(Sept. 10, 2019) -- The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) today announced a Westside Community Partnerships Initiative to help it shape educational, economic and cultural programs and services for individuals living and working in Westside zip codes, including 78207, 78237, 78226, 78228, 78201, 78227, 78236 and 78204.
The initiative aligns with UTSA’s 10-year campus master plan process that establishes a framework for the development of academic, research and community outreach programs to serve San Antonio’s growing population. By creating a forum to encourage ongoing university-community dialogue, the Westside Community Partnerships Initiative will help ensure that those programs and services are shaped in a way that addresses the unique needs of the community.
“As an urban serving university, UTSA is committed to deepening our relationships with all areas of San Antonio – particularly those that have been historically underserved. We’re starting with a focus on the Westside in light of its proximity to our Downtown Campus,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.
“This initiative is very much a draft, and we’re actively seeking community input. It serves as an invitation for Westside organizations to collaborate with UTSA, and we’re looking forward to continuing to shape this effort together with new and existing partners,” said Eighmy.
UTSA co-developed the initiative with the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), a nationally recognized non-profit organization specializing in research and data-driven strategies to support equitable neighborhood development.
UTSA’s Westside Community Partnerships Initiative will include four task forces focused on specific needs of the Westside community: economic prosperity; educational excellence; community-based research, sustainable partnerships and advocacy; and community-campus engagement.
The Task Force on Creating Pathways to Economic Prosperity will focus on creating economic opportunities by exploring and developing localized employment and small business development pathway programs for Westside residents. Its work will include gaining a full understanding of Opportunity Zone incentives impacting the Westside and formulating recommendations for the consideration of the steering committee.
To increase the number of Westside students that matriculate to and graduate from UTSA, the Task Force on Creating Pathways to Educational Excellence will explore and establish UTSA enrollment pathways for Westside youth as well as continuing education and professional development opportunities for adults. The group will integrate efforts among university faculty, K-12 school leadership, school staff, families and communities to successfully transform professional educator preparation and outcomes for K-12 students.
The Community-Based Research, Sustainable Partnerships and Advocacy Task Force will provide scholarly expertise and facilitate community-based research efforts to inform the public policy issues most impacting Westside neighborhood integrity, such as housing displacement, historical preservation, access to higher education and social service challenges. The task force will work closely with Westside residents and community leaders, UTSA faculty members and UTSA organizational units such as the Urban Education Institute, Policy Studies Center and Institute of Economic Development to develop a framework for engaging in research and incubating community partnerships that are relevant, reciprocal and sustainable.
The Task Force on Fostering Community-Campus Engagement will oversee UTSA’s efforts to engage and support the Westside Community through programming, services and institutional policies. This task force will support Westside arts and culture organizations, convey UTSA’s services and programs to the Westside and ensure that the Downtown Campus is welcoming to the community.
UTSA will also form a Westside Community Advisory Council, comprised of external and internal stakeholders, to help drive the initiative. Working closely with the UTSA Vice President for University Relations and the students, faculty and staff on the task forces, the advisory council will help guide UTSA in maximizing the economic and cultural strengths of the Westside while identifying and addressing current challenges.
UTSA began its Main and Downtown Campus master planning process in 2018 and is working with NALCAB to conduct research on vulnerable people and institutions on the Westside.
Learn more about the Westside Community Partnerships Initiative.
View details about the UTSA Westside Community Center Ribbon Cutting.
Celebrate UTSA’s 50th Anniversary and share social media posts about the 50th using the hashtag #UTSA50.
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.
San Antonio’s treasured Asian Festival returns on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Downtown Campus. In observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month the one-day performance, entertainment, and food event will celebrate the diverse Asian diaspora represented in South Texas and San Antonio. Come and enjoy one of San Antonio’s premier family-friendly events, with hands-on activities and opportunities to learn through experience.
UTSA Downtown CampusThe Texas Coalition for Heritage Spanish (TeCHS) seeks to provide a cooperative platform to support the success of Spanish heritage language speakers and their communities in Texas, assisting and promoting bicultural and bilingual development in the state.
River Walk Room (DBB 1.124,) Durango Building, Downtown CampusDr. Michael Doyle has had an immense impact on the field of catalysis and organic chemistry. Join in a one-day symposium. In order to honor Dr. Doyle’s colossal career accomplishments with his upcoming retirement, we are holding a one day symposium event
Riklin Auditorium (FS 1.406,) Frio Street Building, Downtown CampusThe NHERI Summer Institute is a free event for early-career faculty, NHERI Graduate Student Council, K-12 educators from the San Antonio area, engineers, and researchers to learn more about the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) community.
La Villita Room (DBB 1.116,) Durango Building, Main CampusBuilding the Dual Language Leader Symposium will provide a safe space for current and aspiring leaders to learn best practices, theories, policies, and systems that support a dual language bilingual education.
UTSA Southwest Campus, 300 Augusta St.Streaming of Spray the Word that will conclude with a discussion with San Antonio's Poet Laureate, Andrea "Vocab" Sanderson.
Aula Canaria (BVB 1.328,) Buena Vista Street Building, Downtown CampusCelebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at our very own street fair - Calle UTSA. We will have activities, performances, food, music, and pinatas to break open! All free to UTSA students, faculty, and staff.
Student Union Paseo, 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.
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, 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 ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.