(July 24, 2019) -- Beginning this fall, UTSA will embark on a transdisciplinary effort to bring together intellectually diverse researchers by strategically hiring clusters of 20 faculty scholars to augment existing UTSA expertise in the following areas:
This new hiring focus is an outcome of the Clustered and Connected Hiring Program (CCP), one of five complementary programs within the Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative. Launched in March by UTSA Provost and Senior Vice President Kimberly Andrews Espy, this academic initiative supports the hiring of promising, accomplished and diverse faculty in key areas to help the university address society’s grand challenges and support President Eighmy’s vision for UTSA.
“Addressing today’s most significant societal challenges requires hiring strategies that connect, cluster and cut across disciplinary divides to enable true transdisciplinary innovations,” said Espy. “Our intent is to attract groups of scholars who together will add depth and expertise in specific areas who will connect the efforts of our existing faculty to enhance our competitiveness and align UTSA’s capabilities with federal, foundation and industry research opportunities.”
A broad spectrum of CCP proposals were submitted by existing UTSA faculty teams.
“Every cluster hiring proposal we received was thoughtfully undertaken and highly innovative,” acknowledged Espy. “It is truly exciting to see the collaborative and convergent research that is already happening amongst our faculty and the possibilities that exist with strategic, focused support. I have no doubt these hires will have a big impact our community.”
Twelve proposals were reviewed by a transdisciplinary research council made up of the academic deans and chaired by Interim Vice President for Research, Economic Development and Knowledge Enterprise Bernard Arulanandam. Submissions were evaluated based on many factors, including: ability to enhance national or international preeminence and campus leadership in a priority area; multi-college cross-disciplinary composition and diversity of backgrounds and perspectives; ability to increased funding to meet UT System and State goals; and ability to concretely link together existing scholarly and program capacities along with demonstrated commitment to utilizing collaborative and convergent research approaches.
“The portfolio of chosen clusters is highly transdisciplinary and aligned with areas of funding priorities at federal and philanthropic levels. Researchers from four diverse research areas are focused on outcome driven inquiries and providing solutions that influence public impact-focused research,” explained Arulanandam.
The cluster hires will be spread across two hiring cycles, with searches starting fall 2019 and hiring ending in fiscal year 2022. This tactic will allow phasing so that critical expertise or leadership gaps can be filled first, which may impact specific hires in the ensuing year.
UTSA’s Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative is composed of five complementary programs which will provide support mechanisms to academic colleges to recruit and hire some of the best and brightest minds of diverse backgrounds and experiences, providing intellectual prowess to help the university address today’s most significant challenges.
The Clustered and Connected Hiring Program builds upon past faculty cluster hiring initiatives which focused on strengthening UTSA’s expertise in cybersecurity, brain health, analytics and data sciences, and, most recently, artificial intelligence.
Learn more about UTSA’s Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative.
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The Whataburger Resource Room at the Roadrunner Pantry has joined efforts with the campus community to put together the Move In Market! Come shop for some great items for your dorm room or apartment to get you started and set up for success.
H-E-B Student Union Ballroom (HSU 1.104-1.106,) Main CampusA Linguistics Time Capsule that was buried in 2000 will be opened and shared. It contains the predictions of UTSA linguistics students as to how the language would change by January, 2025. Students and faculty who contributed will be invited to the opening to participate in sharing their predictions and discussing how accurate some predictions were.
Denman Room (SU 2.01.28,) Main CampusHave you ever received an email invitation to publish in a journal you have never heard of with promises of lightning-fast peer-review and publication times? If so, you’ve probably heard of predatory publishing. During this workshop, participants will discuss this pervasive problem in academic publishing and how to spot the red flags through real-life examples.
Virtual (Zoom)Upon completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to: explain the history of Creative Commons, summarize the role of copyright law in the creation of Creative Commons, differentiate between different CC icons, identify the different layers and elements of CC licenses and tools, and list factors to consider when choosing a license for your project.
Virtual (Zoom)Join us for Coffee with Vets, a casual social event where veterans can come together, connect, and share camaraderie over a cup of coffee. This is a perfect opportunity to unwind, meet fellow veterans, and build community in a welcoming and relaxed environment.
Veteran Lounge (JPL 4.03.04,) John Peace Library, Main CampusStop by to ask questions or learn about how you can become involved in Wellbeing Services events and programs.
Window Lounge (SU1.02.00C,) Student Union, Main CampusArt of Wellbeing is a weekly workshop provided by Wellbeing Services! Join us as we use different art mediums each week as a way to improve our overall wellbeing!
Magnolia Room (SU2.01.30,) Student Union, Main CampusThe 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.
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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.
