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UTSA President Taylor Eighmy arrived in San Antonio in the fall of 2017 bursting with ambition to grow the modest regional campus into a nationally-renowned research institution that is more integrated into the urban fabric of San Antonio. In 2018, Eighmy launched a 10-year strategic vision to put UTSA on track to achieve these lofty goals. At the halfway mark, it appears that UTSA is in position to over-deliver on Eighmy’s vision.
The ten year plan laid out three major objectives with defined metric benchmarks for each. The objectives are as follows: “UTSA will be a model for student success”, “UTSA will be a great public research institution”, and “UTSA will be a great place to work, learn and discover”.
UTSA has made the most progress in the student success objective as the university’s graduation rate has increased, and students are completing their degrees quicker than ever. The major outstanding goal is growing enrollment to 45,000. UTSA is expected to enroll 38,400 students this fall, falling a bit short of the stretch goal of 40,000 this semester. Opening new buildings on both the main and downtown campuses should assist in accelerating enrollment.
Objective number two is perhaps the most lofty as it is linked to UTSA’s research goals. UTSA has achieved two major initiatives: earning Carnegie R1 research status and unlocking access to the National Research University Fund (NRFU), which will bring additional research funding to the university (more on this in a future article).
With those two milestones out of the way, UTSA will now focus on building benchmark alignment with American Association of Universities (AAU) members. This is the most prestigious designation a research university can achieve, with only 71 institutions claiming membership. Gaining AAU membership is considerably more difficult than the previous two goals, as AAU membership is by invitation only. Universities do not automatically gain admission by hitting certain quantifiable measures like they would with R1 or NRUF status.
The main campus project will be even more transformational, as it will breathe life into UTSA’s sleepy and uninviting southern entrance to campus. While the oak trees lining UTSA Boulevard are attractive, it’s difficult to even spot campus when driving past it due to the large amount of surface parking that separates UTSA Boulevard and the cluster of engineering buildings closest to the road. This design and land mis-use furthers the perception of UTSA as a commuter campus where students drive to and from class without meaningfully engaging with campus. Building Roadrunner Village will work wonders in addressing these shortcomings.
Roadrunner Village will create a welcoming, tree-lined pedestrian
mall that connects residents to the academic core of the institution
and provide much-needed event space for engaging the community.
This vibrant neighborhood will provide an enhanced student
experience to residents in a broad area surrounding the Main
Campus. By enticing students to spend more time on-campus,
Roadrunner Village will foster a sense of belonging and aid the
university’s retention efforts.
Source: Roadrunner Village Initiative Brief
While the final design of Roadrunner Village hasn’t been fully locked in to my knowledge, UTSA is currently projecting to spend $110 million on phase one which would bring a walkable neighborhood containing retail venues, a grocery store, casual dining, event space, research and co-working spaces, entertainment options, and student housing to the southern edge of campus. The housing in Roadrunner Village will be open to graduate students and employees. UTSA plans to create partnerships with private entities to draw in lease revenue on these properties.
With the massive amount of changes seen at UTSA over the past few years it would make a lot of sense to refresh the university’s master plan, an undertaking that I’ve heard will begin later this year. It would make sense for an updated master plan to coincide with Dr. Eighmy’s five-year proforma (long term budget and strategic financial model) presentation to the UT Systems and Board of Regents in September. We’ll be sure to cover any major changes to UTSA’s strategic planning as more information comes available.
While there are many other strategic initiatives planned for UTSA in the coming years, I feel the projects I covered in this post highlight some of the more exciting and urgent developments that will shape UTSA and San Antonio many years into the future. The past seven years of Taylor Eighmy’s leadership at UTSA has brought the university to an exciting and unforeseen crossroads but the next seven years figure to be just as transformative for the school and its community.
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Excellent article and reporting. The football content is certainly the focus but Alamo Audible’s foundation has been university-centered from the very beginning. Regardless of viewpoints and opinions it has always been clear to me that Jared and Adrian are fundamentally committed and faithful to the core of UTSA as an institution.
This website really needs to be exhibit A for alumni on how to stay engaged with UTSA after graduating.
Goodness, thank you William, what a compliment! Thank you so much for reading and supporting.