Editor’s Note: This message was sent on Tuesday via email from UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy to all faculty and staff.
Today marks a truly momentous day in our university’s history. Together, we begin a new journey as one unified institution — bringing together the strength of access and the pursuit of excellence with a shared mission to make lives better. As the third-largest research university in Texas, we stand ready to serve our community with an unparalleled spirit of discovery, innovation, education and care. Today, we launch a new era — together — as UT San Antonio.
Just one year ago, the University of Texas System announced its intent to merge two top-tier institutions — UTSA and UT Health San Antonio — to create a new, nimble, and creative university unlike any other to serve as a model for the UT System and for the national landscape of higher education. Since that moment, we’ve worked hand-in-hand to make that vision a reality. We continue to come together through steering committees, task forces and collaborative teams to shape the ideas, systems and programs that form the foundation of our ongoing transformation.
The work has been exponential and the effort even greater, but together, we are forging something that transcends our tradition of achievement — an institution that not only amplifies our shared excellence and leverages our unique strengths but also redefines what is possible for higher education. While much work remains ahead, I hope you can feel the momentum building, see the bold vision we share, and recognize the lasting impact we are destined to make.
UT San Antonio’s time is now, and we must optimize it. We are creating a new playbook, and together, we must continue to strive to achieve our big, bold initiatives that will create lasting change for our students and their families. We have the power to bring to life our shared notion that education is the greatest health initiative of all time, and that is not a responsibility that we take lightly.
I’ve often said that great cities need great universities, and today, that sentiment feels truer than ever. We have delivered on our promise to build a world-class university right here in San Antonio — one that will set a new national standard while fueling the knowledge, research, and innovation to power the industries of tomorrow. We are creating the AAU-caliber, mission-driven institution that our city deserves, all while transforming lives and expanding opportunities for all.
At this powerful and pivotal moment in our shared history, there remains so much opportunity ahead of us; however, before we get too far ahead, I want to acknowledge and celebrate just how far we’ve already come. From the moment we announced our intent to merge, your voices, ideas, collaboration, and immense focus on delivering against our mission have made this truly special day possible. I cannot thank you enough for your commitment to our university, and I am greatly humbled and proud to work alongside each of you.
Thanks to your dedication, hard work and relentless effort, we have arrived at our day one with great stature and success. What that means is UT San Antonio is now greater than the sum of our parts. We are now home to more than 42,000 students, 17,000 faculty and staff, more than 320 academic programs, a $486 million annual research portfolio in critical areas, 500+ clinical trials, globally and nationally ranked schools and colleges, and one of only 21 Top Tier opportunity universities in the nation.
While these points of pride reflect our remarkable progress, what matters most is how we choose to lead with purpose to expand our impact for those we serve. My commitment to you is that UT San Antonio will lead with boldness and clarity of vision — setting the standard for how a model public university transforms lives, advances knowledge, and shapes the future of higher education. We will continue to be ambitious, innovative, and agile. We will continue to lead with excellence. And we will continue leveraging our strengths to achieve even greater heights without losing focus on all of whom we serve.
For these reasons and more, I encourage you to reflect on your individual contributions that collectively brought us to this incredible day in our university’s trajectory. Please know that your time and talents are greatly appreciated and deeply valued. I’ll say this again, this momentous day would not have been possible without you.
I also highly encourage you to celebrate our launch as a new world-class university by immersing yourself in our new brand narrative, leaning into our new look, attending various events across our campuses, and sharing our story far and wide with great pride.
Today marks the start of something truly special, and while we’ve already made history, I’m confident the very best is yet to come because every ambition — including yours — has a place, and it’s here.
