President Spaniolo has put UT Arlington on course to become one of America's next great research universities.
Milestone After Milestone
The University of Texas at Arlington is on a mission. Our goal is clear and focused—to transform our university into one of the next great American research institutions, to become a Tier One university in every respect.
When you’ve set the bar as high as we have, progress is measured not in incremental or baby steps, but in major milestones. Each calculated stride must be bold, confident, and strategic.
A bellwether of our vision for the future is captured in our magnificent new Engineering Research Complex, which faculty members will begin moving into in just a few months.
What better way to demonstrate our commitment to cutting-edge research than this state-of-the-art facility dedicated to engineering and science laboratories and instruction. The students and faculty members who build their careers in this complex will generate new ideas and new knowledge that will define the next generation of research at UT Arlington.
As one construction project ends, another one (or two, or three) begins here at UT Arlington. Construction is well under way on our spectacular $78 million special events center. It won’t be long before this hub of downtown activity will be hosting concerts, commencements, lectures, volleyball, basketball, and numerous other community events. The promise of this facility will soon be fulfilled, and our Mavericks will finally have the home court advantage they so richly deserve.
Right next door to the special events center site, we’re breaking ground on one of our most ambitious projects yet—College Park. This mixed-use development represents a growing partnership between the University and the City of Arlington and is the manifestation of our plan for downtown Arlington’s revitalization as a thriving college town district. College Park will include a residence hall, student apartments, retail shops and restaurants, and an impressive 1,800-car parking garage. At the heart of College Park will be a beautiful welcome center for UT Arlington—a new front door for prospective students and their families.
Our campus infrastructure isn’t the only thing growing. True to our strategic initiative to dramatically increase our enrollment without sacrificing quality, we experienced unprecedented double-digit growth last fall—reaching a total enrollment of more than 28,000 students.
We continued that trend with record enrollment for both this past spring and summer. And we’re anticipating enrollment of more than 30,000 students this fall.
While the numbers are remarkable, the academic quality of our incoming students is what’s most impressive. We continue to attract and enroll a diverse mix of students who are at the top of their high school class and who are attracted to an outstanding institution like UT Arlington.
This fall’s entering class was welcomed as no other class before them—with the support and guidance of our new University College. Appropriately housed in Ransom Hall, our oldest building located right in the center of campus, University College brings together a wide range of services, including academic advising, tutoring, and counseling, that are essential to student success.
Finally, on a smaller yet no-less-meaningful scale, the magazine you’re reading represents another milestone for UT Arlington. For the first time in the history of the University, we’re mailing our flagship publication, UTArlington Magazine, to all of our alumni, as well as to our growing list of friends and supporters—approximately 145,000 of you.
We hope UTArlington Magazine helps you discover, or perhaps rediscover, all that makes UT Arlington such a special place. We look forward to sharing our news with you three times each year, and we look forward to hearing from you as well. Please keep in touch. We hope to see you on campus soon.
