UTA’s new Saxbys cafe puts students in charge
For Kiley Vaughan, the start of her senior year brought an important new milestone in her academic career.
She was introduced as the inaugural student CEO of Saxbys, The University of Texas at Arlington’s new student-run coffee shop, during its grand opening event on Aug. 12.
"I am a finance student and senior here at UTA, and I am honored to also call myself the inaugural student CEO of UTA's new Saxbys cafe," Vaughan said.
The new cafe, located next to the UTA Bookstore, offers a selection of coffees and food items and is run entirely by undergraduates. Student team members will earn academic credit and wages while taking on full responsibility for the business, including its profit-and-loss statement, giving them the real-world, hands-on experience they can't get in a traditional classroom or typical coffee shop job.
"This is a real turning point for UTA," Vaughan said. "This is the place where anybody who wants to learn about real-world profit and loss or managing a team needs to be.”
As student CEO, Vaughan oversees the entire team, manages inventory and profit and loss, and works to form partnerships with student organizations, support campus events and secure catering opportunities. The cafe currently employs about 24 team members and is actively hiring to increase that number to 30-plus.
Related: UTA, Saxbys launch student-led learning café
Nick Bayer, founder and CEO of Saxbys, described the company as "an education company disguised as a coffee company" built to give students real-world leadership experience and develop what the company calls "power skills," such as emotional intelligence, critical thinking and resilience.
"This will be incredibly difficult, but it will also be really rewarding," Bayer said. "Our student CEOs and student leaders graduate college, and they go off and get leadership positions seven times faster than the average college graduate."
UTA is the first university in Texas and among a small number nationwide to bring the Saxbys experiential learning model to campus.
Tamara L. Brown, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at UTA, said the partnership reflects the University's strategic plan, UTA 2030: Shared Dreams, Bright Futures, which calls for strengthening community impact through partnerships.
"This space represents connection. It represents collaboration. It represents possibility," Dr. Brown said. "It's a place where relationships are going to be strengthened, where innovative ideas aren't just going to be birthed, but they're going to take shape."
Vaughan said the role is an opportunity to bring together Saxbys’ and UTA's cultures while building community across campus.
"Saxbys will soon be a core part of UTA's campus. A new study spot, a fun breakfast or lunch, and a unique experience for every team member and every guest," she said. "Today isn't a finished story. Today is page one, and I invite you all to come back and watch us write this."
About The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA)
The University of Texas at Arlington is a growing public research university in the heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. With a student body of over 42,700, UTA is the second-largest institution in the University of Texas System, offering more than 180 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Recognized as a Carnegie R-1 university, UTA stands among the nation’s top 5% of institutions for research activity. UTA and its 300,000 alumni generate an annual economic impact of $28.8 billion for the state. The University has received the Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities and has earned recognition for its focus on student access and success, considered key drivers to economic growth and social progress for North Texas and beyond.