THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH

Prepared in Response to House Bill 51, 81st Texas Legislature for the

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by the

Office of the President The University of Texas at Austin Main 400, G3400 Austin, TX 78712

March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents i Executive Summary ii I. MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY 1 II. PLAN TO INCREASE RESEARCH FUNDING AND PRODUCTIVITY 2 External Funding 2 Research Priorities 5 Allocation of Resources 7 Student Participation 10 III. PLAN TO IMPROVE UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION 11 Strengthening and Improving Undergraduate Education Quality 11 Increasing the Number of Baccalaureate Degrees 13 IV. PLAN FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAMS 14 Existing Doctoral Programs 14 New Doctoral Programs 17 V. PLAN FOR FACULTY AND STUDENT DEVELOPMENT 18 Faculty Research 18 Faculty Recognition 20 Collaborations and Partnerships 23 New Faculty 23 Student Awards 24 Student Diversity 24 VI. OTHER RESOURCES 25 Research Facilities 25 Library Resources 28 Graduate Student Support 31 VII. NATIONAL VISIBILITY 31 Endowments 31 Provost’s Office Funding 32 News Media 32

Appendix 34

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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY average of $150,000 per new faculty) at all  The University of Texas at Austin is a ranks between FY2013 and FY2025 to meet Research University and among the elite undergraduate and graduate teaching needs education institutions in the world. and to produce the increase in research  This Strategic Plan for Research does not expenditures. represent a change in the University’s vision  Increases in staff and research-support or mission; rather, it is a continuing services are also needed to meet these hiring commitment to contribute to an ever- goals. increasing level of excellence.  Costs for new facilities will increase from the $710.4 million being spent on current PLAN TO INCREASE RESEARCH construction and construction about to begin FUNDING AND PRODUCTIVITY to over $1.6 billion needed to construct  The allocation of resources over the next 10 facilities in engineering, natural sciences, years will focus heavily on faculty, staff, and pharmacy alone (not taking into account and students, on administrative support, and facility needs in other disciplines) in future on facilities. years.  The University anticipates increasing its  Renovation costs for new STEM faculty research expenditures from $580 alone will average about $5.5 million/year. million/year currently to a target of $873  Graduate and undergraduate student million/year in FY2025 (not including the participation in research activities is recently approved medical school). Tenured imperative. and tenure-track (T/TT) faculty productivity (i.e., annual research expenditures per T/TT PLAN TO IMPROVE UNDERGRADUATE faculty FTE) will likely increase from more EDUCATION than $320,000/year in research expenditures  In response to internal initiatives and new per T/TT faculty FTE currently to about Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board $460,000/year per T/TT faculty FTE by requirements, major improvements in the FY2025. University’s Basic Education Requirements  Energy and health-related research, have occurred over the past eight years and advanced computation, and computational will be fully implemented over the next five. science and engineering will continue to be  Achievement of the Closing the Gaps targets major research efforts on campus with for baccalaureate degrees by ethnic group, growing efforts in sustainability and STEM field, and overall as well as four-, informatics. five-, and six-year graduation rates is a high  Based on anticipated funding, faculty hiring priority for the University. to support expansion of academic and  The quality of these Basic Education research programs may be limited to Requirements and the more than 135 replacement of current faculty or to a undergraduate degree programs is being modest increase of 80 new faculty, some of enhanced through outcomes-based whom are STEM faculty, over the 12 year assessment coupled with substantial efforts period between FY2013 and FY2025. About in the Provost’s Office and the $12 million in recurring funds will be schools/colleges across campus to improve needed to hire the 80 new faculty (at an teaching/learning.

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 Support for and encouragement of Assignment programs. A Faculty Travel enhancing teaching effectiveness is in place. Grant program enables faculty to attend conferences to present their scholarly work PLAN FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAMS and learn of the most recent findings of  The University has a full array of graduate others. programs offering 133 master’s degrees, 93  In addition, each school and college in the doctoral degrees, and 3 professional degrees University has its own, sometimes unique, - some 229 programs in fourteen schools plan to assist faculty in becoming more and colleges. productive, more innovative, and more  Of these programs, some 43 rank in the top effective in conducting research. 10 nationally now and more can be moved  Schools and colleges have programs to assist to the top 10 through strategic allocation of junior faculty members in obtaining external resources. funding for their research.  No new doctoral programs are being  Faculty are recognized for their research and proposed as part of this Plan (although a teaching through awards such as the Nobel Doctor of Medicine program will be added Prize, the national academies, the Academy as the medical school develops) and doctoral of Distinguished Teachers, the Donald D. program discontinuations are not Harrington Faculty Fellow Program, the anticipated. Wolf Prize, a number of University-wide and school/college awards and awards PLAN FOR FACULTY AND STUDENT external to the University, and over 800 DEVELOPMENT endowments that provide salary, salary  Numerous programs, activities, and policies supplements, and discretionary funds to are in place to support and recruit high outstanding faculty. quality faculty and graduate students including excellent teaching and research OTHER RESOURCES facilities, challenging teaching loads, To provide the facilities necessary for the research-oriented colleagues, and the formal University to continue its quest to become the recognition of innovative teaching and best public research university in the nation: research.  Graduate support in the form of fellowships  The University has adopted a and assistantships has been a high priority of comprehensive facilities strategy that the University. The University administers includes a systematic maintenance plan for the awarding of several million dollars in existing facilities that continue to support its recruiting and continuing fellowships each research mission, and a strategic program of year and also provides modest travel support modernization, repurposing, and for students to attend conferences to present replacement of those facilities no longer able their scholarly work. to support this mission.  Over 100 organized research units as well as  Some $710.4 million has been spent on dozens of school- or college-specific construction of 1.2 million gross square feet research centers, including the Marine of facilities that support teaching and Science Institute in Port Aransas, the research in the past few years. McDonald Observatory in West Texas, the  Some $642 million is being spent on Pickle Research Campus in north Austin, construction of 1.2 million gross square feet and the Bee Cave research facility in west of facilities that support teaching and Austin are in place to support faculty research to be constructed in the next five research. years.  The University supports limited research  Over $73 million has been or is being spent leaves for T/TT faculty through its Faculty on facility renovation that will support Research Assignment and Summer Research teaching and research.

