(Jan. 10, 2019) -- Texas lawmakers got back to work this week for the 86th legislative session, spending the next several months addressing the state’s needs and funding priorities.
In a message sent to the campus community just before the holidays, President Taylor Eighmy acknowledged the significant impact the legislature can have on current and future programs offered at the UTSA.
“We have a vested interest in the Legislature’s priorities and the political tides that impact higher education,” said Eighmy. “I will spend a lot of time up in Austin this winter and spring, advocating as much as I can for UTSA’s priorities.”
Eighmy pointed to UTSA’s Legislative Appropriations Request, which outlines the funding requests the university has put forward to lawmakers. Higher education institutions are expected to present their priorities to the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees in mid- February.
UTSA’s representatives in the Texas Senate and House are an experienced group with a deep ties to education. They include:
State Senator José Menéndez - Representing both the Main Campus and Downtown Campus, Menéndez was elected to the Texas Senate in 2015. He currently serves as the Senate Committee on Higher Education, Criminal Justice, Intergovernmental Relations and Nominations.
State Rep. Trey Martinez-Fischer - Representing the Main Campus, Martinez-Fischer is an alumnus of UTSA and the first member of his family to graduate from college. He was first elected to the Texas House in 2000 and re-elected in 2018
State Rep. Diego Bernal - Representing the UTSA Downtown Campus, Bernal was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in February 2015. He currently serves as the Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Public Education and is also a member of the House Committee on Urban Affairs and the House Committee on House Administration.
Plans for a UTSA Day at the Texas State Capitol are in the works, which will provide an opportunity to highlight the university’s programs and priorities with legislators. In addition, the UTSA will join forces with the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce for VIVA Day at the Capitol on March 5. Both events will involve delegations of students, alumni, faculty, staff and community supporters traveling to Austin to advocate for the university.
For more information, visit the Texas Legislature website.
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 doctoral candidates for the Doctoral Conferreal Ceremony and celebrate their accomplishments.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusCelebrate the graduates from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, Margie and Bill Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and University College.
AlamodomeCelebrate the graduates from the College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and College of Sciences.
AlamodomeThe 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.
