It is hard to believe that two years have passed since I joined UTA. What we have accomplished together as a community has been nothing short of remarkable. We have deepened our commitment to student success, launched new efforts to enhance our innovation and discovery, and fostered community engagement, from service learning in classes to new internship opportunities.
As we announced in February, we have also launched our new strategic plan, UTA 2030: Shared Dreams, Bright Future. This plan lays the framework for our big dreams as a community—from the success of all our students to our engagement with alumni and partners. I’m proud to share some recent updates on our progress.
People and Culture
The Office of Talent, Culture, and Engagement launched the Employee Emergency Fund to provide short-term assistance for employees experiencing significant temporary financial hardship. This fund will help eligible employees cover basic needs; in just a month since launching, over 50 gifts have been made to the fund to support your fellow employees.
Furthering our goal of creating more competitive compensation, the University invested $2.4 million toward market adjustments for over 390 staff and an estimated 200 faculty this May. We are continuing to make progress in raising our minimum wage for staff; following last year’s increase to $15, this year we will be able to increase to $15.77 as of May 1. More details will be coming in May to employees who will receive adjustments. Additionally, a number of units on campus are continuing to make progress in raising wages for student employees.
Student Success
As we focus on student success, I’m proud to share that we were honored with the First-Gen Forward designation through the First Scholars Network for our exemplary programming and support for first-generation student success. And UTA’s services for veteran and military-connected students continue to receive top rankings nationally.
As part of our strategic efforts to ensure a transformative student experience, the Division of Student Affairs will launch UTA Away in fall 2024. UTA Away will support students traveling to another country, city, or university to study in their academic fields; volunteering for service projects; or receiving first-hand work experience related to academic and career goals.
It’s been an incredible academic year for our students, as they have achieved renowned fellowships across fields like transportation and atomic energy, engaged in new research, and even obtained secret security clearance through our Career Development Center. Their success is immense and continues to inspire me.
Research and Innovation
We provided recent updates on our RISE 100 progress in March, and I’m proud to share even more news. As you know, Phase One focuses on positions to support current enrollment growth, and those positions are beginning to be filled. We recently announced our first RISE 100 hire: renowned automotive engineer Hongtei Eric Tseng. Dr. Tseng will join UTA as a distinguished university professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and brings decades of experience in the automotive industry. We are excited to welcome him as the first Target of Excellence hire.
Additionally, as part of Phase One we have four new tenure-stream critical hires expected to start in fall 2024.
For Phase Two, our brain health cluster is currently in the offer stage, while the semiconductor and community engaged research clusters are actively searching.
We have added new cluster hires where we seek to establish ourselves as a leading institution: in biomanufacturing adding five positions, artificial intelligence adding four positions, and sustainable solutions adding three positions. We will leverage our existing strengths and accelerate our expertise and collaboration in these fields.
Additionally, in the next few weeks we anticipate announcing the selection of individual departmental positions.
In Phase Three, we have also authorized 10 academic-professional track research-focused faculty positions.
Under Phase Four, we have approved 12 postdoctoral fellow positions, and faculty are underway with filling these positions. Our next call for postdoc applications will be in the fall.
I want to express my gratitude to our RISE 100 committee, Faculty Senate, college leadership, and all our faculty who are serving on hiring committees for your dedication to this effort.
Alumni and Community Engagement
We also continue to deepen our connections with our community. It was wonderful to see so many of you join us for our community-wide Solar-bration, as we came together to view the once-in-a-lifetime eclipse passing over Arlington. I hope you’ve also had a chance to watch UTA’s episode on Amazon Prime’s The College Tour showcasing all our colleges and the Maverick Factor.
This semester we also celebrated with our community during the UTA Jazz Brunch at the Main Street Arts Festival in Fort Worth. UTA faculty, staff, alumni, and friends braved the weather to attend this year’s brunch. Our jazz band concerts were excellent and showcased the incredible talents of our students. Despite the rainy conditions, the event was a great success and enjoyed by all.
I am proud to share that UTA is now the official partner of the Arlington Renegades, the 2023 XFL Champions. Since the XFL merged with the United States Football League to form the United Football League, the Renegades’ season opener and subsequent games have broken attendance records, and UTA has been alongside them advertising throughout their nationally televised games. The Renegades and UTA continue to look at expanded partnership opportunities in academics, career/internships, and community engagement.
Finance and Infrastructure
This semester also marked a pivotal moment for campus infrastructure. We began renovating our Life Science Building and broke ground on Maverick Hall, which is a new residence hall for students. In addition, our students passed a referendum to renovate and expand the University Center. We look forward to working with our students to design this important space for student engagement.
Earlier this spring, the Division of Enrollment Management launched ApplyUTA, a new UTA-managed application for graduate admission. Managed directly by the departments receiving the applications, ApplyUTA will significantly improve the application experience for prospective graduate students by providing greater transparency regarding application status, application tracking, and personalized communication from academic programs. Then, coming later this summer, be on the lookout for new enhancements in UTA’s mobile app, which will provide seamless access to MyMav, Canvas, academic support services, and Talent, Culture, and Engagement.
We have seen tremendous progress across each of our strategic themes thanks to our collective efforts. I want to commend you for your hard work this past semester, and I hope that you have a restful and productive summer.