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 It is estimated that $1.6 billion will be (TACC), the home of the University’s needed to address new construction and unparalleled supercomputers, including renovation needs in the foreseeable future in Lonestar, Ranger, the recently christened schools/colleges conducting the majority of world-class Stampede, and the leading-edge external research. Visualization Laboratory.  The University of Texas Libraries is a major  Another University-wide research resource support source to all, but especially to is the Animal Resources Center (ARC) faculty conducting research. It contains which provides animal husbandry and more than 10 million volumes, is housed in veterinary consultation services, and training fourteen separate library and archival for all University research involving 10,000 collections, is the fourth largest academic - 15,000 laboratory animals yearly. It library in the nation, and is highly ranked. permits the most efficient and up-to-date  The Libraries provide access to hundreds of environmental control for sanitation and online databases supporting every academic animal health monitoring. program at the University, as well as in excess of 800,000 e-books and access to NATIONAL VISIBILITY more than 85,000 e-journals.  The University of Texas System’s Science  The Libraries are members of several and Technology Acquisition and Retention consortia that greatly expand the purchasing (STARS) program, among others, has power and number of resources available to enabled the University to recruit outstanding University students and faculty members, faculty and thus enhance its national such as: the UT System digital library visibility. Since put in place in FY2004-05, contracts, TexShare, the State Library more than $150 million has been made Program; the Greater Western Library available to component campuses, and the Alliance consortia; and the Research Library University has received $74 million from the Cooperative Program with the University of STARS program through FY2012. California at Berkeley and Stanford  There are hundreds of endowments from a University. multitude of donors who have given funds  The Libraries are one of the five patent and for specific purposes, specific research trademark depository libraries in Texas, part centers and laboratories, and/or to specific of the Federal Depository Library Program. disciplines. Typically the yield of these  The Libraries provides digital stewardship endowments is used for faculty salaries or services to University faculty and campus salary supplements, fringe benefits, and units by providing repository services (UT discretionary funds used to support research Digital Repository), data management activities. It is estimated that about $85 planning services (Data Management @ million annually from endowments and gifts UT), and alternative publishing platforms go to research support in the form of salary (through the Texas Digital Library open supplements, operating costs, and so forth. journals service).  Research from the University is promoted in  The University has world-renowned a number of ways, including personal collections, museums, and centers and hosts contacts with the media, University-issued the LBJ Library. press releases, use of journalists’ resources  A major resource for researchers at the such as Newswise and EurekAlert, and, University as well as researchers world-wide increasingly, through social media. is the Texas Advanced Computing Center

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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH

I. MISSION OF THE UNIVERSITY activities is one of the primary duties of its faculty. In FY2012 it awarded 844 doctoral The mission of the University of Texas degrees and generated over $580 million in at Austin is to achieve excellence in the research expenditures. interrelated areas of undergraduate education, graduate education, research In Fall 2012 the University enrolled 52,186 and public service. The University (a) students (39,955 undergraduate, 10,622 provides superior and comprehensive master’s, and doctoral, 1,108 in Law, and 501 in educational opportunities at the Pharm.D) in 135 baccalaureate, 133 master’s, 93 baccalaureate through doctoral and doctoral, and 3 professional degree programs. In special professional educational levels; FY2011 the University graduated 8,860 (b) contributes to the advancement of baccalaureate, 3,130 master’s, and 843 doctoral society through research, creative students. There were also 504 doctoral degrees activity, scholarly inquiry and the awarded that qualify recipients for entry into development of new knowledge; and (c) professional practice (namely Audiology, JD, preserves and promotes the arts, benefits Pharm D) for a total of 13,337 degrees granted. the state’s economy, serves the citizens through public programs, and provides In the current Carnegie Classification system, other public service. the University is classified as a Research University with very high research activity, i.e., The vision of the University is to be the best in awards at least 20 doctoral degrees per year the world at creating a disciplined culture of (excluding doctoral-level degrees that qualify excellence that generates intellectual excitement, recipients for entry into professional practice) transforms lives, and develops leaders. The and has very high research expenditures overall University will define for the 21st century what and per faculty member. it means to be a university of the first class. The University is true to its mission and is The University is a Research University as already among the elite education institutions in defined in the Texas Higher Education the country, indeed the world, and it strives Coordinating Board’s accountability system, i.e., continually “to achieve excellence in the it: interrelated areas of undergraduate education,  Offers a comprehensive range of excellent graduate education, research and public service.” undergraduate and graduate programs;  Awards 100 or more doctoral- This 2013 Strategic Plan for Research research/scholarship degrees annually in (hereinafter called the Plan) is a description of excellent programs that span at least 15 how the University is enhancing its research disciplines; and activities and graduate and undergraduate  Places significant emphasis on research programs to serve better the state and nation. and creative activities and generates at The Plan does not represent a change in the least $150 million annually in research University’s mission; rather, reflects a expenditures. continuing commitment to contribute at an ever- By all measures, the University offers a wide increasing level of excellence to the range of excellent undergraduate and graduate “advancement of society through research, programs, its mission reflects its research creative activity, scholarly inquiry, and the emphasis and conducting research and scholarly development of new knowledge.”

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II. PLAN TO INCREASE RESEARCH External Funding FUNDING AND PRODUCTIVITY Projected Research Expenditures The plan to increase research funding and productivity includes information on external The University’s institutional targets for the funding (targets, progress, and peer Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s comparisons), research priorities (targeted “Closing the Gaps” program and as submitted to priorities and focus of efforts), allocation of The University of Texas System for total resources (budget needed and allocation), and sponsored research expenditures (i.e., external student participation (in research at graduate and funding) in FY2015, FY2020, and FY2025 are undergraduate levels). While targets may be $649.7 million, $753.1 million, and $873.1 established for research funding, achieving those million, respectively, in annual expenditures as targets is dependent on the number of faculty shown in Table 1 below. Federal research conducting research and the productivity of expenditures are about 60% of total research those faculty measured as research expenditures expenditures. Although peer-based data are not per faculty member. available for total research expenditures, by comparison the University ranked 10th out of 12 A planning horizon to 2025 is used herein for public peer institutions in terms of federal planning purposes. research expenditures in FY2010. However, only four of the 12 institutions do not have medical schools, and within those four the University is ranked third behind the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Illinois-Urbana/Champaign.

Table 1. Total and Federal Research Expenditures: Actual and “Closing the Gaps” Targets Actual Actual Actual Target Target Target FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2015 FY2020 FY2025 Total $548.9 $591.9 $580.3 $649.7 $753.1 $873.1 Federal $350.3 $355.4 $354.9 $405.5 $470.1 $545.0 Source: UT Austin’s Closing the Gaps targets and UT Austin’s 2012 Goal Setting report to UT System Note: Amounts in millions

Lists of UT Austin’s National Comparison Research). In addition, the number of research Group and its Extended Comparison Group are proposals submitted for external funding and the given in the appendix. number of external research grant awards received will continue to be tracked. For External research funds are awarded/expended FY2011, the University received notice of award through the schools and colleges and their for over 40% of the proposals submitted to all associated research centers, or they are funding sources. awarded/expended through research centers reporting directly to the Office of the Vice Basis for Projection President for Research. More than one-third of the total University research awards/ The basis for this projection of research expenditures are through the latter. expenditures is simply: (a) the number of faculty measured full-time equivalents (or FTEs) of The University will monitor its monetary tenured and tenure-track (T/TT) involved in progress toward achieving the institutional externally funded research projected into the financial targets through its Office of Sponsored future; (b) the productivity of the faculty Projects and Office of Industry Engagement measured as research dollars expended each year (units within the Office of the Vice President for per T/TT faculty FTE also projected; and (c) the

