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University provides August updates on strategic initiatives

University provides August updates on strategic initiatives

(Aug. 16, 2018) -- In an email sent today to UTSA faculty and staff, President Taylor Eighmy provided updates on the presidential, strategic and tactical initiatives underway to support the university’s strategic vision. The initiatives will accelerate UTSA’s upward trajectory as a nationally-recognized research and discovery enterprise university.

Research Excellence Task Force

Specialized programs and services have been launched to support faculty in their pursuit of National Research University Fund (NRUF) recognized awards. Four nominations to the National Academy of Inventors and 17 Faculty Early Career Development Award proposals were submitted in July 2018. The Office of the Provost and Office for Research, Economic Development and Knowledge Enterprise will once again host the New Faculty Institute in 2018-19, introducing faculty to the research culture at UTSA and assisting them in launching their research programs during their first year on campus.

Campus Master Plan

UTSA’s master planning consultants from Page have begun the discovery phase of the project, collecting programmatic, strategic and physical planning data for review and analysis. Next month, the Page leads will visit campus to gather input from departmental and college leadership. A series of community outreach sessions are in the early planning stages, with the intent of providing opportunities for neighborhood associations and other stakeholders to offer input regarding the physical development of our campuses. These sessions will be offered in collaboration with City Council members representing the districts that include UTSA’s Main, Park West and Downtown Campuses.

Finance and Budget Modeling Task Force

After reviewing a summary of all feedback gathered during the budget model redesign process, the Finance and Budget Modeling Task Force accepted Huron’s budget model recommendations on July 25. UTSA’s new model and budgeting process will be called Incentivized Resource Management (IRM), and a final report will be issued to President Eighmy from the task force later this month. The Budget and Financial Planning Office and Business Information Services are working with UT Shared Information Services to provide data integration with IRM, and financial reporting is being developed for the data analyses needed to support the model.

Downtown Campus Task Force

The Downtown Campus is preparing to welcome additional daytime students due to the new block course schedule. On the first day of classes, President Eighmy will ride the new shuttle bus taking students in the public policy and architecture academic pathways from the Main Campus to Downtown Campus in time for their first class of the day. The second floor of the Frio Street Building is becoming a new destination for students to study, relax and find support in spaces managed by the Student Union, One Stop Enrollment Center and others to be announced. Last week, President Eighmy shared his vision for the UTSA Downtown Campus with the members of Centro San Antonio. His presentation included an updated timetable and more details on his plan to bring additional centers, institutes and programs downtown over the next 10 years.

SACSCOC 2020 – Racing to Reaccreditation

The Racing to Reaccreditation Team has addressed all 100 of the original action items identified in the fall of 2017. Team members are now writing their first drafts for their assigned standards to meet the next deadline of October 15. Meetings are being conducted with sub-teams to collaborate with other areas of the university when needed and to discuss the writing process. An ice cream social was held on August 14 to recognize the team’s hard work over the past year and to encourage everyone to keep up the momentum during the next lap in the race to reaccreditation.

National Security Collaboration Center 

President Eighmy delivered a talk on Building Partnerships to meet Global Security Challenges at the 2018 Cyber Texas conference earlier this month, where he promoted the launch of the National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC). Government and industry partners are primed for co-location, with contracts and agreements currently under negotiation. Sandia National Laboratory placed its first scientist at UTSA to work closely with faculty and students in cybersecurity areas. In early August, UTSA leadership visited Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to discuss collaborative research and faculty exchange, as plans move forward to incorporate PNNL as a partner of the NSCC. New industry partners Booz Allen Hamilton and IP Secure provided letters of support and commitment for the NSCC.


Learn more about the UTSA Strategic Plan.

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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.


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UTSA’s Mission

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.

UTSA’s Vision

To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.

UTSA’s Core Values

We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.

UTSA’S Destinations

UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .

Our Commitment to Inclusivity

The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.