Business Activity Impact Report

CREATING A STRONGER COMMUNITY

UT Arlington relishes the intellectual adventure of forging innovative partnerships that spawn fresh approaches to community engagement. By pursuing life-enhancing discoveries, aiding populations in need, preserving our natural resources, and enriching the cultural climate, the University devises new ways to change the trajectory of thousands of lives each year.

As beacons of innovation, UT Arlington researchers use fundamental knowledge to develop applied technology that improves our region, state, and nation. The University has invested more than $4 million in infrastructure for energy-related exploration, equipping the Center for Renewable Energy, Science, and Technology with the resources to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. In the health care arena, bioengineers have received more than $2 million from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to fight the disease that claimed 572,000 American lives in 2011.

UT Arlington students annually volunteer more than 400,000 hours in the community, benefiting a wide range of agencies and organizations. The University also takes pride in being a responsible steward of the environment. In addition to green construction practices that include multiple LEED-certified buildings, UT Arlington’s award-winning sustainability initiatives include a community garden, car rental and bicycle programs, and an extensive recycling enterprise.

As a dynamic fine arts hub, the University offers a diverse array of cultural and educational programs that enrich, inform, and entertain the North Texas community. Campus art galleries host thought-provoking regional and national exhibits, and music and theater faculty and students present a lively slate of concerts and plays. The popular Maverick Speakers Series brings luminaries from a variety of disciplines to examine the people, ideas, actions, and solutions that impact the world around us.

The recent opening of College Park Center is shining a spotlight on UT Arlington’s intercollegiate athletics programs. Not only does the 7,000-seat arena provide a first-class game-day experience for Maverick fans, it allows the University to attract high-profile opponents for its basketball and volleyball teams.

Come fall 2013, UT Arlington will join the Sun Belt Conference after nearly 50 years in the Southland Conference and one year in the Western Athletic Conference. The move is expected to elevate the University’s athletics programs and increase its national profile.

Fostering Civic Engagement

UT Arlington embraces its role as an economic catalyst and caring community partner, fostering collaborations that magnify the University’s focus on developing tangible solutions with real-world applications.

UT Arlington, in partnership with best-selling author and urban theorist Richard Florida and his Creative Class group, is examining the North Texas region’s assets and challenges with a goal of maximizing the area’s competitive advantages. Dr. Florida serves as a visiting distinguished research scholar at the University.

The Shimadzu Center for Analytical Chemistry houses $6 million in state-of-the-art instrumentation to explore the prevention and treatment of diseases such as cancer and malaria, as well as to develop nanofabrication materials for industry.

The Center for African American Studies, the only center of its kind in North Texas, examines issues related to race and cultural diversity. It is a collaboration between the College of Liberal Arts and the School of Social Work.

The Institute of Urban Studies in the School of Urban and Public Affairs completes dozens of projects benefiting Texas cities each year, from feasibility and corridor studies to updates of parks and land-use plans.

The Center for Community Service Learning promotes civic engagement and social responsibility by giving thousands of students the opportunity to learn in real-world settings.