UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler Announces Major Academic Goals for Upcoming Year

August 31, 2012

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

August 31, 2012

 

Providing enhanced professional development for faculty and staff is one of three major academic goals at The University of Texas at Tyler for the 2012 – 13 year, Dr. Alisa White, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, announced.

UT Tyler is currently creating the proper needs assessments to allow growth in leadership and expertise among both faculty and staff.

“I am very passionate about professional development and believe that this initiative will give our faculty and staff opportunities to expand their skill sets, which will help them handle their responsibilities and take advantage of leadership opportunities in the future,” White said.

Dr. William Geiger, who has been appointed the new vice provost, will oversee this initiative.

“Another factor to professional development is that it will provide faculty with information to expand on innovation and invention. We want to see more of our outstanding faculty involved in publishable and funded research,” she added.

UT Tyler also will continue to stress the importance of technology in instruction through a new effort called Patriots Accessing Technology for Success and Savings. PATS will be an extension of the current hybrid course offerings and iPad initiative.

“This initiative will provide a very rich experience for our students. There can be fewer trips to campus for them and shorter time to degree for students with responsibilities that keep them from coming to campus for purely face-to-face instruction. These result in savings for students. The university saves by being able to schedule classrooms more optimally and increasing efficiency of space utilization. The success part is the engagement factor. We want our students to really be able to interact with course material and professors when they’re on campus and enhance their problem solving skills,” White said.

PATS will involve selected programs, courses and faculty.

UT Tyler also is seeking funds to enhance music and performing arts by adding a new music wing and student theater, totaling $6.5 million.

For more information, call 903.566.7103 or email provost@uttyler.edu.

One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler offers excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degree programs are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of almost 7,000 high-ability students at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine.