Enrollment growth, new innovation center help place UTA on national stage

With two big achievements taking place, UT Arlington is enjoying a remarkable September.

The first one comes with the announcement of a milestone in enrollment with the Fall semester welcoming 42,296 students on campus, driven, in large part, by a more than 4 percent increase of entering freshmen.

The university reports an even greater increase in the number of new students scoring in the top 5 percent nationally on college entrance exams – more than 15 percent over the fall enrollment a year ago.

When you include the number of students choosing to pursue their degrees through the university’s online programs, the total enrollment is near the 60,000 mark. That ranks UTA among the largest institutions of higher learning in the country.

The Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac now identifies the university as the fifth fastest-growing doctoral public institution in the country. That distinction comes with another breakthrough, as UTA is now listed among the country’s top public universities in U. S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges for 2019. The publication also ranks more than 20 UTA graduate programs among the nation’s best.

The school’s news release quotes UTA President Vistasp Karbhari proudly saying that the growth reflects the university’s value in the state and around the world.

“Our continued growth is directly attributable to the excellence and dedication of our faculty. Their growing international reputation for research and scholarship and tremendous focus on student success are the reasons behind UTA becoming the go-to institution and thought-leader for higher education,” Karbhari said.

“We ensure that our students, the future workforce and intellectual leadership in the Metroplex and across the state, have the knowledge and skills to be productive in today’s society, across a diverse spectrum of career fields and disciplines,” Karbhari continued.

The other big event this month is the opening of the new Science and Engineering Innovation and Research Building.

Another national achievement for the university, the $125 million, 222,000-square-foot building welcomes faculty and students to its 150- and 300-seat lecture halls and laboratories ranging from nursing, biology, engineering to chemistry. Karbhari credits the Texas Legislature, Gov. Greg Abbott and the UT System Board of Regents for making the project possible.

“The SEIR will bring together faculty across science, technology, engineering, math and health disciplines to make quantum leaps that will have a positive impact on people’s lives,” he said.

UTA’s newspaper, The Shorthorn, also points out how the design of the new building is a demonstration of environmental sustainability. In the story published last week, the paper included project manager Bill Amendola’s explanation of how the outside-facing windows are designed to block ultraviolet rays from the sun but allow the light to enter the building.

The interior offices also have big window panes to use the natural light brought in resulting in significant reductions in energy usage further enhanced by high energy- efficient heating and cooling systems, water conservation practices and sustainable materials throughout.

In all offices, the lights are set to motion sensors, Amendola said. They will turn on and off automatically depending on whether someone is in the office, which will alleviate some energy waste by not relying on people to turn off the lights.

Meghna Tare, executive director of UTA’s Institute of Sustainability and Global Impact, concludes in the article how this demonstration of environmental achievement has been a priority in the design and construction of the building.

UTA’s vice president for research, Duane Dimos, says the building’s purpose is consistent with the university’s strategic plan, “Overall, our goal is to have a holistic continuum from beginning basic studies all the way to delivering results that impact the health of our community and society in general.”

It’s one thing to educate the next generation via theory and lecture. Doing so inside a facility that makes it all a reality is a major achievement for UT Arlington.