Dear Faculty and Staff,
As we put the finishing touches on another academic year, I want to pause to say thank you. This year asked a great deal of you as you supported our students and this community. I am deeply grateful for how you showed up for UTA and how you are recognizing one another. For example, since the program launched in January, you have sent more than 2,300 MavUp MVPs to more than 3,400 employees. Please keep this wave of appreciation going!
In 2025, we reflected on our 130-year history: where we’ve been, how we got here, and the people who built UTA. In 2026, we are translating that legacy into a clearer, stronger story about who we are today: a University that is blazing paths and building futures. Just as importantly, we are backing that story up with measurable impact.
A year of impact
This was the academic year in which we … deep breath … enrolled our largest-ever freshman class, graduated more than 10,000 students, opened our largest residence hall, started a women’s flag football program, created new degree programs in hospitality management and aviation studies, and launched a paid work experience program with Bell Helicopter. Our faculty secured an $86 million contract from the U.S. Navy, forged new research partnerships with Cook Children’s Medical Center, and embarked on a community-based project to provide support for people living with dementia and their care partners. We also cut the ribbon on an autonomous drone testing facility and invested in campus infrastructure to improve our facilities.
And don’t forget, we earned Carnegie designations for providing access, achieving successful postgraduate outcomes, and engaging with the community. There are just 13 R1 institutions nationally with all of those designations. We’re one of them.
Retirements and restructuring
This also has been a year of change that we’re still working through. We’re spending this month saying goodbye to more than 200 of our longest-serving colleagues who are retiring via our Voluntary Separation Program (VSP). These colleagues have shaped departments, mentored generations, and helped build the very foundation on which our current success stands. We are deeply grateful for their service—and we will genuinely miss them.
The VSP represents an intentional decision to ensure long-term fiscal responsibility that aligns with our UTA 2030 strategic plan. It creates both space and responsibility for us to reimagine how we work, support one another, and deliver on our mission in ways that are sustainable for the future. To support this next chapter, we are lifting our hiring freeze to give departments the opportunity to restructure thoughtfully and responsibly.
One such change is already happening. Marie Schultz, VP for Development and Alumni Relations, will expand her leadership portfolio to include the Marketing, Messaging, and Engagement (MME) team as our new VP for University Advancement. As many of you know, Yolanda Bevill, VP for MME, is rejoining her family in Houston this summer. Her departure created an opportunity to evolve our organizational structure in a way that strengthens our ability to tell UTA’s story, deepens engagement with our audiences, and advances the University’s philanthropic and reputational goals through a more integrated approach. I thank Yolanda for her contributions to UTA and for helping move our branding efforts forward.
I also shared last week that we are transitioning several academic programs following a yearlong review led by faculty and academic leaders and focused on student demand, student success, postgraduate outcomes, and long‑term financial sustainability. These decisions are never taken lightly, and they reflect our responsibility to ensure that our academic offerings provide meaningful impact for the state of Texas.
The road ahead
Thank you for your hard work and resilience during a year that required both. As we look ahead, we will need to remain focused, adaptable, and clear about the value we bring to our students and the communities we serve.
And don’t forget, each new academic year brings new promise. This summer we will welcome thousands of incoming students to orientation for what appears to be another record-breaking first-year class. Our teams in Enrollment Management, Student Affairs, and Student Success—supported by all of our faculty and staff—will make sure these students succeed in the classroom and thrive on campus.
Take pride in what we accomplished together this year. Build on it. And know that the work you do every day truly matters to our students, our community, and the future of this University.
