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|Fall Faculty and Associates Meeting
4 p.m., Thursday, September 20th, 2007
Good Afternoon.
Listening to the citations for those who received professor emeriti honors today, it's easy to see how much this University has changed over the years. The individuals honored here today played a crucial role in our expansion and growth into a major university. Please join me again in recognizing these individuals for their contributions to our legacy and for laying a solid foundation for the future growth of UT Arlington.
Meeting with the members of our University faculty gives me the opportunity to share with you our progress and to address common challenges that lie ahead.
In particular, I wish to extend a special welcome to all of our new faculty members joining us this year. You have chosen a first-rate university-a university clearly on the move-and we are delighted to welcome you to Maverick Country. Would all of our new faculty members and associates please stand? Please join me in welcoming our new colleagues.
The program lists the names of your new colleagues and their impressive credentials. I'd like to tell you about a few, in particular, who have joined us this fall. Their stories are indicative of the new wave of faculty we have hired to join our already-outstanding faculty. Professors Michelle Murillo, John Buckwalter, and Arne Winguth have come to our campus from very different starting points, yet they share our collective aspiration for UT Arlington's future.
Professor Murillo is a new assistant professor in the Department of Art & Art History whose work in printmaking is in permanent collections on three continents, and whose dedication to research and service have made her recognized worldwide in her field. Dr. Buckwalter is the new chair of our Department of Kinesiology. He's authored more than 40 publications, has received grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, and his research on the autonomic nervous system has won awards from the American Psychological Society. Dr. Winguth is a new assistant professor in our Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. His research, which is funded in part by the National Science Foundation, will bring to UT Arlington a computer lab to run climate models and to interact with scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
These are just three examples of many. And they will join their colleagues who are already well established here to make important contributions to their disciplines and their classrooms. Ultimately, the work and prominence of these new faculty members and their colleagues will enhance the University's reputation. In fact, they are shining examples of our highest priority for UT Arlington: to continue to enhance the national prominence of our scholarship and research.
We have made significant investments toward this goal, and I'm pleased that we've made real progress in the past year. I believe that few universities can lay claim to such an impressive array of achievements. Consider the following:
We have assumed an aggressive approach to recruiting the best talent we can find. This is the third year in a row that we have recruited about 100 new faculty members to our University to fill both new and existing positions. The colleagues who join us this fall were highly sought by many other institutions, but they ultimately chose UT Arlington.
While the number of new faculty we have added this year is impressive, it should also be underscored that over the past three years, in addition to filling vacant faculty lines, we have successfully expanded our faculty ranks by roughly 100 new faculty positions. Our new faculty members join a highly productive academic community. During the past year, we saw a 30% increase in the number of research awards, compared the previous year. Total research funding for the past academic year is $40 million, and we have every reason to believe this academic year will yield even more impressive results.
A very encouraging sign is that we have seen an impressive level of collaboration-among UT Arlington faculty and beyond. More than ever, our faculty members are collaborating with their peers at other institutions, and in the private sector as well. In the past four years, we have announced important partnerships with UT Southwestern Medical Center, UT Dallas, and corporate partners such as Texas Instruments, Laerdal, and Lockheed Martin.
Also, this past year we saw a record number of invention disclosures, demonstrating our drive to move UT Arlington discoveries from the laboratories into the marketplace.
In addition to strengthening the size and quality of our faculty and making tangible strides in research, we also have made important progress in the classroom. During the past year, we added the latest instructional technology to more than 115 classrooms. And this fall, we equipped each of those classrooms with the technology that permits faculty to employ student-response systems, or "clickers." Several of our faculty members have already used this technology and enthusiastically report on its ability to more actively engage students in the learning process.
Part of the University's SACS accreditation efforts included pilot programs in "active learning" for higher-order thinking skills, designed to make our curriculum more interactive. We have seen great enthusiasm for the pilot projects, and the provost and deans are now considering how to make larger investments in "active learning" across campus.
Our vision for UT Arlington's future, and its academic strength, revolves around a dynamic campus master plan-evidence of which is already taking shape around campus. Included are dramatic new facilities for research, teaching, and student life. A month ago, we held the grand opening for the Smart Hospital, which is literally a facility unlike any other anywhere. We have already hosted visitors from around the world to view this state-of-the-art teaching environment that experts predict will revolutionize nursing education. In the coming months, we will break ground on a new engineering classroom and laboratory facility. This building will be a first of its kind at UT Arlington because we are intentionally planning and designing research space that will house faculty from the colleges of Engineering and Science who are engaged in multi-disciplinary research. And about 10 miles from our main campus here in Arlington-at the intersection of I-30 and MacArthur-we expect to begin construction on a world-class Center for Structural Engineering Research in conjunction with a long-time corporate partner, Hanson Pipe & Precast.
