHSCSA Department of PT, four alumni (our current Executive Committee pictured below) got together to launch the PTAA, each investing their initial $150 lifetime membership dues. With this $600, they published and mailed the first issue of The Goni, purchased a website, created an alumni database, and begin to solicit membership. The initial Goni and subsequent events were successful in generating membership, and along with the birth of the online Job Board, sustained the operating costs of the PTAA and established our Endowment for student scholarships.
The PTAA was invoked on June 15, 2004, by the Executive Committee (EC) of:
Mission Statement
The mission of the Association is to serve the needs of UTHSCSA PT alumni, students and faculty, to reconnect alumni with their alma mater, and to provide scholarship opportunities for current PT students.
Objectives
1. Allow alumni to reconnect and network with their former classmates and other graduates of the UTHSCSA Department of PT.
2. Share information about activities and events involving current students, faculty, and alumni of the UTHSCSA Department of PT.
3. Organize and support the needs of the PTAA's student members.
3. Establish and maintain a scholarship endowment fund to be used to provide financial assistance to current students of the UTHSCSA Department of PT.
4. Provide continuing education opportunities for members of the association.
By-Laws
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Physical Therapy Alumni Association
Created June 17, 2004
By-laws are now under review and will be updated by the EC and presented to the membership for review and ratification.
