Leadership provides next steps toward integration between UTSA and UT Health San Antonio

Editor’s Note: The following message was emailed by the UTSA President. Taylor Eighmy and interim president of UT Health San Antonio Robert Hromas to all teachers, staff and students.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024 — In our last update, we outlined the process to unify UTSA and UT Health San Antonio into one world-class university. In this post, we also announced the launch of an onboarding website that will serve as a resource for updates, schedules, progress, and more. Today we are writing to share the next steps in the process.

We have a system in place to share and gather feedback on a unified mission statement.
The Integrated Steering Committee (ISC) is currently focused on the first phase of work, which includes essential planning for our accreditation applications. To prepare for submission of our prospectus to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), an institutional accrediting body for quality assurance in higher education, we have drafted a combined mission statement which will be reviewed by the shared governance systems of each establishment. Before submitting the statement to SACSCOC, we must first present it to the UT System Board of Regents for approval at its next board meeting in November. Then, our new mission statement, along with other critical elements, can be submitted by March 2025 to receive approval from the SACSCOC Board of Directors at its June 2025 meeting.

The ISC launches task forces and working groups to support our path to integration.
The ISC has begun to form working groups with focused areas of responsibility. Each will be co-chaired by a leader from UTSA and UT Health San Antonio and will be comprised of colleagues from both institutions. Working groups may choose to create task forces to support specific goals. The composition of working groups and task forces will evolve over time, as will the composition of the ISC.

Four working groups will be officially launched this week.
The ISC has formally tasked four working groups with objectives and deliverables to begin their work. Visit our website to learn more about the Communications Working Group, the Branding and Marketing Working Group, the SACSCOC Accreditation Working Group, and the SACSCOC Accreditation Working Group health education. Additional working groups will be launched gradually over the coming months.

Your contribution is important and we will continue to share engagement opportunities.
We’ve already heard from many of you and are grateful for your continued ideas, questions, and support. We will continue to share engagement opportunities as they become available and encourage you to continue visiting the website for the latest information.

Please stay engaged and continue the great work. The success of our university is not possible without you, and we look forward to continuing to work together on this bold path forward.