(Sept. 13, 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.
Research Excellence
The first meeting of the Transdisciplinary Research Council (TRC) was held earlier this month, bringing together executive leadership from all academic colleges, the Provost's Office and the Office of the Vice President for Research, Economic Development and Knowledge Enterprise (VPREDKE). The TRC has a charge to increase cross-college, transdisciplinary research collaborations and to lead strategic efforts in pursuit of the National Research University Fund (NRUF) and Carnegie R1 status.
Campus Master Plan
In continuation of the discovery phase of the Campus Master Plan initiative, consultants from Page and the Campus Master Plan Task Force led a series of meetings and work sessions with members of the UTSA community Sept. 4-7. This week, a survey went out to UTSA faculty, students and staff to seek broader input. Community outreach sessions with neighborhood associations and other interested stakeholders are being organized in collaboration with City Council members.
Student Success
As reported in President Eighmy's email to the campus community yesterday, UTSA's new Integrated Student Success Plan is now complete and the first phase of this initiative has come to a close. The initiative will now move into operational mode as strategies within the plan are implemented over the next two years.
Finance and Budget Modeling
On August 31, President Eighmy and Vice President for Business Affairs Kathy Funk-Baxter, announced the debut of UTSA’s new budgeting model, called Incentivized Resource Management (IRM). A new website devoted to IRM which explains—with the aid of videos featuring task force members—the model’s basic premises and potential impact. A budget for UTSA using the new model will be created by the end of October.
Downtown Campus
UTSA received exciting news last week with the UT System Board of Regents committing $70 million for construction of two new facilities at the Downtown Campus to support the National Security Collaboration Center and a proposed School of Data Science. Meanwhile, the Downtown Campus Task Force continues its work to enhance the campus experience and scale up services and activities for an increasing student population.
SACSCOC 2020 – Racing to Reaccreditation
One year from now, UTSA’s Compliance Certification document will be submitted to be reviewed by a SACSCOC Off-Site Review Committee. The team is on schedule to meet this deadline with rough drafts of all narratives by Oct. 15. Drafts are already being submitted and reviewed as they are received. The review process includes evaluating the evidence to ensure that the university has built the case for compliance in each narrative and have documented that compliance.
Athletics Facility
Late last month, architectural consultants Populous and Marmon Mok met with a variety of stakeholders to begin creating the vision, program and goals for the Roadrunner Athletics Center of Excellence. On Sept. 4, the architectural team met with representatives from Page, the Campus Master Plan consultants, to coordinate efforts regarding selecting the site for the center. The architect team plans to return to campus for additional data gathering and to meet with the task force, staff, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, athletic senior leadership and members of the Roadrunner Athletics Foundation.
National Security Collaboration Center
UTSA received a $33 million commitment from UT System Board of Regents for construction of the National Security Collaboration Center in downtown San Antonio. As a means to engage government and industry partners in the development process of the NSCC, a focus group of 30 stakeholder was held earlier this month to provide input regarding research information technology, security, contracting and marketing. Mitre Corporation, a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC), has joined the NSCC ecosystem, alongside a total of 20 additional partners.
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Huddle Against Hunger is a fundraising competition with Texas State that benefits our Roadrunner Pantry. Donations this week will help UTSA earn additional prize monies provided by RBFCU.
In-Person and VirtualJoin UTSA Libraries for an update on federal public access policies and how the library can assist with compliance.
Virtual EventWe invite you to join us for Birds Up! Downtown, an exciting welcome back event designed to connect students with the different departments at the Downtown Campus. Students will have the opportunity to learn about some of the departments on campus, gain access to different resources, and collect some giveaways!
Bill Miller PlazaThere are many citation managers. Which one is right for you? This workshop will explain what a citation manager is and how it can help you organize your citations, insert citations as you write your paper, and generate your bibliography.
Virtual EventPubMed is an essential database for anyone conducting biomedical or health-related research. This workshop will teach attendees how to effectively navigate this free resource and locate peer-reviewed articles using advanced search features, MeSH subject headings, and Boolean operators.
Virtual EventIn this hands-on workshop, participants will learn to setup an EndNote library, save references and PDFs, and automatically create and edit a bibliography. Attendees are encouraged, but not required, to have EndNote already installed on a personal computer.
Virtual EventJoin UTSA Libraries and Museums to learn more about the publishing discounts available for UTSA researchers. Current agreements include Elsevier, Cambridge University Press, Wiley, and more. Bring your questions and feedback for the library as we continue to pursue partnerships with publishers to reduce costs for our researchers.
Virtual EventThe 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, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
