Greetings,

One of the many reasons I am thankful to be a Maverick is because our University is a committed and trusted partner in the North Texas community, with collaborative partnerships that benefit our region and our students. Through these collective efforts, The University of Texas at Arlington and our neighbors become more than the sum of our parts.

We’re seeing this spirit of collaboration play out in the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation’s generous support of our new campus building for the School of Social Work and the College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s Smart Hospital. The Foundation’s $1 million matching gift has the goal of inspiring alumni as well as other members of the Maverick community to take part in bringing this state-of-the-art facility to life.

Similarly, Lockheed Martin is making up to $5.2 million available for eligible UTA students to gain real-world employment skills by holding paid positions at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control in Grand Prairie. It’s the only program of its kind in Texas.

In turn, our students, faculty and staff help transform our region by pushing the boundaries of discovery on multiple fronts. We’re collaborating on the design of technology-rich micro-housing for older adults and examining how group exercise programs can improve the quality of life of minority and medically underserved cancer survivors. And as the newest Texas Tier One university, our research enterprise extends globally, with a biology team tracking and trying to stop a deadly coral reef disease that threatens some of our most important ecosystems.

I’m also thankful to be part of a community that takes care of its own, as evidenced by a recent Star Award from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for our outstanding response to COVID‑19.

In this year of unique challenges, the Maverick community continues to persevere and lead. I’m thankful to be a part of the UTA team and for your support of our incredible University. I wish you and yours a happy season of Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Teik C. Lim, Ph.D. UTA President ad interim