Dear UT Community,

In the University’s 10-year strategic plan, Change Starts Here, we talk about the importance of generating life-changing experiences for our students. Every campus touchpoint, every in-person and virtual interaction, every course attended, every interactive research experience is generated by our employees. But how employees experience our University is also crucially important to our long-term goal of becoming the world’s highest-impact public research university. Creating great faculty and staff experiences is integral and essential to delivering exceptional experiences for our students and engaging Longhorns for life.

When we talk about the employee experience, we’re really referring to how staff and faculty feel about their workplace, how they interact with their physical and digital environment, and how they collaborate with co-workers, managers and other teams. Each of these aspects of engagement impacts how our teams accomplish the variety of work that goes into keeping a University of this caliber (and size) operating smoothly.

While the lion’s share of the responsibility for creating a positive employee experience rests on the shoulders of leaders, there is no doubt that all employees contribute to a vibrant workplace in countless ways. This edition of Texas Connect highlights some powerful examples of staff and faculty members shaping campus experiences by bringing their talents and unique perspectives to bear. From safely demolishing the Erwin Center to make way for the continued growth of UT’s medical center, to making advancements in AI and academic research, to rethinking our campus events and experiences — these articles feature the many ways our employees contribute to making UT a dynamic and special place where people want to come to work, live and learn.

I want to thank the Texas Connect contributors for giving us a glimpse into these employee experiences and our staff and faculty for all you do for our University. I hope you find these stories as inspiring as I do.

Hook ’em!

Roger Cude

U.S. higher education is in one of its most transformative periods in history, and The University of Texas at Austin is at the center of the most crucial technological advances and debates in the nation, from AI development to the creation of a new cancer medical center investment to microchip development. Values such as academic freedom and freedom of speech remain at the heart of the University and give faculty the power and motivation to produce the ideas that will guide the next generation of minds to indeed “change the world.” The faculty at UT Austin will continue to be some of the most important shepherds of these movements.

As a young girl growing up in the Rio Grande Valley, my mother, an elementary school teacher and a first-generation immigrant, told me I could earn a doctorate and be whatever I wanted in this country. I chose to be a faculty member, which affords the most precious freedoms and opportunities to teach students and create scholarship on the topics for which there are many different passions and methods. However, we can, on average, agree on the importance of the freedom to pursue truth, protect tenure, have safe spaces for free speech, and protect the welfare of all students, staff and faculty on our campus.

The University of Texas remains a place of great hope and possibility. It grants the gold standard of a college degree, which still yields nearly 70% more in wages than a high school diploma, leads to more career options, and offers the benefit of alumni networks and better odds of economic recovery from a recession, home ownership, and positive health outcomes for a family. These degrees don’t award themselves. Faculty will be at the center of this delivery, so ensuring our security is essential to the overall flourishing of higher education.

Stella M. Flores
Faculty Council chair

As the current UT Staff Council chair, I am honored to serve The University of Texas at Austin and its 12,000 devoted constituents as we embark on the 2024-2025 academic year.

What I find particularly inspiring about serving on the UT Staff Council is the opportunity it provides for staff members to connect and collaborate with colleagues from all corners of the University. As an elected body, we are passionate about representing and advocating for staff members, forging new partnerships and strengthening existing relationships with University leadership.

Having been a student and now a member of the esteemed staff for the past six years, I have personally witnessed the remarkable development and transformation of this great institution. I am filled with tremendous pride and joy to be part of the University’s unwavering commitment to excellence, and I pledge, alongside my fellow Staff Council constituents, to continue to contribute to its ongoing success.

The UT Staff Council is committed to advocating for the interests of staff members within the University’s governance structures. This means addressing issues related to compensation, benefits, and workplace policies, as well as representing staff perspectives in strategic planning and decision-making. To achieve this, we plan to work with University leaders and partners to implement more effective and accessible communication platforms that will enable staff members to share ideas, voice concerns and stay informed about University policies and initiatives.

Weldon Phillips
Staff Council chair