2 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH product of “a” and “b” which is future research programs and can become more self-sufficient. expenditures. Projecting “a” and “b” into the Throughout, however, the T/TT faculty member future based on past experience and factors that remains the key element and the FTE unit may influence the projections provide estimates defines the amount of faculty time and, of future research expenditures. Elaboration on indirectly, cost. So in this Plan, the T/TT faculty these points follows. FTE unit is used, and this use is consistent with the UT System Dashboard and with most Because it is part of their duties as faculty at a institutional and governmental databases. Thus, research institution, sponsored research is for consistency, normalization, and comparisons conducted largely by the T/TT faculty, but non- with peer institutions, full-time equivalent (FTE) TT faculty are also involved as well as reseach faculty units are used when discussing externally staff, graduate and undergraduate students, and funded research. in some cases postdoctoral fellows. Typically new faculty initiate their research programs by Faculty Numbers deciding where to focus their research (usually extensions of their own doctoral research), The number of T/TT faculty FTEs at the writing proposals, securing awards, conducting University has increased over the years to research, beginning to supervise graduate 1,820.5 FTE in FY2012 (see Table 2). students, preparing reports and publications, and Extrapolations of T/TT faculty FTEs into the giving presentations to disseminate their future depends on the assumption made about research findings and to build their reputation growth in faculty numbers over the planning and enhance that of the University. As their period. One scenario is the anticipated number research programs grow, the faculty develop an of faculty numbers will grow gradually organizational structure needed to support the following a trend line from historic numbers so particular kind of research they conduct as well that the FY2015, FY2020, and FY2025 T/TT as its magnitude. Support-personnel numbers faculty FTE members are projected to be 1,820 expand, and collaborative efforts within the FTE, 1,850 FTE, and 1,900 FTE, respectively. institutions and with researchers at other The other scenario assumes no growth in faculty institutions become natural ways to expand the numbers (i.e., there is only replacement of scope and intensity of the research. Institutional faculty who leave the University) and that the support in the form of start-up packages, number of faculty is constant from FY2012 instrumentation and computational capacity, and through FY2025 at about 1,820 T/TT faculty other kinds of support is critical to new faculty FTE. These assumptions are also reflected in members until they have established their Table 2.

Table 2. Tenured and Tenure Track FTE Faculty: Actual and Targets Actual Actual Actual Target Target Target FY2008 FY2009 FY2012 FY2015 FY2020 FY2025 Growth 1,757.0 1,785.7 1,820.5 1,820 1,850 1,900 Replacement 1,757.0 1,785.7 1,820.5 1,820 1,820 1,820 Source: UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis followed by trend analysis

The University is in a period of limited budgets, FTEs by FY2025, an increase of 80 FTEs total and faculty replacement is the only faculty or roughly 8 FTEs per year, i.e., less than 1% hiring taking place at this time. Whether this growth in T/TT faculty FTEs per year. About situation persists for the next ten years, it is one $12 million in recurring funds will be needed to that is assumed to be possible. On the other hire the 80 new faculty (at an average of hand, modest faculty hiring over the planning $150,000 per new faculty) at all ranks between horizon is assumed to be more likely, and FY2013 and FY2025 to meet undergraduate and beginning after FY2015 the number of T/TT graduate teaching needs and to produce the faculty FTEs is assumed to increase to 1,900 increase in research expenditures.

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Enhancing Productivity A much larger group of individuals supporting faculty research are the master’s and doctoral Faculty productivity across campus may be graduate students, who are seeking advanced enhanced in a number of ways: (a) involve a degrees in which research is a major component, larger portion of the faculty in externally and and undergraduates who wish to obtain internally funded research; (b) faculty currently experience working in a research laboratory. It is doing externally funded research may be able to not uncommon at any given time for a faculty increase the amount of funding or move into member to be supervising five to 10 graduate research areas with funding; (c) take advantage students in a modest research laboratory. Larger of increases in external and internal funding research laboratories will involve postdoctoral sources in areas of faculty expertise; (d) conduct fellows to expand the capacity of graduate research more efficiently; (e) involve more student (and undergraduates if involved) graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to supervision and to assist with the preparation of increase research capacity; (f) secure more proposals to secure research awards as well as to modern equipment and thereby also increase conduct the research that emanates from these research capacity; (g) secure new or renovated awards. It was noted earlier that about 40% of laboratory space to increase research capacity; the research proposals to funding sources are in (h) hire professionals who can help faculty fact funded. Thus, on the average, between two prepare proposals; and (i) other ways. and three proposals must be prepared and Elaboration on some of these points follows. submitted for funding for each proposal that is funded. While T/TT faculty most often write It has already been noted that research is these proposals, those proposals can be conducted by T/TT faculty as well as others, and facilitated greatly with the help of postdoctoral it should also be noted that not all faculty fellows, graduates students, and where the conduct externally funded research. In fact, in school/college provides them and the sources of FY2011 approximately 46.4% of the T/TT the funding permit, the help of professional faculty at the University had external research proposal preparers. funding. While this proportion is expected to increase to more than 50% by FY2020 as faculty Two assumptions are made regarding external productivity continues to increase, the research funding. First, federal funding will continue and awards obtained and research funding expended will in fact increase to support critical national are spread over the faculty conducting externally research needs in the areas of energy and health funded research as well as those faculty whose in particular, and many other areas in which the scholarly activities do not normally involve University faculty have expertise and strong obtaining such funding. The productivity of research programs. State funding of research those faculty with external research funding is will not change significantly and will remain enhanced with the participation of postdoctoral small compared to federal support, and corporate fellows, i.e., individuals who have completed support will remain small as well. Second, their doctoral work and received their degrees. health-related research will grow as the medical These fellows typically assist the T/TT faculty in school is developed and begins operation; no supervising master’s and doctoral students as estimates of medical school research funding are well as conducting research. Also, postdoctoral included in this Plan, however. positions are opportunities for new doctoral graduates to obtain valuable experience in The primary target for research funding is the research and teaching, and increasingly new federal government, mainly the following tenure-track faculty are expected to have some departments: postdoctoral experience. In FY2012, there were National Institutes of Health (in the 665 postdoctoral students at the University; this Department of Health and Human represents a 38% increase over FY2008, when Services); there were 482 doctoral fellows. National Science Foundation; Department of Energy;

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Department of Housing and Urban state sources, 11.8% from industry, 7.3% from Development; foundations, 9.7% from non-profits, and 4.8% Department of Education; from other sources. The variance between the Department of Defense; expenditures and funding percentages is Department of the Interior; and attributable to expenditures reflecting solely National Aeronautics and Space those funds expended in a single year while Administration. award amounts may include commitments spanning multiple years. Historically about 60% of the University’s sponsored research annual expenditures have University faculty productivity, measured as been derived from the federal government with total annual research expenditures divided by 40% emanating from the state, private sector, T/TT faculty FTE, is substantial as shown in foundations, and institutional sources. This Table 3. In FY2003 the research expenditures percentage breakdown reflects the cumulative were nearly $224,000 per T/TT faculty FTE. expectations of the various schools and colleges Ten years later in FY2012 that figure had in the University. The percentage is expected to increased to $318,800, a 42% increase. The continue into future years as the prestige of the anticipated increase in productivity from faculty continues to attract more funding and as $318,800 per T/TT faculty FTE in FY2012 to the medical- and health-related portion of the nearly $460,000 per T/TT faculty FTE in research continues to increase. FY2025 is 44.1%, very similar to the previous decade. It is anticipated that with the assumed For FY2011, research awards were almost increase in faculty numbers and with increases evenly divided between federal and other in research productivity, the amounts of research sources. Funding from federal sources accounted forecasted for FY2015, FY2020, and FY2025 as for 49.6% of the total while 16.8% came from shown in Table 1 will be achieved.

