New Ten Year Strategic Plan Proposed by University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at Austin proposed a new ten-year strategic plan called ‘Change Starts Here’ to become one of the most impactful public research universities in the world. The Planning process was put in motion by Professor Jay Hartzell, who became the President of University of Texas at Austin in 2020.

He observed, “Now is the time for our university to turn ‘What starts here changes the world’ from a statement into a call to action, as we set a bold but wholly achievable aspiration.”

‘Change Starts Here’ was developed with input from students, alumni, faculty members and staffers via 1,500 survey responses and over 275 focus groups, interviews and group sessions.

Faculty Members who spearheaded the planning process are Professor Bobby Chesney from the School of Law, Professors Lauren Ancel Meyers from the College of Natural Sciences and Richard Flores from the College of Liberal Arts. An advisory committee comprising faculty members from across the university.

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Each faculty member or university leader will be assigned to lead a specific initiative area. A focused and collaborative transformation support Office within the office of the President will be in charge of steering the university leaders in the right direction.

The plan appeals to all UT Campus community members to work as a whole to implement around 40 schemes. These schemes are based on five main pillars that will aid in enhancing UT’s impact across campuses in the US and around the world.

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The five strategic pillars that form the foundation for ‘Change Starts Here’ have been mentioned below - 

• People 
• Place
• Experience
• Education
• Research

Hartzell further commented that ‘UT is the education, research and health care engine of the most dynamic city in the most thriving state. Now, we have the chance to do even more to change lives, power social mobility, and solve great challenges by creating impact at a scale that few other universities can match.’

UT’s ongoing campaign called ‘What Starts Here’ will also play a significant role in supporting the ten-year strategic plan. As part of this project, UT is also working on a three-year action plan focused on Diversity, Inclusion and equity. The plan called ‘You Belong here’ will help in creating an equitable and inclusive campus. 

Also read: Research shows a high international STEM graduate retention rate in the US

In this regard, LaToya Smith, Vice President for Diversity and Community Engagement commented, ‘This Plan for an Equitable and Inclusive Campus builds upon the university’s strengths in diversity, equity and inclusion yet encourages us to reach even higher.’ She further added, ‘It reflects an honest assessment of where we are and a commitment to attracting world-class talent from all backgrounds to a campus where everyone feels they belong.’

With around 52,000 students, 20,000 faculty, and staff members, University of Texas is one of the top universities in the world. It also ranks constantly among the top ten universities in the US and top 31 universities in the world.

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