University provides February updates on strategic initiatives

FEBRUARY 25, 2020 — Editor’s note: In a message sent to faculty and staff today President Taylor Eighmy provided updates on the presidential, strategic, tactical and academic initiatives underway to support the university’s strategic vision. 

Classroom to Career

UTSA was recently invited to participate in the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Work-Study Experiment program, which allows eligible students to receive FWS funds for work off-campus. The program lets students to explore a work situation without creating a financial burden due to missed work-study wages, thus aiding in their career discovery. By making it possible for student to be paid for off-campus opportunities, the program eliminates one of the roadblocks to implementing experiential learning activities outside the classroom. 

Research Excellence

President Eighmy will give the keynote address at the annual meeting of the National Organization of Research Development Professionals taking place in San Antonio May 17-20. On May 21, UTSA will host the NORDP Southwest Regional Meeting, an opportunity to highlight research success stories, develop new partnerships and showcase our campus. Development of Accelerate 2030, the new Research, Economic Development and Knowledge Enterprise strategic plan, is well underway. Updates will be available and community feedback invited through a newly developed webpage. Vicki L. Ruiz, the third speaker in the 2019-2020 Academy Fellows Speaker Series, will visit UTSA March 23-24 to provide two faculty development workshops and individual mentoring consultations. 

Inclusive Excellence

The Office of Inclusive Excellence encourages faculty, staff and students to apply for the President’s Distinguished Diversity Award. In keeping with UTSA’s core values, these annual awards bestow the highest level of recognition to individuals or groups for work that helps the Roadrunner community think about and practice diversity and inclusion in creative and collaborative ways. Deadline for nominations has been extended to Feb. 28. In addition, UTSA will lead a group in the César E. Chávez March for Justice on March 28. 

Enhancing Campus Wellbeing

This initiative, launched last month, seeks to foster a culture of physical, emotional and social well-being at UTSA to provide a healthy environment for all Roadrunners to learn, work and live. The initiative will look broadly at eight dimensions of well-being—physical, social, spiritual, environmental, financial, occupational, psychological and intellectual—as endorsed by several leading higher education associations, with an initial focus on mental health. Campus forums were held this month for the steering committee to gather input from students, faculty and staff to help shape the initiative. 

SACSCOC 2020 – Racing to Reaccreditation

UTSA is nearing its final lap in the Race to Reaccreditation. Planning is ongoing for the accreditation on-site review scheduled for March 16-19, and a cross-departmental UTSA team is working hard to coordinate all the logistical and technological aspects of the visit. The team consists of representatives from the President’s Office, University Relations, Campus Services, University Technology Services, Events Management and Facilities. A final agenda and list of interviewees for the visit should be available by March 1. 

National Security Collaboration Center and School of Data Science

The new building to house UTSA’s National Security Collaboration Center and School of Data Science will meet several major milestones in the months ahead. In March the design/build teams will be selected and the request for proposals will be posted. The building is on track for construction to begin in November 2020 with an expected phased opening in fall 2022. 

Human Health

The new College for Health, Community and Policy was designed to enhance student success, career readiness, transdisciplinary research and partnership opportunities at the nexus of health, community and policy. A search for the inaugural dean to further this vision is well underway. The UTSA community is encouraged to attend the ongoing campus forums for the dean candidates, including several taking place this week. 

Strategic Faculty Hiring

Two components of the Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative—the Accelerated Hiring of National Recognized Faculty Program and Advancing Academic Excellence through Accelerating Faculty Diversity Hiring Program—were created to bring distinctive and diverse faculty to UTSA who will contribute directly to the quality of students’ classroom experiences and elevate the university’s research enterprise. UTSA recently welcomed its third tenured faculty member through the NRP program, Sergio Alcocer, who is a member of the National Academy of Engineering. Additionally, two faculty members were hired through the FDP this month: Mario Flores, who has a joint appointment in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, and Karina Vielma, who joins the College of Engineering and College of Education and Human Development as an assistant professor of engineering education, the first position of its kind. 

Graduate Student Success

To better assess how we can enhance our graduate programs to support UTSA’s teaching and research missions, the task force is conducting a survey of current graduate students. (Faculty/staff currently enrolled in a graduate program can take the survey here.) A similar survey for faculty and staff is currently under development to gather their feedback on graduate program needs. Input from these surveys—together with information from town halls happening this spring and institutional data—will inform the task force recommendations. Ultimately, the intent is to improve all aspects of graduate training at UTSA as the university moves toward achieving NRUF and Carnegie R1 designations.

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