Introduction

In 1969, the Texas Legislature created the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) as a component institution of the University of Texas System. A 600-acre site located near the intersection of Loop 1604 and IH-10 was donated to the university, and a master plan was completed in 1971. The first plan envisioned that the new campus would eventually grow to accommodate an enrollment of 30,000 full-time student equivalents (FTSE). The initial build-out created approximately 750,000 square feet of buildings and associated infrastructure. Academic buildings were closely spaced around a central plaza with building services located beneath them. Parking was located at the perimeter. A high density, low-rise campus was created to ensure short walking times between classes and to maximize the amount of permanent open space. The pedestrian experience and maintaining views to the rolling landscape were two of the most important elements of the plan.

By 1993, additional academic buildings had been added including the Multidisciplinary Studies Building and an addition to the Arts Building. At that time, the master plan was updated to reflect the changing needs of a growing institution. The new plan built on the strengths of the original plan, but it also reflected new standards such as increased academic space per student. The new master plan also had stronger housing and recreational components. Shortly after the completion of the updated master plan, UTSA set off in a new direction with the construction of a second academic campus located immediately west of the central business district of San Antonio. Named the Downtown Campus, and also developed through a master planning process, it made the university more accessible to the historically under-served residents of central and south-side San Antonio. The first building at the Downtown Campus opened in 1997.

The Institute of Texan Cultures (ITC), a component of the University of Texas System, has served as a museum and educational institution since its creation as the Texas Pavilion at HemisFair '68. It has been part of UTSA since the 1980s, and has now become the third UTSA campus.

In November 1999, UTSA selected Ford, Powell & Carson Architects and Planners, Inc. and Facility Programming and Consulting, Inc., both of San Antonio, to oversee and develop a comprehensive master plan for all three campuses. The design team also included Goetting & Associates, Inc. to address the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; Parsons Transportation Group for traffic, parking and transportation; Poznecki Camarillo & Associates for civil engineering; fd2s for graphics; and Ximenes & Associates for community outreach.

The rate of growth at UTSA has far exceeded the expectations of that master plan, completed in 2001. In December 2003, UTSA engaged Ford, Powell & Carson to update the 2001 master plan in accordance with new goals including a larger student population, increased research activity, and expanded academic programs. The design team for this update includes Pape-Dawson Engineers, Inc. for traffic and civil engineering, Shah Smith and Associates for mechanical systems, Lockwood, Andrews & Newnam, Inc. for electrical systems, HOK Sport + Venue + Event for athletics and recreational facilities consulting, and Kroll Security Services Group for security analysis.

UTSA plans to reach the "Doctoral/Research Universities - Extensive" designation by the end of the term of this master plan and to have an enrollment of 43,000 students by that time. By the end of the thirty-year time period, UTSA plans to offer at least sixty bachelor's, fifty master's, and twenty doctoral programs and will significantly increase the amount of research conducted on campus.

This plan is a roadmap for physical planning, not a detailed projection of growth by certain dates. As such, any dates contained in the report are merely approximate and included as a convenient reference; the master plan is targeted for a certain amount of growth, not a time period. The plan will be viable whether the growth projections are achieved in 2015 or 2045.

Long term planning by the University of Texas System (UT System) has identified the need for more growth at component universities and the need for more research and graduate programs systemwide. In an article for the Dallas Morning-News in January 2000, Dr. William H. Cunningham, then Chancellor of the UT System, wrote:

The plan remains a work in progress, but the most recent draft contains these key elements:
• Fully fund a three-tier system consisting of "Doctoral/Research" universities (also known as "flagship" institutions), "Comprehensive" universities, and "Master's/Baccalaureate" universities.
• Fully fund U. T. Austin and Texas A&M, in comparison with their peers in the 10 largest states, and upgrade seven other institutions to Doctoral/Research status by 2010. The Doctoral/Research category would have two levels, based on the number of doctoral degrees awarded annually and the diversity of academic disciplines that offer doctorates. Texas Tech and the University of Houston would join UT Austin and Texas A&M as Doctoral/Research I institutions within the next two biennia. Five others – the University of North Texas, UT Dallas, UT Arlington, UT El Paso, and UT San Antonio – would move up to Doctoral/Research II status within the next three biennia.

Another impetus to growth has been the “Closing the Gaps” initiative established by the Texas Higher Education Board in 2003. That plan calls for Texas institutions to redouble efforts to increase a number of measures: the number of Texas residents who attend college, the percentage of students who successfully complete a degree program, the number of nationally recognized programs at Texas institutions, and the amount of federal science and engineering research. UTSA is uniquely placed to fulfill all of these goals with its eventual rise into the top tier of universities statewide.

At Dr. Ricardo Romo’s installation ceremony as the fifth president of UTSA, he said:

…As we build UTSA as a flagship institution for South Texas, I see the university becoming a center of innovative research. We will draw strength from the integration of our three campuses: 1604, Downtown and the Institute of Texan Cultures, while at the same time drawing upon a larger research triangle that incorporates the Health Science Center, research parks, and the military bases….To realize the promise – to fulfill the dream – we must move forward with bold initiatives: they include a renewed commitment to undergraduate education; steady, progressive and continuous expansion of our research endeavors; creative utilization of technology in instruction; strengthening of our collaboration and partnerships with local research and K-12 programs; and the advancement and expansion of our graduate programs. We can do no less if we wish to become a flagship institution.

UTSA is placing great emphasis on becoming a "university of first choice" to prospective students. This means that UTSA will strive to become more attractive to prospective students by offering additional programs and advanced degrees. The non-academic aspects of college life, also important to a successful college experience, will receive significant additional support. As an institution of first choice, a higher proportion of its students will originate from areas outside the immediate San Antonio area. In addition to many new academic buildings, UTSA will need to provide more on-campus housing, more opportunities for recreation, and more athletic facilities.