MARCH 28, 2024 — The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education has awarded UTSA with a Gold rating on its Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System (STARS).
The award, the second-highest tier on STARS’ five-point rating system, recognizes UTSA’s culture of sustainability, which has shaped the institution’s successful growth in recent years and promises to contribute to the wellbeing of the campus community into the future.
The STARS program is the most widely recognized framework worldwide for publicly reporting comprehensive information related to a college or university’s sustainability performance. The system evaluates achievements in five key areas: academics, engagement, operations, planning and administration, and innovation and leadership.
A prime example of UTSA’s commitment to sustainability is the Campus Master Plan, which strives for connected, mixed use, resource-efficient campuses that support health, wellness and prosperity.
“Sustainable efforts are a major part of UTSA’s commitment to be a responsible steward of its unique environmental and cultural assets,” said Veronica Salazar, UTSA executive vice president for business affairs and chief enterprise development officer. “These efforts include enhancing campus walkability and bikeability, increasing renewable energy infrastructure, retrofitting buildings for optimal efficiency and establishing a LEED Silver standard for all new construction exceeding $10 million.”
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the most widely used green building rating system in the world, focuses on sustainability through design, construction and operations practices that improve environmental and human health.
UTSA exceeded its LEED Silver goal on one of its latest projects, San Pedro I, which opened in 2022 and achieved LEED Gold, the second highest tier of certification.
Designed and constructed with thoughtful attention to energy efficiency and sustainable site development, the building features indoor/outdoor connections and reconfigurable spaces for multipurpose use, facilitating an adaptable environment suited to serve occupants for many years to come. As the first building at UTSA to achieve LEED Gold, San Pedro I has paved the way for a more sustainable approach to new campus buildings.
“Our LEED certification is a testament to the incredible work of executive vice president for Business Affairs and chief enterprise development officer Veronica Salazar and associate vice president of Real Estate, Construction and Planning Corrina Green and their work with our architects at Jacobs and Overland Partners, as well as contractor Whiting-Turning, to realize this important design goal for San Pedro I,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “I applaud their collective efforts, as they continue to advance San Pedro I—an engaging, compelling and wonderful learning and research space in the heart of downtown San Antonio.”
San Pedro II, currently under construction, likewise follows a design guided by stewardship and sustainability. The two buildings are part of larger placemaking efforts to revitalize downtown San Antonio’s historic San Pedro Creek area.
UTSA’s STARS Gold rating illustrates the university’s commitment to leverage data-driven approaches and promote knowledge to ensure a sustainable future, pairing institutional growth with the intentional design of spaces that enhance the campus experience and facilitate meaningful engagement between Roadrunners and the local community.
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Día en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza, Main CampusCovidence is a systematic & scoping review tool used to streamline the process of screening and reviewing articles. Using this software, research teams can easily import studies, perform automatic deduplication, and extract data using templates. This workshop will show attendees how to start a review in Covidence, add collaborators, and get started on screening.
Virtual (Zoom)In this workshop, attendees will be introduced to Pandas, a Python tool for working with data easily. It makes it simple to organize and analyze information when data is organized and categorized, like spreadsheets or tables.
Group Spot B, John Peace LibraryEach fall and spring semester, students convene at the Main Campus at UTSA with booths, ideas and prototypes. A crowd of judges, local organizations, students, faculty and sponsors walk around and talk to the students about their projects and ask questions. Students get the real-life experience of "pitching" their project with hopes of getting funding or support to move to the next level.
UTSA Convocation Center, Main CampusJoin the doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe 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.
