University leaders and staff welcomed more than 75 new faculty members to UTSA during New Faculty Academy in early August. Designed for incoming tenured, tenure-track and full-time, fixed-term faculty, the Academy kicked off the 2025-26 academic year with the theme, Bold Beginnings at Roadrunner Nation.
Working to advance the university’s mission of cultivating bold futures, the annual four-day orientation program provides faculty with the opportunity to network with one another and learn about UTSA departments, processes, support and resources.
This year’s event was considered crucial to ensuring a smooth transition to the university on the eve of a historic merger, bringing together UTSA and UT Health San Antonio.
New Faculty Academy features presentations by UTSA leadership and staff members from the organizing departments — the Office of Research, the Office of Academic Innovation and the Office of Academic Affairs.
“UTSA Research plays a significant role in the Bold New Faculty Academy because it is more than a welcome to UTSA, it’s a strategic investment in our future research.”
— Siobhan Fleming
Welcoming the new faculty members to a “double Carnegie R1 institution,” Jennifer Sharpe Potter , interim vice president for research at UTSA and senior vice president for research at UT Health San Antonio, emphasized the unique capabilities and resources the upcoming merger brings faculty across the university. Both universities were designated Carnegie R1 this year.
“I have had the privilege of watching the drive of both UTSA and UT Health in reaching this designation,” Potter said. “It is a lift that demonstrates the impact of research and truly cultivates an environment of innovation across both campuses.”
The event also offered a resource fair with more than 60 campus organizations that support faculty, including the Office of Research, the Office of Sponsored Projects, Commercialization and Innovation, Strategic Research Development, Core Facilities and Faculty Research Development.
“UTSA Research plays a significant role in the Bold New Faculty Academy because it is more than a welcome to UTSA, it’s a strategic investment in our future research,” said Siobhan Fleming, interim associate vice president for faculty research development. “By connecting researchers at all levels in their career with resources, collaborators and a culture of innovation, we empower them to accelerate discovery and amplify impact from Day 1.”
As an incoming associate professor in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Industrial Engineering, Kunal Kate said he enjoyed the program.
“There’s a lot of energy, a lot of excitement, and a lot of resources that I am looking forward to learning and exploring,” said Kate, who is part of the Clustered & Connected Hiring Program .
“It’s the kind of environment where you can really push boundaries in research and people here genuinely want to see you succeed,” he added. “I see a lot of synergy at UTSA with existing faculty as well as the industries alone. There are a lot of centers and institutes and facilities at UTSA that are just some of the things that brought me.”
In addition to academic opportunities, he noted the merger of UTSA and the UT Health, and the people of San Antonio, as the highlights of joining UTSA this fall.
