Nov. 19, 2019 — In an email sent to UTSA faculty and staff today President Taylor Eighmy provided updates on the presidential, strategic, tactical and academic initiatives underway to support the university’s strategic vision.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved the Campus Master Plan at its meeting on Nov. 13. The master plan calls for nearly 5.3 million gross square feet of new space to support the university’s vision of becoming a model for student success, a great research enterprise and an exemplar for strategic growth and innovative excellence. New buildings would be constructed and features added over many years to come, as funding and resources allow. With this final approval the Campus Master Plan initiative is now complete and will transition to operational status.
A committee charged with moving the UTSA work-study program to a more professional experiential learning practice has been formed. Regular meetings will begin in spring 2020 with hope of implementation in fall 2020. The college listening tour—intended to sharpen the vision and future efforts around experiential learning and identify college contacts—is nearing its end. Findings will be used to inform next steps of creating a more career-engaged campus.
UTSA hosted key national laboratory research partners for a forum on collaboration and discussion of active research initiatives on Nov. 15. Leadership from Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories attended alongside local leaders such as Paula Gold-Williams, president and CEO of CPS Energy. The event fostered discussions in topic areas of joint activity, including advanced manufacturing, impact of 5G, electromagnetic defense and smart grid security—all of which are critical to the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Laboratories System. These discussions will lead to future opportunities for UTSA and national laboratory partners to advance scientific innovation across the country.
Preventing Sexual Assault and Misconduct
During the week of Nov. 11 UTSA Athletics, in partnership with Brenda Tracy, hosted #SetTheExpectation Awareness Week with a series of events, including a collection benefitting domestic violence organizations and an antiviolence pledge campaign for the UTSA community. The PEACE Center welcomed Ethel Magana-Lopez as its new prevention specialist. Magana-Lopez will coordinate comprehensive and evidence-based awareness campaigns and prevention programs for the campus community.
The Office of Inclusive Excellence and the Inclusive Recruitment Committee have partnered with the Office of the Provost to incorporate inclusive hiring language for all new faculty job descriptions. The committee has also endorsed a centralized marketing strategy to promote job advertisements in large core diverse populations. A campus climate survey for faculty and staff will launch in spring 2020 and will provide a systemic way to hear from the university community about what is working well and where improvements are needed to further a welcoming and inclusive environment at UTSA.
SACSCOC 2020: Racing to Reaccreditation
UTSA received preliminary findings from its Compliance Certification Report submitted in August. The off-site review team—comprised of peer reviewers from comparable state institutions outside of Texas—found that the university needs to provide additional information for only six standards covering three topic areas. Key individuals at UTSA will be contacted over the next few months to provide the needed information prior to UTSA’s on-site review occurring March 16–19, 2020.
National Security Collaboration Center and School of Data Science
An inaugural Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit was held at UTSA on November 11 solidifying the university’s establishment of AI as a strategic focus area. The event hosted AI experts from across the country to discuss their advanced research. The goal of UTSA’s AI efforts—driven by the National Security Collaboration Center and School of Data Science—is to strategically collaborate and engage with the private sector, academia, the Greater San Antonio community and key international partners to advance transdisciplinary solutions.
The soon-to-launch College for Health, Community and Policy will hold two charrettes in the coming months to seek input from community members on how the new college can serve our region. Efforts are underway to launch a website for the college by January and recruit an inaugural dean in the spring. The longer term transition includes financial, administrative and academic changes that will be made in time to enroll the first students this fall.
