(June 3, 2019) – In the summer of 1969, with the ink barely dry on the legislation that created UTSA, administrators at the University of Texas System began working on a plan to bring UTSA, their newest institution, to life. Chancellor Harry Ransom said he was “bubbling with ideas” for UTSA in an interview with the San Antonio Light newspaper on June 26, 1969, stressing that his personal dream for UTSA was that it take “instant and long-range advantage” of some unique opportunities afforded by having San Antonio as its home.
It’s amazing how accurate Ransom’s foresight was 50 years ago.
First, he explained, was the location in San Antonio, a city that is multicultural—more than bilingual. Ransom’s dream came to fruition. Since its beginning, UTSA has connected with the history and way of life of its hometown. From offering studies in bicultural-bilingual education on day one, to embracing traditions like Fiesta UTSA and mariachis at Commencement, and the multitude of ways that the university embraces the culture of San Antonio and South Texas, UTSA has become a beacon for young scholars. Now UTSA is a thriving Hispanic-majority institution with an ambitious goal to be a model for student success.
Next, Ransom said that working with existing institutions and federal establishments in San Antonio could bring success to UTSA by providing training in related fields. He said inter-institutional cooperation would be a real factor in the development of programs at the university and, today, UTSA’s collaborative work with the military, tech and medical sectors, for example, is producing sophisticated research in cybersecurity, bioregeneration, infectious disease, population studies, and national security, among other areas.
Ransom also believed that UTSA, as a new institution, would have none of the disadvantages an elder college would have, particularly in experimental programs. Indeed, UTSA researchers’ work in cloud computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence, smart infrastructure and advanced materials is helping to bring partnerships to the university.
Because of leaders like Ransom and those who have followed him, UTSA has collected a list of achievements that rival institutions twice its age, including its ranking among the top 3.6% of universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019.
UTSA’s founders and its subsequent leaders recognized the university’s potential to create prosperity and to drive socioeconomic mobility for South Texas. In essence, they laid the groundwork for San Antonio to become what it is today: one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, a city that people are drawn to for educational, professional and social opportunities.
