The University of Texas at San Antonio recently announced efforts to build a new college focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and computer and data science to meet growing academic interest and workforce needs.
UT San Antonio said in a news release that the program currently spans four universities and enrolls approximately 6,000 students.
UT San Antonio is special committee To make recommendations regarding the structure of the university. A complete list of the members of the task force will be announced on Wednesday, the website states.
Jonathon Halbesleben, dean of the Carlos Alvarez College of Business, which currently offers bachelor’s degrees in cybersecurity, statistics, and data science, is co-chairing the task force.
Halbesleben said the new university will be located in downtown San Antonio and near the university’s corporate partners. He said the new university will consolidate the school’s current offerings around AI and data science and expand research and experiential learning opportunities. It can be expanded as needed.
“The idea is that if we bring these groups together, innovative new programs can emerge,” he said. “Part of this university’s goal is to position itself for the future and what’s to come. Generally speaking, UTSA is very good at that, but this university is expanding into new and important fields. We are uniquely positioned to add new programs as they emerge.”
The University of Texas at San Antonio recently established two new colleges through a similar process. In 2019, we announced plans for the College of Health, Community, and Policy, and in 2021 we launched the Margie and Bill Kresse College of Engineering and Integrative Design.
Halbesleben said the effort is “the next logical step” after the university opens a data science department in 2023 and invests in a new downtown location.
Halbesleben said the task force will develop recommendations over the spring semester on how the university should operate based on national and state workforce needs, the university’s current offerings and the peer model. He plans to put it together.
“There’s no other university quite like it,” he says. “But some are moving in this direction.”
Halbesleben said the goal is for the task force to submit recommendations to the governor and president in June. He said there is currently no estimate as to when the university will open.
UT-San Antonio has 35,000 students and more than 1,400 faculty and staff. The university spent $141 million on research in 2022 and earned Carnegie R1 research status, a prestigious research designation.
The Texas State University San Antonio news comes amid growing interest in AI in higher education, particularly in Texas.The University of Texas at Austin will consider him in 2024. “Year of AI” is launching Generative AI Center With support from Dell College of Medicine. UT Austin is ranked No. 8 in the nation for AI programs by U.S. News & World Report.texas tribune report Earlier this month, it was announced that one-third of state agencies are using AI.
Given the rapid evolution and growing importance of AI, data science and cybersecurity, Halbesleben said he believes the new university will have a “significant impact” on UT San Antonio.
“This new university really has the power to help us better understand how these things will impact our society in the future,” he said. “I think not only is this exciting, but we really need to stay ahead of these emerging technologies and advancements to ensure we have a better future.”