2022
Messages &
Speeches

Six months ago, we launched Change Starts Here, our 10-year strategic plan to become the highest-impact public research university in the world. Change Starts Here is not merely a vehicle for driving UT Austin’s transformation; it is a way to tell the story of our progress and our vision for the future.

It has been incredibly rewarding to see the tremendous engagement from our undergraduate and graduate students this fall term…

I am writing to share that Darrell Bazzell has let me know he will be leaving the university at the end of the spring semester. We will begin a national search soon to identify his successor…

After a national search, I am delighted to announce that Dr. Claudia Lucchinetti will serve as the next Dean of the Dell Medical School and the Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, effective December 1, 2022.

An idea can change the world. The University of Texas began as an idea enshrined in the Texas Constitution. From that idea, our university has grown to more than 20,000 faculty and staff members, 52,000 students and 550,000 living alumni. We have evolved from a university of the first class to a university that is world-class, and today, we’re a recognized leader on the global frontier of higher education.

During the past two years, we have worked together to launch an exciting, shared vision for our university’s future…

Another school year comes to an end today – a year when we were so grateful for the return to our full campus and the experiences it brings that make being a Longhorn so special.

Today, I wanted to update you on how university leadership is working to acknowledge and reward our talented people who enable our university’s success, as well as the university’s work on the broader faculty and staff talent management aspects of our strategic plan.

We write to inform you that Dr. Richard J. Reddick has been appointed Senior Vice Provost for Curriculum and Enrollment and Dean of The School of Undergraduate Studies.

On Friday, we released the faculty promotion and tenure decisions for final approval. This is a big day for the faculty members who will be promoted and/or receive tenure, and well-deserved recognition for their years of hard work and excellence in teaching, research and service.

Due to the ongoing severe winter weather conditions, the university will remain closed on Friday, February 4, 2022. All classes and events will be canceled, and UT shuttle buses will not run. We will resume normal campus operations at 8 am Saturday, February 5.

…Due to the high probability of severe winter weather arriving overnight, our campus will close at midnight tonight. We will reopen when conditions are determined to be safe.

Let me start with a thank you for your role in our community’s response to the surge of the coronavirus omicron variant and the resulting changes to the start of our spring semester.

Welcome to the spring 2022 semester! Today, we launch another semester, working together to fulfill the mission of this great university as we seek to have the greatest impact possible on our city, state, nation and world. Thank you for your contributions — as researchers, teachers, writers, project managers, administrators, counselors, custodial workers, technicians and in a plethora of other roles, we all play a role in this important effort.

It’s great to welcome you all back to the Forty Acres for the spring 2022 semester! I hope that you enjoyed the winter break and were able to spend time recharging and reconnecting with friends and family after a busy fall.