New Strategic Plan Outlines Vision for University Through 2023

As The University of Texas at Dallas approaches the 50th anniversary of its founding, a new strategic plan charts a path for the future of the young institution.

President Richard C. Benson recently released the plan, which specifies critical issues that must be addressed successfully during the next five years for UT Dallas to continue its trajectory to be one of the world’s great universities.

More than 50 faculty, staff and students collaborated to identify key actions and produce the final blueprint.

“When we began this process in 2017, I invited close scrutiny of the factors that will most affect our continued growth and progress,” Benson said. “UT Dallas has come far in a relatively short period of time, and if we want to continue that momentum and trajectory, we need to set ambitious yet realistic goals.”

UT Dallas has been consistently recognized as one of the top universities worldwide under the age of 50. Among its most recent achievements, UT Dallas was in 2016 designated by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education as an “R1” doctoral-granting university of the highest research activity, one of only 115 schools in that category nationwide.

In 2018, UT Dallas met the requirements to receive funding allocations from the state of Texas’ National Research University Fund (NRUF), becoming the youngest institution in the state to emerge as a national research university.

The new plan incorporates nine strategic themes:

• Attract talent, including the highest-quality students, faculty, staff and administrators.
• Enrich the student experience by creating an environment in which all students can succeed.
• Engage globally through curriculum and international partnerships.
• Enrich the arts to foster an appreciation for human intellect and creativity.
• Advance research that creates new knowledge to enhance the human experience.
• Become an economic engine for the region by becoming a key partner with industry, government, cultural organizations and schools throughout North Texas.
• Develop financial and administrative systems that sustain excellence by ensuring that business and organizational systems support and enhance the teaching and research missions.
• Create a culture of philanthropy by expanding the number and size of gifts that support the teaching and research missions.
• Ensure a sustainable, rewarding campus environment by taking care of our people, our campus and our environment.

While not all the individual initiatives under each theme can be measured quantitatively, some specific goals include:

• Increase undergraduate enrollment to 23,000 and graduate student enrollment to 12,000.
• Increase tenure-system faculty from 580 to 710.
• Increase annual federal research expenditures from $36 million to $60 million.
• Increase the endowment from $502 million to $750 million.

“Our mission as a university includes graduating well-rounded citizens who are prepared for life and productive careers in an ever-changing world, as well as making the discoveries that will drive those very changes,” Benson said. “This new strategic plan is not only a guide for our efforts moving forward, but it also reflects our distinctive style and values as an institution.”