Change Starts Here
UT’s 10-Year Strategic Plan to Increase Impact
Becoming the world’s highest-impact public research university is within our reach. Almost 140 years of expansion and achievement have positioned us for this moment. Our public mission and our reach across areas of scholarship, research, the arts and health are unique among universities and makes this goal realistic. But a goal without a plan is just a wish.
Presidential Summary
We are at a unique time for the university, for Austin, and for Texas. UT is already the flagship university, the educational and research engine of the most dynamic city in the country’s most thriving state. We have countless strengths that make us special, including the ability to create impact at scale and a breadth of excellence that few other universities can match. And we are powered by outstanding and diverse faculty, staff, students, and alumni who have incredible talent, passion for impact, and unparalleled potential.
Download UT’s Strategic Plan
Planning for a Decade of Higher Impact
Change Starts Here is our 10-year strategic plan to increase the university’s positive impact on the world. It’s organized around three ideas that have always made UT special: our people, our place and our pursuits. This last category — pursuits — we have further divided into three parts: 1. Experience — how can we ensure a UT education is life-changing for students and that working here is a first class experience for faculty and staff? 2. Education — what does a college student need to learn today and what is the best way to teach that? And 3. Research — what are the most pressing needs of our age, and how can we better harness our intellectual power to meet this moment?
In fall 2022, we established the Transformation & Strategy Office within the President’s Office to provide guidance, support, and coordination campuswide on executing Change Starts Here. Work has begun on more than half of our plan’s 42 initiative areas, and bold planning for the future is underway across colleges, schools and business units. Please continue thinking about how you can make an impact across the pillars of people, place and pursuits of experiences, education and research. Thank you for engaging in this exciting endeavor — it is emblematic of the power and purpose of making it your Texas and our Texas. Your efforts will make our vision a reality.
In a short time, we have taken decisive action towards our aspiration by accelerating progress in key initiative areas
May 3, 2022
Published Change Starts Here and You Belong Here
June 2022
Prioritized initiative areas and workstreams for mobilization
Kicked off key workstreams
July 2022
Built consensus with all deans and vice presidents
Identified co-sponsors for initiative areas mobilizing Summer/Fall
August 2022
Onboarded sponsors
Established the Transformation and Strategy Office
Sept. – Dec. 2022
Mobilized key initiative areas in Change Starts Here
Piloting process and tools with initiative area leadership
Attracting more high potential students
Investing in Faculty and Staff talent
Building a campus for the next century
Increasing interdisciplinary studies
Increasing economic opportunity for Texas
Solving great challenges through UT research
Increasing graduation rates
Connecting Austin and UT
Evolving Dell Medical
Pursuing academic freedom
Reimagining talent management
Serving more historically underrepresented groups
Expanding Extended Campus programs
Increasing the
supply of housing
Establishing a new Robotics program
Bolstering services for the “whole student”
Making Austin the next major health care hub
Tell Us Your Story
We invite and encourage all members of the community to be part of the journey to make UT the highest-impact public research university in the world. While some initiatives will be initiated centrally, our colleges and schools, operating units, student and stakeholder organizations, and partners inside and outside UT will play a critical role in advancing our strategic plan. Our efforts will be transparent and measurable. Each year, UT will release an impact report that highlights and celebrates our achievements and the important and positive impact of our work as we strive to become the highest-impact public research university in the world.
How We Got Here
In early 2021, we began the process of defining a strategic direction — a 10-year aspiration and the supporting pillars to help us achieve it. Our team, led by top faculty in partnership with the Advisory Committee, arrived at this direction after meeting regularly with more than 100 campus leaders on working teams to develop the plans, reviewing 1,500 responses from multiple surveys across campus, and ultimately reviewing the approach via 275 interviews, focus groups and working sessions with campus stakeholders. In September 2021, we published the strategic direction, along with our strategic aspirations and pillars. And in May 2022, we rolled out our strategic plan, Change Starts Here.
1,500
Feedback
Respondents submitted 1,500 surveys, including the “Submit Your Ideas” form and surveys within UT’s Finance, IT and HR offices.
275
Interviews and Focus Groups
Faculty, staff, students, alumni, local business leaders, UT System leaders, Austin community leaders and others participated in more than 275 interviews, focus groups and working sessions.
100
Campus Thought Leaders
More than 100 campus thought leaders including deans, VPs, staff and faculty met regularly to discuss, review and develop the plan.