Editor's Note: The following email was sent to UTSA faculty and staff today by President Taylor Eighmy.
(June 25, 2018) -- Dear Roadrunners,
When imagining UTSA ten years from now, envision an institution serving upwards of 45,000 unstoppable students pursuing their higher education dreams, with over 2,000 faculty acting as their guides and champions.
Some of this learning will be delivered in virtual spaces, but our vision depends considerably on our ability to offer classroom instruction and world-class research in our bricks-and-mortar campus facilities. Growing our campuses must be done very thoughtfully, with the right data in hand and with the input of our many stakeholders. Moreover, we are required by UT System to do campus master plans periodically and fortuitously, we are at that point again.
To move us forward, I am pleased to announce the launch of the Presidential Initiative on the Campus Master Plan. Under the leadership of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy, this task force will establish a framework for the development of UTSA’s campuses over the next decade.
Assisting the task force will be Page, a highly-respected architecture firm with vast experience developing master plans for universities around the world. Some of you may remember Page as the architects of our North Paseo Building on the Main Campus.
Master plan priorities will be determined over the course of the initiative, considering needs such as:
Creating a master plan with staying power is a process that can’t be rushed. The timeline for this initiative spans an entire calendar year but builds in plentiful opportunities for internal and external community engagement.
This is where we can use your help. In the next few months, the task force will hold meetings with UTSA faculty, staff and students to gather input and information regarding space use. There will be several opportunities for all Roadrunners to share their thoughts, including a campus-wide survey and at least two open forums.
Taking the time to hear from our external stakeholders is equally important. This will be the case for both our Downtown and Main Campuses, including our Park West property.
As one of our first steps, UTSA has partnered with the Urban Land Institute to conduct a visioning session with larger institutions interested in the economic development of San Antonio’s near Westside. Moreover, our work with Page will involve conversations with private property owners, civic organizations and neighborhood groups in the near Westside. The results—which will start to become available in August—will inform the guiding principles for our Downtown Campus master planning efforts.
In the weeks to come we will launch a separate presidential initiative for our Hemisfair Park Campus and the Institute of Texan Cultures. As part of this effort, we will bring in a museum consultant to assess the best options for the institute, its location and its collections.
This overall master planning initiative will not only shape UTSA’s physical presence, but also our integration with the city of San Antonio. Most importantly, the master plan will help us to create campus environments that inspire cogitation and discovery, furthering our ability to serve our students and solve society’s grandest challenges as San Antonio’s university for the world.
With appreciation,
Taylor Eighmy
Learn more about the UTSA strategic plan.
Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
UTS Bold Careers hosts Student Technology Council where students have the opportunity to share feedback about technology needs to the UTS Leadership. The Leadership will also provide updates as to the technolgy projects for the campus.
Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24,) Student Union, Main CampusJoin us for a hands-on workshop about the basics of copyright, both in education and as a researcher. We’ll dispel some common copyright myths, differences between copyright law and other intellectual property law, and teach you how to apply a Fair Use checklist to your scholarly work.
Virtual Event (Zoom)In this workshop, we will explore sentiment analysis, a method for identifying feelings in text, whether the tone is positive, negative, or neutral.
Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryLearn to use the simple but powerful features of EndNote®, a citation management tool. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography.
Virtual Event ( Zoom)The Urban Bird Project at UTSA will discuss urban bird populations, conservation efforts, and how you can get involved.
JPL Assembly Room (4.04.22,) Main CampusThe DMPTool is a free online resource that helps researchers create data management plans. This workshop will cover the main components of DMPs and how to create them using the DMPTool. Attendees will learn to: locate templates by funding agency, add research collaborators, and identify institutional guidance.
Virtual Event (Zoom)Join UTSA Libraries and Museums to learn more about the publishing discounts available for UTSA researchers. Current agreements include Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, Wiley, and more. Bring your questions and feedback for the library as we continue to pursue partnerships with publishers to reduce costs for our researchers.
Virtual Event (Zoom)The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.