Colleagues,
The Integrated Design Initiative Task Force has been hard at work over the summer and has several exciting updates to share! As you recall, this initiative is aimed at leveraging scholar expertise across architecture, construction, planning and engineering to optimally position UTSA on the cutting edge of transdisciplinary research and academic programming. The Task Force, led by Dean Browning, was charged in April with Phases I and II of a three-phase process that will ultimately result in a new (to-be-named) college structure containing the disciplines in CACP and COE. Goals of the new college are to enhance student success, prepare students for the modern workforce, increase opportunities for extramural funding, and promote cross-cutting collaborations with other campus units and the broader San Antonio community.
The first phase is now completed, with the release of the Task Force’s Phase I report, which details the outcome of their work over the last four months on 1) UTSA’s strengths relative to this initiative, 2) opportunities to serve the San Antonio community, and 3) peer models of excellence.
I hope you will be able to join us for a virtual Campus Forum to discuss their findings, ask questions and share your ideas.
Monday, August 31 from 2 – 3:30 p.m. Join via Zoom https://utsa.zoom.us/j/93034255960 with meeting ID 930 3425 5960
Tomorrow, Phase II launches with the next Task Force meeting. Phase II will involve the Task Force translating their Phase I findings into notional organizational models for how the disciplines could be brought together in the new college structure. Similar to our process for the College for Health, Community and Policy, multiple models will be generated by the Task Force, to then be discussed in the colleges and across campus, including in a forum, prior to finalizing the path forward. Finally, in Phase III, Dean Browning will bring together a group with broader composition from CACP and COE to lead the planning steps for implementation of the new vision, including a process for naming the new College!
I sincerely thank the Task Force for their hard work to date, particularly noteworthy given the pandemic challenges. I look forward to hearing your input at the forum, and you are also always welcome to send your thoughts to the Task Force at IntegratedDesign@utsa.edu.
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