Current Sustainability Report

A Message from the President

UTA is charting a path to becoming one of the nation’s most inclusive and impactful research universities in the country. This report covers activities and progress on our sustainability commitments from fiscal year 2018 through 2022.

Institutions of higher education play a pivotal role in transforming the lives of individuals and their communities. At UTA, we view sustainability as a path of continuous improvement where our actions protect and enhance the human and natural resources needed for future generations to enjoy a quality of life equal to or greater than our own.

Our approach to addressing sustainability challenges is built upon four cornerstones: Education and Outreach, Strategic Planning, Research, and Operations. In 2019-2020, UTA launched an update to the Strategic Plan 2025 designed to shape the future of higher education. Our strategic plan is crucial for our continued progress on our sustainability commitments.

UTA takes pride in our role as a leader in higher education and ground-breaking research. In 2021, UTA was designated a Texas Tier 1 (National Research University Fund) research institution after more than a decade of sustained focus. This prestigious Texas distinction acknowledges our academic and research excellence, placing us among an elite group of national research institutions.

Leadership and service are best achieved when we are inclusive and celebrate diversity in our community. In a world that requires innovative and creative responses to its problems, reaching out across divisions and differences of all types often offers the best promise in finding solutions. We affirm that inclusion and diversity enable us to be agents of change in an evolving world.

In recent years, UTA was challenged by the rapid emergence of COVID-19 that threatened our immediate and extended community. We rose to the challenge of ensuring the health and safety of our immediate community while maintaining excellence in teaching. Not only did we sustain a full year of online and hybrid learning, but we also conducted peak levels of research, awarded a record number of degrees, and increased overall graduation rates. In the fall of 2021, we welcomed students back to campus for inperson classes.

“We affirm that inclusion and diversity enable us to be agents of change in an evolving world.”

A UTA Maverick is an independent-minded person who finds unorthodox solutions. When we embody the Maverick Way, we dream big, set our goals high and aim to surpass them. The UTA community alumni, current members, and future Mavericks are change-makers who will contribute groundbreaking research, innovation, creativity, and passion to help make the world a better place for us all.

Sincerely,
Jennifer Cowley, Ph.D.
President