Regents OK new growth plans for University of Texas at Arlington

The University of Texas at Arlington has transformed over the course of its 130 years.

The campus started with a single building featuring a couple of classrooms and no indoor bathrooms, President Jennifer Cowley said. Today, over 100 buildings dot more than 400 acres in Arlington.

“But, of course, there is so much more that needs to be done to continue to support our students and help them thrive,” Cowley said.

To accomplish that, Cowley presented to the University of Texas Board of Regents an updated master plan for UTA’s primary campus May 7 in Austin. The board approved the document that outlines the university’s planned growth over the next decade.

The plan focuses on four main areas:

Boosting research at the university from $155 million to $300 million as well as hiring 100 additional faculty members and researchers.

Growing enrollment through the addition of up to 10,000 new students.

Adding 3,000 beds on campus, while also enhancing student life through planned upgrades at the student center and adding more amenities, student services and academic support spaces.

Improving energy efficiency.

Several projects are already underway, including the expected completion of the Life Sciences Building renovation in 2027 and the modernization of the 1950s-constructed University Center. The new student union is expected to start construction in late 2025, with completion by summer 2028.

Cowley highlighted to the board a planned update to UTA’s performing arts center, built in the 1970s. The university’s orchestra cannot fit in its dedicated space, Cowley said. 

She also plans to return to the board in August to present a new residential hall project that would add almost 800 apartment-style beds to UTA.

Enrollment is expected to break 50,000 students over the next decade, according to UTA officials.

The upgrades are necessary to ensure students have a high-quality experience on campus, Cowley said.

Regents were impressed with the plan.

“You have taken the ball and run with it and are doing everything and more than we’ve asked and beyond,” Regent Christina Melton Crain of Dallas said. “This is incredible.”

Cowley chalked it up to her past.

“I will say that I’m a city planning professor, so this is the kind of stuff that gets me really excited,” Cowley said. “I may drive my team a little bit nuts, but this is an area I can contribute to.”

Jacob Sanchez is a senior education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or @_jacob_sanchez. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

Related

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.