UTSA 2010 *
Samuel A. Kirkpatrick
President
UTSA 2010 is a distinctive comprehensive university of the first class - - a national
model for a new kind of metropolitan university committed to a high quality and accessible
undergraduate experience, excellence in teaching, innovative programming, basic and
applied research essential for enhancing the quality of life, and to service for one of the
country's greatest international cities of the twenty-first century. Its distinctiveness is
marked by pluralism and a commitment to enhancing a rich, multicultural environment,
by its international reach, and by its success as a model new university - - aggressively
embracing a catalyst role for economic development and an enhanced quality of life
through preparation of an educated workforce, discovery of new knowledge and
application of knowledge and creative energies to the challenges of San Antonio, Texas,
and the nation.
Just over 40 years ago, the Texas Legislature chartered UTSA to be a university
of the ''first class" with bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees "as are offered at
leading American universities." The meaning of that designation is now apparent at a time
of full maturity at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. "First class" means
distinctive, having characteristics that set one apart from being second or third class.
This does not necessarily mean commonality among first class institutions or does it
suggest unidimensionality of criteria. Educators have long known that institutions as
different as Berkeley and Dartmouth were institutions of the first class, each known for the
various dimensions of their quality. Similarly, today others cite The University of Texas
at Austin and UTSA as first class, despite some important differences.
The principles of distinctiveness and quality are paramount and both have guided
the University of Texas at San Antonio since its inception - - distinctiveness in educational
philosophy, multiculturalism, academic organization, and attentiveness to quality through
a legacy in The University of Texas System. UTSA has been successful because it has
skillfully countered problematic trends and set itself apart from ordinary public institutions.
Hallmarks of Distinctiveness
What are the hallmarks of a great university in a new century and how has UTSA
come to enjoy the distinctiveness of first class?
* The strategic planning process of the University of Texas at San Antonio calls for a
presidential vision statement on the future of the University. This broad view of the likely
desirable features of the institution in the longer term is presented from the vantage point
of the year 2010.