University of Texas at San Antonio

The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is San Antonio?s largest public university, and currently

History

The University of Texas at San Antonio was founded on June 5, 1969 by Governor Preston Smith. UTSA now offers access and opportunity for more than 27,000 students, as mandated by the UT Board of Regents. UTSA has come a long way in just 35 years. Administrative offices for the first UTSA president, Arleigh B. Templeton, were set up in 1970 in Hemisfair Park, and architects Ford, Powell and Carson Inc. began developing a conceptual master plan for the campus.

Related Topics:
Preston Smith - UT Board of Regents - Arleigh B. Templeton - Hemisfair Park - Ford, Powell and Carson Inc.

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The '70s

In 1973 Peter T. Flawn was appointed UTSA's second president. By this time, more than 670 students had enrolled in graduate level courses taught by 52 faculty members.

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UTSA's earliest students attended college at the Koger Center, an office park.

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Master's degrees were offered in business administration, education, bicultural-bilingual studies, English as a second language, environmental management, Spanish, biology, mathematics and systems design.

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Thirty-eight degree programs were approved for the school.

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In 1973 construction began on UTSA's original campus, now known as the 1604 Campus, on a 600-acre tract in the rolling foothills of San Antonio's northwest side.

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As enrollment grew, five colleges?Business, Fine and Applied Arts, Sciences and Mathematics, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Multidisciplinary Studies?opened in 1975.

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In 1976 the John Peace Library Building, which also served as the new administration building, opened.

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The '80s

[[Image:80sStudentsWithRowdyTimeCapsule.jpg|frame|Students seal time capsule

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for 35 years, 1983]]

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James W. Wagener was named UTSA president in 1978.

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In the 1980s four new colleges were put in placem and new undergraduate programs were offered in civil, mechanical and electrical engineering.

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Later in the decade, the College of Sciences and Mathematics was reorganized to form the College of Sciences and Engineering.

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Also, UTSA's athletics teams began competing as San Antonio's only NCAA Division I sports program.

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More than 12,000 students enrolled at UTSA in this era.

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A recital hall, university center and the first on-campus residence?Chisholm Hall?opened.

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The Institute of Texan Cultures also became a part of UTSA during this period.

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Samuel A. Kirkpatrick became the fourth UTSA president in 1990.

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The '90s

UTSA began offering classes downtown in the Institute of Texan Cultures, and as enrollment increased, the university began looking for a new location.

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Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises purchased the Fiesta Plaza site for the new campus. The Texas Legislature-funded South Texas Border Initiative (which provided $352.4 million for new educational programs and buildings at 19 universities in the South Texas border region) allocated $71.5 million to UTSA, with $20 million stipulated for the Downtown Campus.

Related Topics:
Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises - South Texas Border Initiative

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The 11-acre Downtown Campus was dedicated in fall of 1997 and now has four academic buildings.

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A growing number of undergraduate and graduate degrees can be completed on-site at the Downtown Campus.

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Other facilities constructed or opened during the 1990s included the Engineering- Biosciences Building, Business Building, a campus visitor center, and a computer lab.

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The student-centered University Center has tripled its original size.

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2000 and beyond

Ricardo Romo became UTSA's fifth president in 1999 and was the first Hispanic president in the university's 30-year history.

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Academic reorganization the following year included a move to six colleges?Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, Liberal and Fine Arts, Sciences, and Public Policy.

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A School of Architecture, Honors College and The Graduate School were subsequently developed.

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New construction and additions to the campuses recently begun or completed include the Downtown Campus Durango Annex, home of the UTSA Institute for Economic Development;

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a $19.3-million Recreation and Wellness Center and Child Development Center;

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and the Main Building, a $52 million facility located just east of the John Peace Library Building on the 1604 Campus.

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Completion of UTSA's $83.7 million Biotechnology, Sciences and Engineering Building is scheduled for 2005.

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Chaparral Village, a $45 million, 1,000-bed student housing project, opened Fall 2004.

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The complex, one of UT System's largest, includes several three-story buildings with two and four-bedroom units and a dining facility.

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Oddly enough UTSA's school of architecture allows juniors students to teach sophomores.

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Research initiatives

In addition to the educational advantages UTSA offers, its economic impact directly and indirectly produces more than $1 billion in annual business activity in Texas, including more than 6,500 jobs and $200 million in personal income.

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Purchases by UTSA in FY 2004 totaled more than $30.8 million, with $6.5 million or 21 percent designated or obtained from historically underutilized business (HUB) vendors.

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The university currently has 3,899 employees.

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UTSA has a goal to become a doctoral/research intensive institution (at least 20 doctoral degrees a year in at least three disciplines) by 2007 and a doctoral/research extensive institution, yet UTSA's school of architecture accepts 100% of their applicants to increase revenue.

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As the premier doctoral/research university of South Texas and as a Hispanic-serving institution, UTSA will continue to provide educational opportunities for the underrepresented population of the region at the highest level of excellence.

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