Table 3. Tenured and Tenure Track FTE Faculty Productivity (Annual Research Expenditures per T/TT Faculty FTE): Actual and Targets Actual Actual Actual Target Target Target FY2008 FY2009 FY2012 FY2015 FY2020 FY2025 Growth $300,000 $299,500 $318,800 $357,000 $407,000* $460,000* Source: UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis followed by trend analysis * Targets rounded

While consistent with the University’s mission, vision, and how it will focus its efforts in each school or college within the University has addressing those priorities. Even so, the schools its own mission, has different resources, offers a and colleges share the objective of producing different educational focus, and will have a high-quality, innovative, impactful, and useful different research funding target and planned research for society. Whereas some schools and approach for achieving the target. Apart from colleges such as the College of Fine Arts, which the institutional and school and college financial is heavily performance oriented, do not codify targets, there is a general desire for the schools their research priorities, other schools and and colleges in the University conducting the colleges specify their research priorities in order largest amount of research to be ranked among to focus the research efforts of their faculty the top five comparable entities nationally. members and capture synergies that may emerge. Example school and college research Research Priorities priorities include the following:

Each school and college in the University Cockrell School of Engineering determines its own research priorities over time,  Sustainable energy consistent with the University’s mission and  Engineering human health care

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 Manufacturing and design innovation Jackson School of Geology has world-class  Sustainable and secure infrastructure energy researchers. In addition to being a  Space and earth engineering research priority in the Cockrell School of Engineering and the Jackson School of College of Pharmacy Geosciences, it is also a priority in the  Oncology McCombs School of Business, the College of  Chemical biology/drug delivery Natural Sciences, the LBJ School of Public  Translational research in drug delivery Affairs, the School of Law, and the School of Architecture. This emphasis on energy in these  Infectious disease seven schools and colleges is given institution-  Neuropharmacology/addiction wide focus by the University-wide Energy  Neurobiology and development Institute. Finally, there are numerous institutes  Toxicology and environmental disease and centers focused on a variety of aspects of energy in the University’s schools and colleges. McCombs School of Business Examples include:  Energy management  Center for Energy and Environmental  Creativity and innovation Resources;  Business and public policy including health  Energy Management and Innovation Center; care management  Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security;

 Gulf Coast Carbon Center; College of Natural Sciences  Center for Nano- and Molecular Science and  Neuroscience Technology (houses the Energy Frontier  Materials science associated with energy Research Center);  Learning and memory  Center for Nanomanufacturing Systems for  Addiction research Mobile Computing and Mobile Energy  Drug development Technologies;  Human genetics/genomics  Center for Energy Economics;  Nanomaterials  Center for International Energy and  Systems and Computational Biology Environmental Policy;  Center for Energy Security; School of Information  Center for Electromechanics;  Health informatics  Center for Electrochemistry;  Data science  Center for Petroleum & Geosystems  Digital records management Engineering;  Intelligence/Security  Center for Sustainable Development; and  Consortia such as the Pecan Street Project Although research priorities vary among schools and the Advanced Energy Consortium. and colleges, there are common research priorities across the University, and where Similarly, health-related research priorities appropriate and feasible, the University fosters exist in several schools and colleges, including interdisciplinary research across schools and the Cockrell School of Engineering, the College colleges to facilitate the achievement of of Natural Sciences, the College of Pharmacy, interdisciplinary research goals. One example is the McCombs School of Business, the LBJ energy. Energy is a natural focus of the School of Public Affairs, the School of Nursing, University given the importance of petroleum the College of Communication, the College of and gas to the economy of the state. The Education, and the School of Social Work. Department of Petroleum and Geosystems These schools and colleges are already well- Engineering in the Cockrell School of positioned for research supporting or in Engineering is the number one department of collaboration with the medical school for which petroleum engineering in the country, and the funding was recently approved by voters in

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Central Texas. Other University units that will metrics attest to the accomplishment of this be supportive of health-related research include: mission. In the past five years OTC has:  Applied Research Laboratories;  facilitated the spinout of 37 startup  Texas Advanced Computing Center; companies from the University;  Institute for Computational Engineering  generated $82.7 million in licensing and and Sciences; royalty revenue for the University (in  Harry Ransom Humanities Research FY2012 it generated $20.3 million in Center; revenue);  Institute for Cellular and Molecular  managed the issuance of 326 patents; Biology; and  Dell Pediatric Research Institute;  executed 191 license and option  Center for Nano and Molecular Science agreements based on the research. and Technology; and  Institute for Neuroscience. Two examples that illustrate the social and economic benefits of commercializing the Creating hubs of knowledge that leverage research conducted at the University involve campus-wide expertise should simultaneously lithium-ion batteries and novel processes that lead to major research advances as well as enhance the delivery of the drug Oxycontin. One increased research funding. The Board of invention consists of materials technology for Regents has authorized $290 million over the creating lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion next decade to fund medical education, and the batteries are a key ingredient in cell phones, University is bringing substantial assets to the tablets and laptop computers, and even hybrid project on the academic side. The Seton engine vehicles. This invention was licensed to a Healthcare Family has committed $250 million large utility company. The other invention is a to build a teaching hospital and is funding and novel process for embedding the drug Oxycontin supporting the 213 medical residents in 13 into a polymer so that it can only be released specialties that are currently in Austin. The slowly as it goes through the stomach and the medical school (with a new Doctor of Medicine intestine. This makes Oxycontin tamper-resistant program) will be a tremendous asset to the and has allowed pain sufferers to obtain an University, bringing more top faculty and effective drug that had been taken off the students, creating synergies with and enhancing market. It also has been licensed, with the the research capabilities of current faculty, and University receiving royalties. attracting grants through new research opportunities. In addition, the medical school Allocation of Resources will expand access to excellent primary and specialty care in Austin and Central Texas, and In major research-oriented higher education it will expand the health care workforce. It also institutions, the quality of the faculty, the will stimulate the economy on an ongoing basis, specialized knowledge they teach, and the new and the ripple effect of the medical school will knowledge they create determine the value or be transformational for the region. prestige of the institution. This value is measured in terms of the quality of the graduates One measure of the quality and relevance of it produces through its educational programs university-based research is the extent to which (some of whom become new faculty members in the research can be successfully commercialized higher education) and the quality of the research to benefit society. The University’s Office of conducted, results generated, and the value of Technology Commercialization (OTC) has the that research to the health and welfare of the dual mission of protecting University intellectual region, state, country, and indeed the world. For property emanating from research conducted by this value to be fully realized, the faculty must its faculty and staff and the commercialization of be supported by a highly committed and that research when appropriate. The following qualified staff, modern facilities, very talented

