Dear UT Staff and Faculty,

As we reflect on the past year and look ahead to the future, technological innovation stands at the heart of our University’s mission. The articles in this edition of Texas Connect showcase the depth and breadth of efforts enhanced by these resources. Whether you’re pushing boundaries in the arts, conducting groundbreaking research, managing administrative teams, or overseeing program operations, new technologies and systems will increasingly be fundamental to your success. Every position at the University is profoundly influenced by our digital ecosystem.

The recent Year of AI campaign underscored an important truth: Keeping pace with change is not enough. We must actively foster innovation while preparing for the lasting impact emerging technologies will have — on our employees, on faculty research and on the evolving expectations of digital-native students.

At the center of this transformation are our people. Regardless of your role, each of you contributes to shaping the University’s technological evolution. These systems are built to empower and support you, and your insights are invaluable to their success.

I’m inspired by the stories in Texas Connect that highlight the many ways our employees are advancing UT’s mission. Together, our community will continue building a future where innovation and human ingenuity go hand in hand, driving us to make a lasting difference in the world.

Warmest regards,

Cole W. Camplese
Vice President of Technology and Chief Information Officer

After 12 years as a medical imaging researcher in academic hospitals, I joined the biomedical engineering faculty in Fall 2021. Born and raised in San Antonio, I grew up witnessing firsthand how important The University of Texas is to the people of our great state, and every day I wake up grateful that I get to be a part of it.

My roles at UT have grown in the past few years, but my work here has always been guided by a fundamental principle: Do my part as a teacher, researcher and faculty member to make UT the best university in the world. That begins with my own research lab, where I view my research as a vehicle to train the next generation of scientists. It continues within my own department, where I serve as the graduate adviser, helping students outside my lab reach their potential, and supporting junior faculty as they build their careers. And now, as Faculty Council chair, my goal is to support all our incredible faculty and staff as they work toward our shared mission to educate and conduct cutting-edge research.

Shared governance plays a key role in achieving this mission. Involving faculty, staff and students in the decision-making process ensures everyone’s voice is heard. This collaboration not only enhances the University’s operations, but it also builds community. It empowers everyone at The University of Texas to contribute their unique insights and expertise toward making this the best University in the world.

The amount of genius, talent and potential that walks around campus in our faculty and students every day is truly inspiring. I can’t wait to see all the incredible things we will accomplish together this coming year and beyond.

Edward Castillo
Faculty Council chair

Every year, I am reminded of the contributions of one of my favorite professors, David Mark Cohen, back in the day when I attended the Department of Theatre and Dance. Seeing that this issue is previewing a theater festival named in his honor reminds me of the small new works we would produce under his guidance in the Lab Theatre (and the basement, and the atrium, etc.). Although we lost David way too soon, his vision for creating and staging new works remains to this day. In the past, my wife and I have had the distinct honor of performing in the Cohen New Works Festival as guest artists, and our community is highly blessed by its continued success.

As I look back on the first half of my term as UT Staff Council’s chair, I reflect on the time that I spent as a student at The University of Texas back in the 20th century and the influence and guidance granted me not just by my esteemed instructors but by the many hardworking staff members who shaped my experience. Administrative staff including DeAnn Hughes, Alma Arce, Kay Puryear, Mary Kay Lutringer and Rita Burgess, and technical staff like John Hood, James Cameron, Susan Threadgill and Jeff Ellinger. … These names and more I still remember with fond memories almost 30 years later. I, too, hope to become a representative of UT’s finest objectives for our students, our faculty and our fellow staff members through empathy, compassion and service.

Weldon H. Phillips
Staff Council chair