University updates and forthcoming town halls

Colleagues,

As discussions and actions around federal funding and the future of our national research enterprise continue to unfold, I understand our community’s increased concern around these issues even as we navigate the current legislative session here at home. These are complex times, and I acknowledge your very real concerns, but I also want to shine a light on strengths I feel will help us navigate these challenges together.

Our mission and strategic destinations must remain our north star. And now, more than ever, we must remain keenly focused on who we are and who we serve as we educate, innovate, serve our community and work to make lives better. Our ability to drive the return on investment from a UTSA education — advancing economic and social mobility for our graduates — is world-class. And I know we will be ready to proactively pivot and continually reinvent ourselves to succeed in this evolving national landscape.  

The short to mid-term outlook of the national landscape will depend on varying factors — court rulings, executive branch actions, federal budget setting and the evolving public perceptions of higher education. That said, I do believe the long-term future of higher education in our state is encouraging given the economy of Texas and the role higher education plays in driving workforce development and economic prosperity.

I believe that UTSA is ideally suited to these challenging times due to the economy and population growth in Texas (and South Texas); our specific focus on workforce development; our enrollment and student success efforts; our academic reinventions and new college launches that are adapted to the future; our strong efforts in philanthropy and strategic R&D partnerships; our close ties to our City of San Antonio, Bexar County and the South Texas region; and our robust efforts to bring together two superb institutions together as one.  

Finally, I remain optimistic because of our strongest asset — each and every one of you. As we merge and integrate our talents with UT Health San Antonio, I know we will have an even higher vantage point in the world with the momentum we’ll need to prepare for the challenges ahead.

To expand on these issues and create a space for further dialogue, Provost and Executive Vice President Shipley, Executive Vice President Salazar and I are organizing a series of town halls hosted by leadership for conversations with divisions, colleges and governance groups that will take place throughout the month of March. Please keep an eye out in the coming days for an announcement with dates and times.

The town halls will provide some updates on merger and integration, evolving highlights from the 89^th legislative session, our state and national advocacy efforts, dynamic federal matters, plans for refining the current fiscal year budget, plans for budget prep for FY26 and more.

These discussions will be the first of many we hope to host as we continue to gather input and work through what lies ahead.

With much appreciation,