OCTOBER 13, 2023 — Editor’s note: The following message was sent today via email from Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley, Chief Enterprise Development Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar and Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President for Institutional Strategic Planning, Compliance Risk Management and Office Operations Carlos Martinez to all faculty, staff and students.
In late August, we shared the engagement strategy that UTSA would use to review programs, activities and initiatives to comply with Senate Bill 17 (SB 17). A transparent and inclusive process that considers student, faculty and staff input before implementing any changes is now in place. Today, we’re writing to update you on the progress made to bring all programming into compliance by January 1, 2024, as required by the new law.
The Program, Activity and Initiative Review (PAIR) team is currently engaging in dialogue with a campus-wide stakeholder working group to collect and review information related to UTSA’s diversity, equity and inclusion activities. To date, more than 300 submissions have been entered for review.
Building on the work of the stakeholder working group, the PAIR team is now evaluating each submission to determine its status; some activities are exempt, some need modification and others will need to be discontinued to comply with SB 17’s requirements. Preliminary recommendations will be forwarded to a group of university and student leaders for review before they are submitted to President Eighmy in early November.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll share more about this work through community forums, social media, email and UTSA Today. This week, we discussed SB 17 and SB 18 (recent changes to the law related to faculty tenure) in meetings with the Faculty Senate and Department Chair Council. We will continue to meet with the Staff Senate, the Student Government Association and other campus organizations.
As the law will impact every member of the UTSA community differently, we encourage you to stay engaged in the process, share your concerns and learn more about the framework and legal guidance from UT System by visiting our SB 17 website.
Please know we remain committed to free expression and academic freedom inside and outside the classroom to maintain the core mission and values of our Roadrunner community.
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At this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusJoin us for a tribute to Willie Velásquez, honoring the legacy of Willie Velásquez, a pivotal figure in shaping the history of Latino and Hispanic participation in the American voting process. Delve into his life and contributions as a champion of Latino voting rights. Moderated by UTSA's Teresa Niño, the event will feature influential voices, including Jane Velásquez, María Antonietta Berriozábal, Dora Oliva, and Anthony Gonzales.
Buena Vista Building, Buena Vista Theater, Downtown CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The 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 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.
