FEBRUARY 27, 2023 — The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved UTSA’s plans to add a new student housing community on the Main Campus. The Board also approved the extension of the university’s services agreement with Austin-based education technology firm Civitas Learning Inc. and the extension of UTSA’s ground lease with the Roadrunner Foundation for roughly an acre of land at the university’s Park West Campus.
All three items will advance UTSA’s vision to become a model for student success, said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.
“UTSA is committed to creating an environment where every student succeeds,” Eighmy said. “The actions approved by the Regents will enable us keep our growing freshman population close to our student success resources, complete our new facility to support student-athletes and communicate more effectively with our students about their unique academic needs.”
Currently known as Student Housing Phase IV, this $87 million project will house freshmen and sophomores. This living-learning community will feature 600 beds, including a mix of single and double-occupancy units. It will span 162,500 square feet at the intersection of Barshop Blvd. and Tobin Ave. on the northwest corner of the Main Campus.
The complex will feature a variety of common spaces for study and community-building activities. Students will benefit from the project’s proximity to dining options, existing residence communities and campus resources that enable students to develop personally and professionally. Institutional data shows that freshmen who live on campus consistently have higher retention rates and G.P.A.s than their off-campus peers.
“We are excited that the next phase of student housing will focus on creating residential learning communities centered on strengthening student connections, involvement and peer networking,” said UTSA Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar. “The design and planning for new housing models best practices in university facilities to support student success and retention, particularly for first-year and first-generation students.”
Upon completion of the new community, expected in June 2025, the UTSA Main Campus will have 5,183 beds, putting the university at 95% of its goal to add 5,400 beds on campus by 2025.
Civitas offers real-time insights that inform UTSA’s various student success programs. The new contract, which will run February 28, 2023 to October 28, 2027, means UTSA will continue to benefit from such technology tools as Inspire, a holistic advising support platform; Illume, which helps staff identify students who are at risk of dropping out; and Impact, a data-analysis tool the helps UTSA evaluate the efficacy of its student success programs.
Civitas represents a critical investment in UTSA’s student-success efforts, as its platforms have helped UTSA ensure that its students are prepared for the corporate environment.
“Civitas has served as an integral tool to engage the entire campus in systematic, data-informed practices to collaborate in advancing student success through our ‘hub and spoke’ model,” said UTSA Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy. “We are pleased to continue our trajectory, with the help of the Civitas’ platforms and campus-wide integrated teams, to support successful degree completion for all students, readying our students to enter the workforce well prepared for their bold future.”
The ground-lease extension enables UTSA to advance construction on its Park West Fieldhouse, an $8 million, 14,325-square-foot facility located on Kyle Seale Parkway adjacent to Loop 1604.
The facility will support the health, wellness and performance of the women’s soccer and the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country programs. It is a key component of UTSA Athletics’ master plan to more competitively recruit and retain the nation’s best student-athletes, coaches and staff.
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.
In this virtual event, Kimberly Ming shares her collection of work that is vulnerable and raw. It has the potential to help mixed and multicultural people know they are not alone. It also has the power to bridge cultural gaps that many seek to understand in a real and deeper way.
Virtual EventIn partnership with Metro Health, HCAP will host a lecture discussing the life and body of work of Dr. Fernando Guerra, longtime director of the Metropolitan Health District.
Buena Vista Theater, Downtown CampusJoin our team to reflect on the students’ achievements and challenges during the semester and explore techniques, strategies, and tools to address growth mindset, self-reliance, and what it takes to keep students committed and on the path to success
Multidisciplinary Studies (MS 240) and VirtualThis course will introduce you to this popular graduate program, providing a review of UTSA’s Employee Educational Benefit program and MPA info. Free lunch will be provided!
Mesquite Living Lab, Main CampusDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza , Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair is a party with a purpose! The annual art-focused fundraising celebration provides operating support for UTSA Arts, which is dedicated to community arts education for children and adults, public-facing performances and exhibitions, and arts-based research and partnerships to enhance the accessibility of the arts for the public.
UTSA Southwest, 300 Augusta, San Antonio TX 78205This year’s UEA ceremony will be an in-person event that will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25 in the H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106) on the UTSA Main Campus. The ceremony will feature UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Myron Anderson, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar and representatives from Staff and Faculty Senate.
H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106), 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.
