JUNE 30, 2020 — Editor’s note: The following message was sent via email today from President Taylor Eighmy, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy, and Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar Mendez to all students and their parents, faculty, and staff:
We know you are anxiously awaiting more news about how the fall semester will look at UTSA.
Initially we planned to share information today regarding broad decisions shaping our fall semester. However, the surge in COVID-19 cases in Texas over the last week amplifies the need to ensure our approach fully considers the range of possibilities ahead. The pandemic’s current trajectory is highly concerning to us all. We are taking a few extra days so that we can present all of you with a more complete picture of the fall semester and its flexible design.
This much is certain: UTSA will be open this fall with a semester crafted for personalized, impactful student learning experiences and the safety of all Roadrunners. Mandatory public health compliance training will be required for all students, faculty and staff, with consistent reinforcement by a highly visible campus information campaign.
Persisting with academics, campus life and research activities this fall—with significant modifications in place as part of our shared public health responsibility—will not only offer the critical continuity our students need to support their progress but also reignite UTSA’s role as a force for social mobility and economic recovery for San Antonio. Our overall goal is to ensure widespread access to high-quality academic experiences and the safest possible physical environments, regardless of the unpredictable circumstances that lie ahead.
Our teams developing specific guidelines for instruction and student activities have made excellent progress, and we expect to release their reports next week with more guidance about the fall semester. Town halls will follow, providing opportunities for you to engage in dialogue with team leads and ask questions.
Our fall semester will be rooted in the recommendations of our Public Health Task Force and anchored by guidance from UT System and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
There are a few things we can share with you now regarding the framework:
One thing is clear: Embracing a spirit of shared responsibility around the health of our UTSA community is crucial to a successful fall semester. While we will never be able to completely eliminate all risk, our goal is to reduce it as much as possible through multiple layers of protection and flexible, equitable approaches to the academic and student life experiences.
You can expect much more information and detail on all our plans in the coming weeks:
Please stay safe and continue to focus on the health and well-being of all those around you. We will get through this and be stronger for the experience. A brighter future—fueled by your dreams and thirst for opportunity—awaits.
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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 EventJoin UTSA Librarians for this introductory workshop for early career faculty on how to build your online scholarly identity. We will discuss how to set up author profiles as well as find existing and emerging metrics for measuring research impact, including Impact Factor, Altmetrics, and beyond.
Virtual EventThis workshop explores the intersection of digital activism, data collection, and visualization techniques in the context of gender-based violence and feminist movements. Participants will learn how to harness the power of GraphCommons to create impactful visualizations that can amplify marginalized voices and reveal hidden patterns in complex social issues.
CEDISH Co-Lab 3.02.38, 3rd Floor, John Peace LibraryA roundtable discussion that will explore the impact of documenting LGBTQ+ oral histories and the unique challenges of sharing these stories.
UTSA Westside Community Center, 1310 Guadalupe St. San Antonio 78207Have questions about making your OER accessible on UTSA Pressbooks? The OER Team and the Digital Accessibility Team are ready to answer them! Please bring your questions about OER and accessibility and receive guidance from our two teams.
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.
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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.