The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA or UT San Antonio) is a public research university in San Antonio, Texas, United States. Established in 1969,"">https://www.utsystem.edu/about/history-ut-system History of the University of Texas System University of Texas System. Retrieved December 25, 2012. UTSA is the largest university in San Antonio and the third-largest public research university in Texas by annual research expenditures, enrolling approximately 38,200 students across six campuses spanning about 1,200 acres.
UT San Antonio is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity", a status held by 187 of the approximately 4,000 degree-granting postsecondary institutions in the U.S., representing about 4.7% of universities nationwide. UTSA generates $7 billion in annual economic impact.
Student-athletes compete as the UTSA Roadrunners and are members of the American Conference. The football team, which was founded in 2009, previously competed in Conference USA, the WAC, and as a Football Championship Subdivision independent.UTSA officials happy with attendance . San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved November 21, 2012."UTSA to join Conference USA in 2013–14 . goUTSA.com. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
History
Establishment (1969 to 1970s)
The University of Texas at San Antonio was officially founded on June 5, 1969, by the 61st Texas Legislature as H.B. 42 and signed into law by Governor Preston Smith."A Guide to the UTSA General Information and University History Collection, 1967–2009 ". UTSA Special Collections. Retrieved November 15, 2012. Frank Lombardino, a conservative Democrat who represented northwest Bexar County in the state legislature, was known as the "father of UTSA" due to his impassioned advocacy for the institution."A Guide to the Frank Lombardino Papers, 1967–1978 ". UTSA Special Collections. Retrieved December 25, 2012. When Governor Smith signed the bill officially establishing the university, he did so on the back of Lombardino in a ceremony in front of the Alamo."UTSA to celebrate major milestones ". UTSA Today. Retrieved December 25, 2012. At the university's inaugural commencement, the first diploma was also signed on Lombardino's back."The First Commencement, 1974 ". The Top Shelf. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
In 1970, the University of Texas Board of Regents appointed the university's first president, Arleigh B. Templeton, who served from 1970 to 1972, and received a land donation of in far northwest San Antonio for the site of UTSA. The architecture firm of Ford, Powell and Carson Inc. was assigned to develop a master plan for the university. O'Neil Ford, the designer of both the Tower of the Americas and the Trinity University tower (Murchison Tower), designed the campus to be evocative of an Italian village."Look Who's Forty ". UTSA Sombrilla Magazine. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
The 671 graduate students composing the first class at the university began attending classes on June 5, 1973. Upperclassmen and lowerclassmen were admitted in 1975 and 1976, respectively. Students temporarily attended class at the Koger Center, which also housed administrative offices until 1975, when construction on the Main Campus was completed. Enrollment at this time numbered 4,433 students."UTSA Timeline ". About UTSA. Retrieved July 8, 2012. UTSA began with five colleges: Business, Fine and Applied Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Multidisciplinary Studies, and Science and Mathematics.
By 1975, the university's colors were being discussed among student leaders and the administration. UTSA's third color of blue, in addition to orange and white, was selected, beating out other proposed colors such as "fiesta red" and "cactus green"."Could UTSA Have Bled Fiesta Red? ". The Top Shelf. Retrieved January 3, 2012. The John Peace Library opened the next year, serving as the new administrative headquarters for the university.
The discussion of a university mascot soon followed the selection of school colors. In the fall of 1977, an election was held to determine the school's mascot, with "the armadillos" and "the stars" taking the top two spots. However, the referendum was declared void by the student government, and a new election was held with nine candidates and a write-in option. The top two choices from the second election, the roadrunner and the armadillo, campaigned in a competitive run-off. On December 9, 1977, the roadrunner was announced as UTSA's first and only mascot.
In 1978, James W. Wagener, a graduate of Southern Methodist University and former acting dean of the University of Texas Health Science Center, was selected to be UTSA's third president. The Alumni Association was formed that same year, providing a new avenue of support for the university. The first Fiesta UTSA was held in April 1978, with multiple bands playing throughout the day and culminating in a school dance. At the end of the 1970s, enrollment numbered 9,400 undergraduate and graduate students.
Continuing on (1980s to 1999)
The Paisano was established in 1981 as the first independent student publication in the state. During the fall of that year, the university began competing in intercollegiate athletics."UTSA's First 'Stadium' ". The Top Shelf. Retrieved December 25, 2012. It was immediately elected to Division I status in the NCAA."UTSA Bulletin 02-81 ". UTSA Special Collections. Retrieved December 25, 2012. The Student Representative Assembly oversaw the burial of a time capsule in 1983, the university's 10th anniversary, instructing it to be opened on June 5, 2023."10th Anniversary Time Capsule ". UTSA Libraries. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
In 1986, UTSA acquired the Institute of Texan Cultures, a center for multicultural education in the state, as a campus. During this year, both the University Center and Chisholm Hall, the university's first on-campus housing complex, opened."UTSA's Presidents ". About UTSA. Retrieved July 8, 2012.
