The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) announced the creation of a new college at the university focused on artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, computing, data science and related disciplines.
UTSA said in a press release that this initiative “aligns with the university’s commitment to innovation and academic excellence while also positioning UTSA to lead in the rapidly evolving landscape of advanced technologies.”
“The convergence of AI, data science, computing, and cybersecurity signifies a very forward-looking endeavor as we embrace the fifth industrial revolution, now especially propelled by AI advancements,” said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.
“These disciplines will remain intertwined for the foreseeable future,” he said. “With an escalating demand for emerging technologies, their applications, and the demand for a skilled workforce, this new college will greatly accelerate UTSA’s economic and workforce impact here in San Antonio, across Texas, and nationally.”
Currently, the university has nearly 6,000 students enrolled in AI, cyber, computing and data science-related degree programs, which is a 31 percent increase since 2019. UTSA graduated more than 1,000 students in these programs in 2022-2023. Right now, students studying in those fields are distributed across four colleges, but under the new initiative will be housed under the same college.
To create the new college, UTSA has formed the AI, Cyber, Computing, and Data Science Planning Advisory Task Force which will lead a planning exercise to establish the new college. UTSA said the task force is charged with surveying student interests and regional workforce needs and partnering opportunities; exploring multidisciplinary research opportunities; and recommending a college organizational structure that aligns these programs to enhance student success, career readiness, and transdisciplinary research.
“Ensuring UTSA students are well-prepared for their chosen careers in the dynamic transdisciplinary workforce is our most important responsibility,” said Interim Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Heather Shipley. “This initiative is driven by our commitment to fostering innovation, advancing research, and delivering educational excellence across related disciplines. More specifically, it seeks to amplify synergies among academic and research domains, fostering the transdisciplinary collaboration that is critical to developing our students’ ability to tackle complex, multifaceted challenges as the future leaders in these fields.”