7 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH undergraduate and graduate students, and a invest in additional research facilities, faculty, highly efficient and functional administrative and infrastructure in order to meet its target of organization. Thus, the allocation of resources $873.1 million in research expenditures in 2025. needs to focus heavily on the faculty, staff, and In addition, the University will need to hire both students, on administrative support, and on experienced grant-getting senior faculty facilities. members and resourceful junior faculty members and recruit outstanding graduate President Powers noted in his September 16, students to achieve its targeted goals. Toward 2009 State of the University address that it is a this end, the University is currently conserving priority for the University “to be competitive resources to be able to aggressively attract and with our peer institutions in the way we support retain the most productive researchers. Increases our faculty and graduate students … overall in the number of research staff members and salary and research support for our faculty and research-support resources will need to occur support for our graduate students [is] lagging far commensurately with the increases in the behind our competitors.” He continued, “In the targeted goals. long run, we need to continue to focus on faculty salaries, but we need to do more than that. We Until recent years, funds had been invested in need to have a fully funded sabbatical research hiring new faculty over and above replacement leave program. We need to continue to add faculty. For eight years starting in AY2000-01, money to stipends for graduate students until we some 30 new faculty positions had been funded catch up with our competitors. We need to each year. This initiative has been suspended continue to add faculty to reduce our student- because funding for it has become limited. faculty ratio. And we need competitive salary Funds had also been targeted for salary raises for the staff so that we can recruit and increases, faculty travel, salary compression, and retain the best talent.” These concerns and needs other inequities as the University had sought to are still challenges for the University, and hire and retain faculty in a competitive President Powers in his 2012 State of the environment, but this funding too is limited. University Address spoke to the larger issues of Without significant budget increases, the defining the right mission, increasing quality, number of faculty estimated to be needed for and increasing productivity in the face of a 2025 cannot be reached nor can the targeted challenging funding environment. research expenditures.

During the next few years the University will For any new faculty member to be likely continue to experience budget shortfalls, accommodated on campus, additional support and the funding that will enable the University services and infrastructure are needed. Later in to continue to move ahead must come from this Plan a description of the facilities under existing resources. Annually the deans engage in construction or about to be under construction is the process of reviewing budgets and priorities given. These facilities will provide space for within the colleges, schools, and departments current needs as well as those anticipated for and making decisions about which programs can some time in the future. Nine buildings be deemphasized to free-up funds needed for completed in the last three years cost $710.4 programs that need to be enhanced. Allocation million whereas five buildings currently under of resources at the college and school level will construction or about to be built have an eventually reflect those priorities. The same is estimated cost of $642 million. In addition to happening in the administration at the vice these buildings, $35 million was committed to president portfolio level. construction of the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at the University’s astronomy facility at Ft. Davis, Based on the historical relationships between TX. research funds awarded, research expenditures, ancillary research-support funding required, and In addition to new construction, renovation of faculty productivity, the University will need to existing facilities is ongoing. Recently

8 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH completed, underway, or planned renovations members or provide leadership and total $55 million. It will be shown later that fund-raising capabilities of new hires; renovation costs for new Science, Technology,  Have similar concerns regarding Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) faculty sufficient laboratory space available to hires alone will be approximately $5.5 million conduct high-quality research at the per year for the foreseeable future. University;  Are studying ways to focus the research Campus-wide, interdisciplinary research centers interests of faculty members to fewer of excellence like those cited in the previous domains wherein stronger competencies section should offer a mechanism for reducing can be effectively and efficiently research-related expenses (by, for instance, leveraged with some developing specific sharing overhead) while coordinating fund- strategies and tactics to reduce the raising and fostering joint programmatic number of domain areas in which research. To the extent that such centers can faculty members conduct research; utilize the same laboratories or share other  Have mechanisms for integrating physical facilities and centralized administrative graduate and undergraduate students support is available, resources may be into the process of research such as conserved. Likewise, changes in the research pairing students and faculty member infrastructure should support efforts to achieve researchers either formally through targeted goals. advising programs or informally through mentoring programs or through pairing Despite the diversity of the schools and colleges, undergraduate and graduate students in there are several recurring research-related ways that are beneficial to both parties; themes across the University. Virtually all  Possess programs to reward faculty schools and colleges: members and students for research  Cite the need for their faculty members accomplishments, acknowledging that to broaden their research by the magnitude and nature of the rewards collaborating more frequently and differ substantially across schools and especially working across disciplines, colleges, with some schools and not only within their schools and colleges offering fellowships whereas colleges, but with colleagues across the others use monetary awards or release University as well as outside of the time; University;  Are committed to recruiting students  Seek ways to have their faculty and faculty members who are likely to members become more research- have successful research careers, taking entrepreneurial (in both an academic and into account the need for diversity in nonacademic sense); both cohorts;  Have a desire to internationalize  Have or are developing plans to actively research efforts at the University; promote and increase the amount of  Are concerned with budgetary high quality and impactful research constraints as they attempt to hire new conducted by faculty members and faculty members who are research- especially improve the research active and who will strive to obtain productivity of senior faculty members; research support from beyond the  Increasingly recognize the need to University; establish entities such as centers or  Utilize different strategies regarding the institutes of excellence wherein level (i.e., assistant professor, associate researchers with similar interests can professor, or full professor) of faculty create research synergies and the entities members being recruited given different can serve as funding loci; and needs to replace retiring faculty

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 Use external information (e.g., citation activities. The College of Liberal Arts developed reports, media rankings) consistently in the Undergraduate Research Apprenticeship self-evaluations, determining research Program to offer a structured approach for strategies, and allocating resources. undergraduate students to become engaged in research being conducted by faculty members. Student Participation The College also offers a summer internship program - the Summer Undergraduate Research Student participation in research activities is Experience in Psychology - that provides hands- imperative if the University is to achieve its on training in research. targeted goals for research. Virtually every school and college in the University has devised The School of Undergraduate Studies (UGS) programs to involve graduate students in houses the Office of Undergraduate Research research. Indeed, many schools and colleges (OUR), which aims to foster undergraduate require that graduate students actively participation in research in all the disciplines. participate in research projects related to their The primary objectives of the OUR are to: discipline or course of study, and many require  Raise visibility of undergraduate research that graduate students enroll in prescribed and creative activity efforts across research courses. These requirements are campus so that an increased number of hallmarks of a tier-one research university. students and faculty can collaborate on Moreover, there are numerous research research projects; fellowships for graduate students as well as  Connect undergraduates with research employment opportunities that allow graduate resources and opportunities available in students to serve as research assistants or the colleges and schools in order to research interns. A majority of the research enhance their academic experience; grants obtained by University researchers  Coordinate outreach to first-generation include opportunities for graduate student and minority students to increase involvement, often on a paid basis. participation in research and creative activity; and Several schools and colleges in the University  Offer two course numbers students may have created formal research opportunities for use to receive credit for research undergraduate students as well. The McCombs experiences with University faculty: UGS School of Business introduced its Undergraduate 310 Undergraduate Research Experience Research Assistant Program to encourage (lower division course) and UGS 320 undergraduate students to become involved in Undergraduate Research Experience research; students in the program are supported (upper division course). financially for 10 hours a week to engage in faculty-initiated research projects. The College UGS is also helping all undergraduate schools and of Natural Sciences offers its Freshman colleges implement the Independent Inquiry Flag Research Initiative Program, whereby into the undergraduate curriculum, which will undergraduate students become involved in require undergraduate students in every major to research during their first semester on campus. take at least one research-related course. This Students participating in this program are requirement is expected to be included in all subsequently eligible for Undergraduate degree plans in the 2014-16 Undergraduate Research Fellowships. The College of Catalog. Communication recently created a Student Enrichment Fund to support graduate and Additionally, the Vice President for Research undergraduate students who conduct research in Office coordinates the University’s conjunction with faculty members, whereas the Undergraduate Research Fellowship program. Jackson School of Geosciences is designing the This program awards up to $1,000 for Jackson School Scholars Program to encourage independent research projects conducted by undergraduate students to participate in research undergraduate students. The program is

10 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH competitive, with one competition held in the least 70% by 2017. fall semester and one in the spring semester. Undergraduate students also have the The undergraduate curriculum serves as the best opportunity to publish the results of their single indicator of the quality of undergraduate research (whether or not funded or supervised) education. The University recently updated its in the Undergraduate Research Journal, a Basic Education Requirements to strengthen the student-edited, multidisciplinary journal at the core curriculum and align it with the University. requirements of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Final implementation of the revised core curriculum appeared in the 2010-12 III. PLAN TO IMPROVE Undergraduate Catalog. In addition, based on UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION recommendations from the University’s 2005 Task Force on Curricular Reform for updating Strengthening and Improving Undergraduate and strengthening undergraduate education, Education Quality additional requirements for coursework in writing, quantitative reasoning, independent The University has excellent undergraduate inquiry, ethics and leadership, cultural diversity, programs that are in great demand by high and global cultures are being added in every school graduates who rank in the top degree program. These requirements were percentages of their classes, and the number of partially implemented in the 2010-12 students who want to attend the University is far Undergraduate Catalog with further greater than the University can accommodate. implementation in the 2012-14 Undergraduate The University is attempting to keep its Catalog. These requirements are expected to be undergraduate enrollment at about 37,000 fully implemented in the 2014-16 Undergraduate students, a level that it can just accommodate Catalog. Within the next eight years all with the financial, human, and facilities graduating students will be expected to fulfill resources available. Student success in the these requirements. programs as measured by graduation rates, passage of nationally normed exams, and An enhancement to the quality of undergraduate accommodation rates of employment, and early education is the development and expansion of measures of student learning clearly indicate that interdisciplinary majors and “minors.” These students are receiving an excellent education at offerings provide students with opportunities to the undergraduate level. A high level of obtain coursework and experiences within a excellence in the academic and research standard baccalaureate degree program in programs in which these students are involved is cutting-edge topics and emerging disciplines that indicated by the rankings of the University as an cross traditional academic boundaries. For institution as well as those of individual schools, example, the University recently approved colleges, and departments. However the student- interdisciplinary bachelor’s degrees in faculty ratio of about 18:1 for Fall 2010 (most Environmental Science, International Relations recent IPEDS data available) is higher than and Global Studies, and Public Health and has desired and places us 13th out of 20 in our eleven interdisciplinary Bridging Discipline expanded comparison peer group (see Appendix certificate programs. Since the inception of the for list of institutions in group), which is Bridging Disciplines program in 2002, some 530 composed of premier public and private students have completed one of the programs. institutions. Therefore, the University desires to Over the next 10 years, this total is expected to hire additional faculty members to reduce this more than double. ratio to 16:1, thereby increasing the quality of undergraduate instruction, but budget limitations In addition to efforts to improve the Basic may delay this indefinitely. In addition, the Education Requirements through curricular University has established a goal of raising its changes, the University is seeking to enhance undergraduate four-year graduation rate to at the quality of its Basic Education Requirements

11 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH and undergraduate programs through outcomes- grants, award programs, and the services of based assessment activities that are also required support staff. In the next ten years the use of for accreditation by the Southern Association of appropriate instructional technology will Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. continue to increase substantially. The recently To accomplish this, the faculty first identified announced decision that the University will join Program Educational Objectives, what graduates the EdX Consortium to develop massive open of the University are expected to be able to do online courses (MOOCs) will also stimulate several years after graduation with a particular growth of enhanced technology-based teaching degree (e.g., be educated, responsible citizens, and learning. be employed in professional fields, etc.). The faculty then identified Program Outcomes, that The 81st Texas Legislature (Senate Bill 175) is, the knowledge, skills, and abilities, behaviors, modified the “Top 10 Percent Law,” and that and attitudes that students are expected to have change helped the University make additional at the time of graduation that enable them to progress on diversity. The bill has had the effect achieve the Program Educational Objectives. of limiting automatic admission and at the same Following this, the faculty design the curricula time enabled the University to consider factors that enable students to acquire the Program other than class rank, including ethnicity, for a Outcomes. Assessment activities document how larger number of applicants. Furthermore, the well students have achieved the Program proportion of tuition increases set aside for Outcomes at the time of graduation or before financial aid has been used to increase the size and how well graduates of the program have of the Longhorn Scholars Program, which achieved the Program Educational Objectives provides scholarships to students from several years after graduation. Where students historically underrepresented high schools. have not achieved Outcomes or Objectives and These scholarships are an excellent tool for deficiencies in a curriculum or teaching enhancing diversity at the University. effectiveness can be shown to be a cause, improvements in either or both are made. The University has established targets for Because this is a continuous improvement increasing diversity of the undergraduate process, it is expected that improvements in program in its “Closing the Gaps” projections program curricula as well as teaching for bachelor’s degrees awarded. Increases in effectiveness will continue over time. degrees awarded by ethnic group anticipated over the 2010 to 2020 period are presented in Several specific efforts are also underway to Table 4; expected increases in baccalaureate increase the quality of teaching in undergraduate degrees awarded to African American and courses. The Academy of Distinguished Hispanic graduates reflect the change in the Teachers has created a new organization, the demographics of the state and the desire for a Society for Teaching Excellence, to recognize more diverse student population on campus. and support new faculty by assisting them in acquiring effective teaching practices as they In addition to planning to admit a more diverse adjust to their positions at the University. The group of undergraduate students, the University College of Natural Sciences is engaged in is increasing support for entering students from promoting student-centered active learning and traditionally underrepresented high schools in project-based instruction through a monthly order to improve retention, academic success, series of Discovery Learning workshops and and graduation. These efforts include increased seminars. Many departments, colleges, and tutoring, counseling and mentoring, formation of schools, as well as centralized University units small learning communities, and guidance including the Provost’s Office and the Center for toward involvement with student organizations Teaching and Learning, support increasing and and other campus activities that enhance student innovative use of instructional technology. engagement and success. These efforts include workshops, innovation

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Table 4. Baccalaureate Degrees Awarded by Ethnic Group: Awarded and “Closing the Gaps” Target. Actual Actual Actual Target Target Target FY 2010 FY 2011 FY2012 FY 2015 FY 2020 FY 2025 White Only 5,128 4,999 4,753 4,870 4,824 TBD Hispanic (any combination) 1,483 1,543 1,616 1,654 1,638 TBD Black Total (excl. Hispanic) 380 377 392 400 396 TBD Asian only 1593 1,640 1,646 American Indian only 37 55 40 Hawaiian/Pac. Islander only 0 1 0 2 or more (excl. Hisp./Black) 2 27 36 Foreign 313 365 334 Unknown 16 20 43 Total 8,952 9,027 8,860 9,086* 8,781* 8,948* Source: UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis and UT Austin’s 2012 Closing the Gaps targets. Note: *Based on UT Austin’s 2012 Goal Setting report to UT System.

These efforts take time to develop, to be fully baccalaureate degrees awarded is anticipated appreciated by various constituencies, and to over the next ten years. However some increases manifest their outcomes. Over the next ten years are projected based on efforts to reduce attrition this Plan is intended to have the entering and improve graduation rates and to reduce the undergraduate student body demographics more average time to graduation. Numerous support closely resemble those of the general population systems, including creating small learning of that age group, to reduce by nearly half the communities, improved first-year experiences, attrition among at risk students, and to increase and intensive counseling, are being created and the percentage of at risk students who graduate strengthened to reduce attrition, which has been within 6 years of first enrolling. higher than desired, particularly after the second year. The University has targeted an increase in Increasing the Number of Baccalaureate total number of bachelor’s degrees awarded. As Degrees shown in Table 5, however, there are fluctuations in degrees awarded projected for The University has established a goal of 2015, 2020, and 2025 which are due to increases enrollment management that sustains a fairly primarily anticipated to result from increased constant enrollment, based upon the capacity of retention and a temporary increase due to the facilities, faculty, staff, and instructional higher than expected number of undergraduate resources, in large part to maintain the current students admitted (about 9,000 as a result of high quality of undergraduate education. recent efforts to improve undergraduate Therefore, little increase in the number of enrollment management) in FY2013.

Table 5. Baccalaureate Degrees Awarded Total: Awarded and “Closing the Gaps” Targets. Actual Actual Actual Target Target Target FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2015 FY2020 FY2025 UT Austin 8,952 9,027 8,860 9,086 8,781 8,948 Source: UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis and UT Austin’s 2012 Goal Setting reports to UT System.

The School of Undergraduate Studies houses the career and major options efficiently and Center for Strategic Advising and Career effectively. These efforts are designed to reduce Counseling, which features programs, activities, the time required (in academic years and and trained academic advisers who help semesters) for such students to select and undecided students, as well as students not complete a degree program that will allow them admitted into their program of choice, explore

13 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH to pursue a career path they desire. Actual and target graduation rates are given in Table 6.

Table 6. Four-, Five-, and Six-year Graduation Rates (as %): Actual and Targets Actual Actual Actual Target Target Target FY2000 FY2005 FY2010 FY2015 FY2020 FY2025 Four-Year 38.5 46.9 50.6 55.0* 70.0* 70.0* Five-Year 63.4 70.8 76.5 75.1** 75.1** 77.0** Six-Year 68.7 75.1 80.1 83.0* 85.0* 88.0* Source: UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis and UT Austin’s 2012 Closing the Gaps targets. Note: * Based on UT Austin’s 2012 Goal Setting report to UT System (October 2012) ** Based on statistical model developed by UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis’s research group; First-time-in-college enrollment held constant at 7,100 after Fall 2012.

Within these numbers, the University intends to courses, expanding first year research increase the number of students who graduate opportunities, and developing increased student with degrees in STEM areas. The Task Force on support structures such as small learning Enrollment Strategy has provided communities, First Year Interest Groups, and recommendations for ways to increase strategic faculty teaching assignments. In graduation rates. It is anticipated that most of the addition, the Department of Physics has increase could result from efforts to reduce the committed to an aggressive recruitment and greater than 50% attrition for students first support effort to increase the number of students enrolled in the College of Natural Sciences. The earning a degree in physics. A major goal of majority of students who presently enter this these efforts is to reduce attrition and thereby college but do not complete degrees in one of its increase the percentage (and number) of programs transfer to other colleges and schools baccalaureate degrees completed in STEM in the University. The College of Natural areas. The University has established targets for Sciences is embarking on a plan to improve the increases in degree production in STEM areas quality of the first two years for its students, for 2010, 2015, and 2020 in the most recent including offering more active and engaging “Closing the Gaps” report (see Table 7).

Table 7. Bachelor’s Degrees in STEM Fields: Awarded and Targets Actual Actual Actual Target Target Target 2010 2011 2012 2015 2020 2025 Engineering 974 1,040 1,074 1,101 1,091 TBD Computer Science 162 186 191 200 198 TBD Mathematics 163 196 190 191 189 TBD Physical Science 174 212 226 232 230 TBD Total 1,473 1,634 1681 1,724 1,708 TBD Source: UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis and UT Austin’s 2012 Closing the Gaps targets. Note: TBD = To Be Determined

IV. PLAN FOR DOCTORAL PROGRAMS Existing Doctoral Programs

The plan for doctoral programs includes a Summary of Existing Programs discussion of existing programs and new programs. The Graduate School administers almost 230 master’s, doctoral, and professional degree programs in fourteen colleges and schools, namely Liberal Arts, Natural Sciences,

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Communication, Business, Education, Fine Arts, these doctoral programs traditionally do not Engineering, Geosciences, Architecture, attract large numbers of students, there is Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work, Information, minimal cost to the institution to retain them, and Public Affairs. A general assessment of the and they do address a need in their respective University’s graduate programs is addressed in areas. These programs of study are closely various points throughout this document, and aligned with other degree programs, and faculty although there is room for improvement, the members involved in these programs typically University’s graduate programs rank highly serve on multiple Graduate Studies Committees. compared to peer institutions. All doctoral and Following the identification of the PhD program master’s degree programs undergo review every in Portuguese as a low producing program in seven years. These reviews begin with a 2012, the University initiated the consolidation rigorous self-study and include review of the Master’s and PhD degree programs in committees composed of both internal and Spanish and in Portuguese. Effective fall of external faculty members. The strengths and 2013, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese weaknesses of programs are evaluated with the will offer a Master of Arts and a Doctor of goal of improving quality to meet near- and Philosophy with a major in “Iberian and Latin long-term goals of the programs and the American Languages and Cultures.” University. Other measures In recent years, the College of The University, through the schools and colleges Liberal Arts and the School of Architecture have with the support of the Graduate School, strives taken measures to be more restrictive in to recruit and retain outstanding faculty admitting students to certain doctoral programs members and graduate students as the primary in an effort to improve the respective quality of way to maintain and achieve excellence in the graduate programs in these colleges. doctoral programs. President Powers set as a Programs that are more selective in the major goal for the University to become the best admissions process will improve the overall public university in the nation, and an caliber of students and create an educational outstanding Graduate School is central to that environment in which faculty and students will goal. A university’s overall ranking is largely excel. Concurrent with enrollment restrictions, based on the strength of its doctoral programs the College of Education has instituted a policy and research programs. Maintaining and restricting the number of dissertations that a developing top-ranked graduate programs faculty member is allowed to supervise require that the University attract and retain not simultaneously. The College of Liberal Arts has only the best faculty, but also the best students. limited enrollment in order to admit only A major goal of the Graduate School is to students who can be fully supported with multi- enhance the quality of graduate education at the year financial packages. University by developing and strengthening its faculty and student body. Quality Enhancement

