JULY 28, 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 families, faculty and staff:
We are writing today to provide an update on our plans for the fall semester, knowing that the course of the pandemic—here in San Antonio and beyond—is evolving. As appropriate, our plans may change and we will continue to closely monitor all aspects from a public health perspective.
We know the pandemic has been deeply disruptive to both your work and personal life, and we sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy. We trust that the new academic year—different though it will be—will provide many opportunities to further your goals.
We had over 7,300 members of our community attend or view recordings of our Roadrunner Return town halls held over the past few weeks, and our thanks go to all who participated in the conversations. The additional details below regarding our fall semester plans build on our commitment to your health and well-being while providing flexible and accessible options for you and for our students. Please see our Roadrunner Return website for an updated, comprehensive description of our fall plans.
For the past month campus leaders worked to evaluate the best ways to provide UTSA’s core services as we anticipate the increased activity that comes with the start of a new academic year. Initially we planned to share information today regarding work modality options for UTSA staff. While important steps have been taken to review our services and workforce, we are taking additional time to finalize our planning so supervisors can present employees with a more complete picture of work modalities for the fall semester.
Because this planning will take a little more time, all telecommuting agreements that were set to expire on July 31 will automatically be extended to August 14. No new agreements are required for this extension.
By August 14, UTSA staff can expect to hear from their supervisors regarding work modality options for their position as we continue to determine the services that will be available on campus and virtually this fall.
University-sponsored domestic and international travel restrictions have been extended through October 31, 2020.
The fall schedule of classes is nearly complete and on track to be finalized by July 31 to reflect the updated modes of instruction in line with our hybrid operational model. As expected, 95% of organized classes will be fully online. One Stop’s class modality resource page is an excellent guide to explaining the difference between the three online modalities: asynchronous, synchronous and online hybrid.
Students should follow the regular registration process if they need to make changes to their schedule. They do not need to take any special action if they wish to take all of their classes online. As their courses are updated in ASAP, they will automatically reflect the designated mode of instruction. For classes listed as face-to-face, faculty will also offer virtual options for students who prefer to complete their coursework remotely. Registration questions should be directed to onestop@utsa.edu while questions about the availability of specific courses may be directed to each college or academic department.
We understand that this fall will be different from a typical semester. Following the decision to suspend campus transportation services, as well as a thorough evaluation of our mandatory fees and available services, we have amended our fall 2020 semester fees for our students, waiving the transportation fee and international education fee. Other fees, such as those for the Student Union and Campus Rec, will be charged as planned.
All in all, it will be a semester of new discoveries and adjustments, opening many doors of opportunity to continue toward our goals in innovative ways. We will not allow the pandemic to detract us from providing our students with a world-class education or pursuing groundbreaking research that will change our world for the better. Thank you for your patience and for your loyalty to UTSA throughout this journey.
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Join us on your lunch or 30 minute wellness break and "Lego" of your stress with fun activities like Legos, PlayDoh, coloring pages, puzzles and more!
Mesquite Room (SU 2.01.24,) Student Union, Main CampusMove In To COLFA is strongly recommended for new students in COLFA. It gives you the chance to learn about the Student Success Center, campus resources and meet new friends!
Academic Classroom: Lecture Hall (MH 2.01.10,) McKinney Humanities BldgWe invite you to join us for Birds Up! Downtown, an exciting welcome back event designed to connect students with the different departments at the Downtown Campus. Students will have the opportunity to learn about some of the departments on campus, gain access to different resources, and collect some giveaways!
Bill Miller PlazaCome and celebrate this year's homecoming at the Downtown Campus with food, games, giveaways, music, and more. We look forward to seeing your Roadrunner Spirit!
Bill Miller PlazaThe 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.