Finally, I would like to note the important progress we're making in the area of campus life and the perception of our University in the community. Look across campus today, and you'll see a vibrant mix of co-curricular activities designed to enhance the complete university experience. We have made a concerted effort to enrich the campus experience for all our faculty, staff, and students-in addition to the 4,500 students who live on campus. Whether it's the very successful OneBook program, visiting luminaries such as First Lady Laura Bush, Senator Bill Bradley (who will be here a week from today), filmmakers Spike Lee and Forrest Whitaker (who will be here in the spring), or the unveiling of the new Maverick mascot, there is a new engagement and excitement on campus. Increasingly, everyone is proud to Be a Maverick!
As part of our effort to enrich campus life, earlier this week we opened the doors to our incredible new Maverick Activities Center...or MAC. This new center is sure to become a new hub of student life-and that of the entire University community-on campus.
In addition, we have increased the visibility of our campus through an aggressive branding initiative. Now our students and prospective students know what it is means to Be A Maverick. They are invited to join a Maverick community known for its innovation, its spirit, and its determination to succeed despite any obstacle.
Indeed, we have made important progress in a short time. Each of the successes just mentioned required meeting a challenge head-on and represents a team-effort by many. While it's important to take stock of the progress we've made, it's equally important to acknowledge some of the challenges that lie before us.
First and foremost among those challenges is the continued financial health of the University. The last legislative session began with a somber outlook as we learned that UT Arlington stood to lose about $16 million in state revenue for the biennium under the proposed funding scheme. Much of our effort during the last legislative session was spent working closely with our local legislative delegation and other legislative friends to simply restore these anticipated cuts. While we consider ourselves fortunate to have restored this funding, we did not reach the level of funding we had hoped for...and need. The current formula seriously under funds instructional areas such as engineering, nursing and education, which are among our areas of greatest strength and high enrollment. The formula, as it's currently used, is a blunt instrument that does not sufficiently recognize these areas of instruction that are critically important to the state. Our highest priority between now and the next legislative session is to gain support for refining the formula to recognize these "critical needs" fields.
Another financial challenge facing us this fall concerns tuition and fees. As you know, tuition, coupled with state appropriations, constitutes most of our operating budget. What the legislature does not provide must be made up with revenue from tuition-and increasingly, from private gifts and grants and other sources of funds.
The reality is that the state has significantly decreased its level of support for higher education over the past two decades-but especially since 2002. To offset this decrease in state appropriations, students all across Texas (and the nation) have had to pay a larger portion of the costs of their education. During the past two years, our students have faced significant tuition increases. Even with increased levels of financial aid and other financial incentives, our students have a limited capacity to absorb future increases. This fall, we will once again consult with the Tuition Advisory Committee (which is chaired by our Student Congress President) in recommending tuition and fee levels for the next two years. Arriving at an appropriate tuition level that recognizes issues of student access, future enrollment growth, and the University's fiscal needs will be a delicate balancing act.
We also continue to recognize the need to address faculty and staff salaries. While we were able to provide a self-funded merit pool of 3% this year, we recognize that much more needs to be done. Indeed, we had planned for a larger pool had the result from legislature been more favorable. Addressing salary levels is a high priority for me and our administration, and we will continue to look for creative ways to meet this challenge.
Finally, I would like to mention the continuing challenge to diversify our faculty and student body and to embrace that diversity. Last week I received and endorsed the major recommendations of the committee that I appointed to examine student diversity and international understanding on campus. In addition to these recommendations, we will continue to set aside a number of faculty lines for Target of Opportunity hires designed to attract outstanding and diverse faculty members to our campus. I've asked the deans and department chairs to partner with us in this effort.
I look forward to working with all of you to meet the challenges set before us, and to continue the growth and progress our aspirations demand. As we look ahead to this new academic year, I want to take a final moment to recognize the contributions of those who have made so much of our prior achievement possible.
First on this list is Professor Dana Dunn, who has just stepped down from her role as provost. Dana's leadership and hard work energized our academic community to blossom in many fruitful ways. As we begin the search for her successor, we will look for an academic leader who will continue our progress to the next level of national prominence. I also want to acknowledge Ron Elsenbaumer, who is serving as interim provost. Ron has a long and distinguished history here at UT Arlington, and he has hit the ground running in this new position. Thank you, Ron, for all you have done and are doing for UT Arlington. And finally, I want to recognize all of you-the members of our faculty. UT Arlington's faculty members have propelled our growth with outstanding research, scholarship, and teaching. Our faculty are collaborating more than ever before, they are working together as their disciplines intersect, and they are innovators and entrepreneurs. I see a tremendous energy in the academic work happening on this campus. The results of this faculty's contributions have made a real difference here in the Metroplex-and far beyond.
It's an honor to be a part of such a community, and to welcome the newest professors who will add their own mark here as we continue the drive toward new levels of excellence.
Thank you.
