Strategic Plan Refresh Steering Committee completes yearlong process, finalizes report

AUGUST 16, 2023 — This week, members of the Strategic Planning Refresh Subcommittee shared their final recommendations regarding the UTSA strategic plan. The report is a culmination of a yearlong refresh process to affirm the university’s three strategic destinations, apply insights learned from surveys and listening sessions, and continue advancing UTSA toward becoming a leading Hispanic Serving, public research university.

One year ago, the committee was charged by President Eighmy to undertake a refresh process that would celebrate the university’s successes, hone its approach to meet its three strategic destinations and align its resources to ensure continued forward momentum. 

“Last year, at the midpoint of UTSA’s 10-year strategic plan, I charged the steering committee to facilitate a refresh to assess the progress we’ve made and evaluate how we might further evolve our destinations,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy. “Thanks to their leadership and our community’s participation, we can affirm that our three destinations are the right ones going forward and that we can remain focused on becoming a university of the future in the city of the future.”

“We remain focused on becoming a university of the future in the city of the future.”

At the onset of the process, the committee reflected on the work the university has accomplished at its midpoint, including completing many strategic initiatives and moving the needle on important key performance indicators. It then applied four steps—reflect, survey, listen and summarize—to gather insights from the campus community. Approximately 3,000 members of the campus community collaborated at each stage, sharing proposed ways to make UTSA an even better place to learn, work and discover.

“All of UTSA’s accomplishments and milestones of the past several years, such as our Carnegie R1 classification and Seal of Excelencia certification, were achieved because of the talent and dedication of our Roadrunner faculty, staff and students,” said UTSA Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Steering Committee Chair Heather Shipley. “Engaging these audiences was key to a successful refresh effort to inform new ideas that will help us reach our strategic destinations.”

Based on responses from faculty, staff and students, the committee developed four recommendations for President Eighmy and university leadership’s consideration including affirm UTSA’s mission, vision and values; affirm Destination 1; modestly refine Destinations 2 and 3; and update UTSA’s peer models of excellence.

Other findings include recommendations on key opportunities to advance the university such as facilitating growth and evolution at scale, investing in key faculty and staff, adopting efficient and innovative practices and further enhancing campus communication and collaboration.

“Over the past year, the UTSA community has contributed some great ideas and inspired suggestions for the future. What emerged is a clear consensus that UTSA is on the right track and building momentum,” said UTSA Senior Director for Strategic Initiatives in the Office of the President Lisa Jasinski. “My colleagues said it best: This is such an exciting time to be at UTSA.”

In the coming months, President Eighmy and university leadership will use the committee’s final recommendations to help develop UTSA’s long-range financial plan that will be presented to the UT System Board of Regents in November 2023. Updates on content to the strategic plan will continue to be communicated to the campus community as well as updated on the strategic planning website.

— Kimberly Maldonado