In 1994, the U.S. Department of Education designated UTSA as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).
On the first day of fall classes in 1996, a campus shooter stormed into the John Peace Library."August 28, 1996 ". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved May 10, 2013. The perpetrator, Gregory Tidwell, murdered head of cataloging Stephen L. Sorensen before fatally shooting himself in the chest.
The University Center expanded in the late 1990s, breaking ground in 1995 on the 97,500-square-foot, $13.2 million building, dubbed "UC Phase II", which included the new Retama Auditorium and UTSA Bookstore."History ". UTSA Events Management & Conference Services. Retrieved February 15, 2013. The Downtown Campus opened the doors to its permanent location on Interstate Highway 10 and Cesar Chavez Blvd. (then Durango Blvd.) in 1997.
Ricardo Romo, a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and UCLA, became UTSA's fifth president in May 1999. He began with the ambitious agenda of aggressively expanding UTSA, both physically and academically, laying out the university's "Roadmap to Excellence"."Dr. Ricardo Romo ". The University of Texas at Austin. Retrieved February 15, 2013. During his tenure, UTSA would grow 68% in student enrollment while adding new programs and facilities."President's Bio ". UTSA. Retrieved February 15, 2013.
Expansion and growth (2000 to 2009)
In the early 2000s, UTSA embarked on a long-term campaign to dramatically increase its national prestige and selectivity. A Master Plan was created in 2007 as a guide for this campaign and to direct the future physical growth of the institution. The UTSA 2016 strategic plan, formulated at the same time, is guided by the Master Plan and formed the basis for the development of the university into a "premier research institution" by 2016. John T. Montford—a San Antonio businessman, former chancellor of the Texas Tech University System, and a member of the Texas State Senate from 1983 to 1996—eventually established the UTSA President's Dinner and, in 2007, the event raised US$4.6 million.
From 2006 to 2009, UTSA completed over $250 million in construction projects. The $84 million, five-story Biotechnology, Sciences and Engineering (BSE) Building opened its doors in 2006. The university underwent extensive remodeling in 2009, renovating older buildings such as the John Peace Library (JPL), the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS, now known as the McKinney Humanities or MH), and the Multidisciplinary Studies (MS) buildings. A new ceramics studio broke ground in 2009, and two adjacent science buildings underwent $24 million in renovations. The $83 million Applied Engineering and Technology building (AET) also opened its doors in 2009. A year later, the AET Library opened as the nation's first completely bookless library on a college or university campus.
Proposition 4 was passed by Texas voters in November 2009. This legislation names 7 emerging research universities in Texas, UTSA being one, that could compete for additional state funds in an effort to increase the number of Tier-One institutions in Texas. Factors such as research expenditures, graduate degrees awarded, and scholarly productivity all play a part in which schools receive the most funding.
Further expansion (2010 to 2020)
The first-time undergraduate acceptance rate was 60% for the Fall of 2013. U.S. News & World Report ranked UTSA's admissions process as "selective". In 2010, the university hit an enrollment benchmark of 30,000 students, signifying a growth rate of more than 39% over the past decade."President's Newsletter – January 2013 ". UTSA. Retrieved February 15, 2013."Student Enrollment ". UTSA Fact Book 2012. UTSA was one of the fastest-growing universities in Texas during this decade,"". College Portraits. Retrieved February 15, 2013. reaching an enrollment of nearly 31,000 students by 2012.
However, in 2011, the Center for College Affordability and Productivity ranked UTSA's freshmen as the second most "unhappy" in the country, based on low retention rates. The associate vice president and members of the Student Government Association refuted this claim.
That same year, the university fielded a football team as an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision independent, with Larry Coker as the inaugural head coach. The following year, 2012, UTSA, the city's sole NCAA Division I university at the time, became a member of the Western Athletic Conference; one year later, it moved to Conference USA."Rivals UTSA, Texas State will join Western Athletic Conference in 2012 ". kens5.com. Retrieved November 15, 2012."It's official: UTSA joins C-USA ". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
In 2014, the "New" North Paseo building (NPB) was completed and now houses Computer Science and Cyber Security labs and classrooms. The NPB is also home to the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS), the Center for Education and Research in Information and Infrastructure Security (CERIIS), and the Institute for Cyber Security.
Ricardo Romo, who had served as president since 1999, resigned on March 3, 2017, after having been placed on administrative leave. Pedro Reyes served as interim president from February through August 2017.Lauren Caruba and Silvia Foster-Frau, "Romo steps down as UTSA president: Leader had been under investigation", San Antonio Express-News, March 4, 2017, pp. 1, A14. On September 1, 2017, Thomas Taylor Eighmy, the vice chancellor for research and engagement at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, began serving as UTSA's sixth president.