Fulfilling Our Public Responsibility
Public expectations for higher education, and American research universities in particular, have changed dramatically since The University of Texas at Austin’s founding more than 130 years ago. Today, Texas is widely recognized as one of the world’s most accomplished public research universities, due to the strength of of its undergraduate and graduate programs, the power of the research, discoveries, and innovations it has originated, and its ability to transform lives by expanding educational, economic, and cultural opportunities for its students, the Greater Austin community, the state of Texas, and the United States.
Texas fulfills its public responsibility as a university of the first class through demonstrated commitments to excellence and continual innovation across four general domains.
Setting New Standards as the Leading American Public Research University
The breadth of The University of Texas at Austin's educational and research activities and its public responsibility implies that the University must advance excellence across multiple domains to provide the future leadership and competitiveness of the nation, the state, and the University. As a starting point for planning and strategy development, President Fenves has identified three general goals and associated strategic priorities for the University.