La Villita is one of 20 Light the City Orange partners.
(June 2, 2019) -- Landmarks, monuments and businesses across Downtown San Antonio will display orange lights from Monday, June 3 through Sunday, June 9 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Light the City Orange will honor UTSA’s impact on the city including the remarkable events and people that have built an institution of excellence.
“UTSA has been an integral part of San Antonio’s fabric for 50 years. Their contributions to the community through workforce development and research have made our city shine bright. We’re proud to light the skyline orange to honor our Roadrunners,” said City Manager Erik Walsh.
Many Downtown participants have already committed to partake with lighting and pageantry thanks to the unified efforts of Centro San Antonio, District 1 Councilman Roberto Treviño and City of San Antonio Center City Development & Operations. Confirmed partners will include:
Additional pageantry such as orange windows, storefronts, stencils and patio decorations are also expected and encouraged along Houston St. as part of Centro’s ongoing Activate Houston Street Initiative, a placemaking action plan for the downtown Houston Street corridor, a once bustling retail and pedestrian thoroughfare negatively impacted by the loss of the savings and loans industry and suburban sprawl.
The San Antonio community is encouraged to wear UTSA gear or orange and blue attire on Wednesday, June 5 to show its support.
“In addition to the 50th anniversary celebration, Downtown and the San Antonio community anxiously await the coming expansion plans of the existing and planned Downtown campus areas, as these visionary plans will continue the vibrant development of Zona Cultural District, Houston Street and our center city,” Executive Director of Centro San Antonio Warren Wilkinson.
Founded by the 61st Texas Legislature on June 5, 1969 in the first bill signing outside of Austin, Texas, UTSA was commissioned as a university of the first class. Until UTSA was established, San Antonio was the only major city in the nation not served by a four-year public university. Leaders, legislators and the public knew that if San Antonio was to achieve its full potential, a nationally recognized research university was needed to offer a comprehensive array of courses and degree programs.
Today, UTSA is an institution on the rise. Guided by its 10-year strategic plan, it is rapidly becoming a model for student success, a great research university, and an institution of strategic growth and innovative excellence. The university is home to more than 32,000 students with plans to grow to 45,000 and has an alumni network in excess of 131,000 students. These leaders are changing the world in industry, government and their communities.
“For the last 50 years, UTSA and San Antonio have grown and thrived together. We have shared bold goals that have generated an outpouring of support from residents, businesses and community leaders,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “By lighting the city orange to commemorate the university’s 50th anniversary, we are reminded that this special occasion is a city-wide achievement. Together, UTSA and San Antonio are creating a world-class community where every individual has an opportunity to thrive.”
Businesses who are interested in participating in Light the City Orange should email Liz Burt at lburt@downtownsa.org to share how they plan to showcase their pride.
Learn more about the 50th anniversary.
To share photos from Light the City Orange, use hashtags #BirdsUpDowntownSATX and #UTSA50.
Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and LinkedIn.
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.
Join the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.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.
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, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
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.
