Rowdy posed under the Texas Capitol Rotunda as students, faculty and staff from UTSA and UT Health San Antonio visited with state lawmakers.
FEBRUARY 6, 2025 — This week, UTSA and UT Health San Antonio celebrated their role as drivers of research, health care and workforce development for Texas with a day of activities at the Capitol in Austin.
Students, faculty and staff from both universities traveled up Interstate 35 for UTSA and UT Health San Antonio Day at the Capitol, a full day of events designed to highlight the two institutions’ research and student success initiatives with state lawmakers.
The forthcoming merger of UTSA and UT Health San Antonio will create the state’s third largest research university, a theme woven throughout the day.
“Day at the Capitol helped not only remind legislative members of the amazing work in AI, cyber, space and biomedical research being conducted at UTSA but also the exceptional research in Alzheimer’s, dementia and cancer treatments being conducted by the comprehensive medical school at UT Health,” said Jason Hassay, UTSA associate vice president for government relations.
“The event allowed us to share how the merger of our two premier institutions, arguably represents the largest academic merger in the U.S., will have massive implications for Texas and the nation,” added Pete Arguello, UT Health San Antonio senior director for governmental relations.
Participants kicked off the day by attending the presentation of a Senate resolution — with a second from the House occurring later in the day — commemorating the institutions’ accomplishments and bright future.
At midday, performers from the UTSA School of Music entertained Capitol staff and visitors with mini concerts in the capitol Rotunda and Extension Open-Air Rotunda. Performing groups included the Clarinet Choir and Mariachi Los Paisanos.
Students and university leaders met with State Senator José Menéndez during legislative office visits.
Students, staff and leadership covered the Texas Capitol end-to-end in the afternoon, visiting all 181 legislative offices in addition to the House Speaker, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor’s offices. They shared background materials describing the groundbreaking discoveries and initiatives taking place at UTSA and UT Health San Antonio.
Another of the day’s highlights was a research showcase, where legislative members and their staff enjoyed displays and demonstrations illustrating the innovations underway at both institutions. Booths featured rockets, hypersonics, regenerative biology, artificial intelligence, health and disease, trauma care and secure manufacturing.
The day concluded with a reception for the state’s elected leaders, legislative staffers, Austin-area alumni and higher education stakeholders to celebrate UTSA and UT Health San Antonio’s many accomplishments and exciting future.
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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.
