UTA’S E‑NEWSLETTER FOR STUDENTS

TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2025

UTA becomes flagship in new conference

Beginning in the 2026-27 season, UTA will compete of the newly reshaped United Athletic Conference, formerly known as the Western Athletic Conference. Key benefits of UTA's new conference alignment include:

Competition in a conference of like-minded institutions in championships across all UTA sports.
Student athletes will benefit from reduced travel demands, less time away from class, and more opportunities for local fan engagement due to the stronger regional footprint.
Continued access to NCAA postseason tournament opportunities through conference championships.

Learn more about the new conference.

Collage including the report cover nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and photo of Reese Dunklin

‘As close as you can get to a professional newsroom’

UTA alumni Reese Dunklin credits The Shorthorn for shaping his journalism career and work ethic. Reese, who graduated in 1998, has joined a prestigious group: He was part of an Associated Press team named a Pulitzer Prize finalist last month for the project “Lethal Restraint: An investigation documenting police use of force.”

He joins a distinguished group of at least 10 other alumni from The Shorthorn who have been named Pulitzer Prize winners or finalists—a testament to the exceptional preparation the student newspaper provides its journalists. Reese credits his time at UTA and The Shorthorn with helping develop his journalism chops and work ethic and with teaching him that hard work pays off.

The Shorthorn has covered campus life since 1919 and continues to train aspiring journalists who go on to work at respected state and national news outlets such as The Dallas Morning News, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Houston Chronicle, KERA, The Texas Tribune, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Associated Press.

Read more about Reese's Pulitzer experience and time at UTA.

Caroline King the student researcher on midwifery

UTA undergrad publishes research

Caroline King didn’t expect to get involved in research when she arrived at UTA. But after joining the Honors College and taking a job with the Center for Rural Health and Nursing, she found herself diving into a literature review on midwifery in rural Texas. Two and a half years later, Caroline is a published author in the Online Journal of Rural Nursing and Health Care. While publication is a milestone for any academic, it’s a rare achievement for an undergraduate. Read more about this rare achievement.

UTA recognized for sustainability

UTA has been recognized in the 2025 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings for its progress in supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. UTA ranked in the top 50% globally for all submitted categories. Read more about UTA's rankings and commitment to sustainability.

Participate on a tasty panel

Whataburger is looking for participants in their next consumer panel to try potential new menu items and give feedback. Try food, give your opinion, and get $150. Sign up, and you could be selected to participate.

Students participating in the STARTALK program

UTA program builds Russian fluency

UTA immersed 30 high school and college students in a three-week summer Russian language and culture program designed to spark interest in academics and careers in critical languages. Students learned through a series of role-plays focused on travel to Russia or other Russian-speaking countries—planning the trip, navigating airports and hotels, sightseeing, ordering in restaurants, and more. By the end of the program, they had gained basic Russian proficiency to travel and communicate with confidence abroad. Funded by the STARTALK grant from the National Security Agency, the program aims to expand the pipeline of skilled professionals needed for future national security roles in the military, diplomacy, and intelligence. Read more about how the program prepares future leaders.