UTSA and UT Health SA make progress in phase one of the integration plan

DECEMBER 10, 2024 — Editor’s note: The following message was sent via email from UTSA President Taylor Eighmy and UT Health San Antonio Acting President Robert Hromas to all faculty, staff and students.

Last month, we provided several updates on our continued path toward the integration of UT Health San Antonio and UTSA to create a new university. Today, we’re writing to share further progress and forecast what you can expect to learn more about early in the new year.

We’re progressing toward our phase one goal around accreditation. As part of the SACSCOC accreditation process for unification, a critical milestone was achieved with the approval of our new mission statement by the UT System Board of Regents in November. This statement will guide our shared vision of becoming a globally preeminent university. Following its submission for accreditation, we will engage stakeholders in 2025 to implement best practices for embodying this mission in our collective work.

We’ve updated the integration team’s governance structure. To support scalable growth and streamline decision-making, the merger framework now encompasses an Integration Executive Committee, a Program Coordination Team, and an Integration Management Office to drive execution over time.

We’re continuing site visits to aspirant peers to assess best practices to innovate, collaborate and scale. To date, several members of the Integrated Steering Committee have met with the University of California San Diego, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Illinois Chicago. Next week, a virtual visit will be held with leaders at the University of California Los Angeles.

We are launching two new task forces to carry out the work necessary to meet our phase one goals and beyond. The Academic, Student, and Faculty Affairs Task Force will oversee the integration of academic, student, and faculty programs and services between UTSA and UT Health San Antonio. The Enterprise Risk Management Task Force will work to optimize the newly integrated institution’s approach to all enterprise risks and to safeguard its long-term stability and growth. 

We’re utilizing discovery sessions to prepare for the forthcoming launch of additional, key task forces. We continue to actively plan for more discovery sessions to help thoughtfully prepare for the forthcoming launch of additional, key task forces. For example, research discovery is underway to gather needed data about UT Health SA and UTSA research programs. This is preparatory to launching the research task force and associated workgroups in the first quarter of 2025. Engagement opportunities with each of the task forces will be shared as they become available. 

Existing task forces are continuing work and making steady progress toward their charges. 

• Communications Task Force – Members are developing message strategies, assessing processes, and planning for the launch of audience-based work groups that will engage internal and external stakeholders. The task force is also leading and managing shared stakeholder communications, including support for donors, alumni and key partners.  

• Brand & Marketing Task Force – Members are holding listening and input sessions with internal and external audiences to gather insights for developing our new university brand narrative. Concurrently, our brand consultant, Prophet, is conducting brand audits of peer institutions and synthesizing audience perception research from both UTSA and UTHSA. 

• SACSCOC Accreditation Task Force – Members continue to focus on finalizing a prospectus for submission by late February. Notably, the UT System Board of Regents has approved the mission statement, marking a key milestone.  

• Health Education Accreditation Task Force – Members are continuing data gathering to achieve what is needed by accreditation bodies and mapping out program-specific needs for spring and summer 2025 deadlines. 

Lastly, we’re continually monitoring and responding to ideas and questions through the integration website. We encourage you to keep sharing your input to stay engaged in the process.   

As we approach the end of the year, it’s important to recognize and celebrate how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time. The immense progress we’ve made since the announcement of the integration in late August is remarkable. Your individual contributions have been vital to our progress, and together, our collective efforts will continue to build on our achievements during this pivotal moment in our university's journey. 

Thank you, as always, for all you do for UTSA and UT Health San Antonio.