Quality Control The University has targeted resources to enhance certain graduate programs such as Low producing programs A small number of History (which received $1.3 million), English doctoral programs at the University have been ($1.0 million over four years), and the Center for classified as low-producing by the Texas Higher Mexican American Studies ($0.8 million over Education Coordinating Board in recent years. four years) to raise their national profile and These include the PhD degree programs in ranking. Available resources are being used to Portuguese, Latin American Studies, hire top-tier faculty members and provide higher Communication Sciences and Disorders, and levels of financial support to graduate students Community and Regional Planning. All of these by raising stipends and fellowships. There is programs have been granted temporary much competition with the University’s national exemptions by the Coordinating Board. While peers to recruit top-tier faculty members and

15 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH graduate students, but by concentrating on to identify the specific degree requirements for selected graduate programs, the University is all its PhD programs, grouped into sections actively working to move programs currently marked by milestones along with a timeline ranked in the top 10-15 to national prominence estimate as to when each milestone should be in the top 10. met. This information should help students understand what is required for completing the The University seeks to enhance the quality of degree and the timeline for making satisfactory its graduate programs through outcomes-based progress to do so. In addition, the University is assessment activities similar to those for launching a new career services center to help undergraduate programs. This approach is also provide information on career options to required for accreditation by the Southern students, and has participated in the “Versatile Association of Colleges and Schools PhD” program to assist students. Commission on Colleges and many of the professional schools on campus. Just as for Because this is a continuous improvement undergraduate programs, the faculty identified process, it is expected that improvements in Program Educational Objectives, Program program curricula as well as teaching Outcomes that enable the Program Educational effectiveness will continue over time. Objectives to be achieved, curricula that enable students to acquire the Program Outcomes, an Comparisons with National Peers assessment plan to document how well students have achieved the Program Outcomes at the time The Graduate School is constantly of graduation or before and how well graduates benchmarking the University’s graduate of the program have achieved the Program programs with its national peers. Table 8 Educational Objectives several years after provides data for the University and several peer graduation. Where students have not achieved institutions, as ranked by U.S. News and World Outcomes or Objectives and deficiencies in the Report in the 2013 Report. The numbers in the curriculum or teaching effectiveness can be table indicate the number of programs that are shown to be a cause, improvements in either or ranked in the category indicated. For example, both are made. UT Austin has three programs ranked #1 and 40 programs ranked in the top 10 programs The University is also engaged in the mandatory nationally. Berkeley, on the other hand, has 20 external review of all its graduate programs on programs ranked #1, 19 ranked #2, and 118 the seven-year cycle required by the Texas ranked in the top 10. These rankings are for all Higher Education Coordinating Board. In graduate programs – master’s and doctoral addition, the UT System has mandated that each combined – and the word “program” is used by academic component improve its advising of U.S. News and World Report to refer to specific PhD students in their graduate programs by areas of study that may, in some cases, be implementing a “Milestones Agreement” form. subareas or concentrations of a graduate UT-Austin is developing an online advising tool program at the University.

Table 8. Rankings of Graduate Programs Institution #1 #2 Top 10 Top 11- Top 25 Progr Progr Progr 25 Progr Progr Univ. of Texas at Austin 3 0 40 51 91 Univ. of California - Berkeley 20 19 118 10 128 Univ. of Michigan at Ann Arbor 10 5 96 35 131 Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison 5 11 56 52 108 Univ. of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana 3 3 40 23 63 Univ. of North Carolina - Chapel Hill 3 6 38 43 81 Source: U.S. News and World Report, 2013 Report

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With 40 programs in the top 10 nationally, the Programs in the United States” is a data- University is among the premier public intensive and complex approach to assessing universities in the United States. However, there research doctoral programs resulting in “ranges is still much work to be done to compete with of rankings” for each program rather than a the number of top-ranked programs at peer single number. More than half of the institutions such as Berkeley (118), Michigan University’s research doctoral programs were (96), and Wisconsin (56). The University’s included in the study, but the study did not rankings are particularly impressive, given that include any professional programs or programs only 13% of the University’s operating budget is that were not represented by at least 25 similar funded by the state. State appropriations per programs across the country. The last report of student are significantly higher at peer the NRC was released in 1995, but it was largely institutions such as Berkeley and North Carolina a reputational study and did not include the than at the University, all of which receive at quantitative and qualitative measures used in the least 62% more state funding per student than latest appraisal. does the University. A total of 57 of the University’s 93 doctoral The University’s Graduate School has programs are included in the more recent study. established a goal to increase the number of While questions have been raised about the graduate programs in the top 10 nationally by validity of the methods used in the new study, providing additional graduate student support to the data provide benchmarking information to programs ranked just beyond the top 10. the University and give prospective graduate Programs currently ranked 11 through 15 students another source of information when include Business, Education, Biomedical selecting the program to best meet their Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical individual needs. Engineering, Law, Chemistry, Psychology, Studio Art, History, Information Studies, New Doctoral Programs Mathematics, Physics, Public Affairs, and Sociology. Increased student support will be Areas of Emphasis used to enhance the recruitment and retention of the best students in these areas. In addition to As a comprehensive Tier 1 research university, targeting these areas to bring them into the top The University of Texas at Austin has a full 10, programs already in the top 10 will continue array of graduate programs offering 133 to require significant resources to ensure that master’s degrees, 93 doctoral degrees, and 3 they retain their top 10 ranking. professional degrees. This array of graduate programs reflects the development over time of The University also participates in the National well-established fields of study and also the Research Council’s (NRC) assessment of creation of new interdisciplinary programs research doctoral programs in the United States. through which some of the most exciting The NRC survey collects and assesses data research, scholarly activity, and learning is regarding the quality and characteristics of the taking place. Proposals for new areas of study nation’s research-doctoral programs. In late come from the faculty in the colleges and 2010 the NRC released its third assessment of schools to the Graduate School for research doctorate programs based on data consideration. In recent years, new doctoral collected in 2006 for 20 variables that reflect programs have been developed in areas that key characteristics of research doctoral programs already had existing courses and faculty and that in more than 5,000 doctoral programs at 212 were natural extensions of existing universities, including the University of Texas at programmatic activity. These areas include Austin, in the United States. Religious Studies, African and African Diaspora Studies, and Statistics. A new PhD program in Unlike previously published rankings, “Data- Translational Science represents the first multi- Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate institutional joint program of its kind within the

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UT System. (Note that proposals for new areas benefits, operations, and construction. Student of study are initiated by the faculty, not the spending was another $0.8 billion, for a total of Graduate School or the central administration of about $2.8 billion. Including the indirect the University.) spending throughout the state’s economy that occurred as a result of that direct spending, a Assessment total of $6.4 billion in statewide economic impact is attributable to the economic activity on In compliance with Coordinating Board rules, the Austin campus. With FY2012 State annual progress reports will be filed for each of appropriations for the University at $297 the new doctoral programs listed above for the million, it was estimated that for every State first five years of implementation. The appropriated dollar invested, the University University is also engaged in the mandatory generated more than $21 in total spending for external review of all its graduate programs on the State’s economy – a 21:1 ratio. the seven-year cycle required by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The first Furthermore, the University is a magnet of these reviews was conducted during the Fall attracting out-of-state research funding, 2012 semester. Each program review includes an primarily federal funding, as well as non-Texas- internal self-study and an external review resident students. It is estimated that for every conducted by outside experts. Many programs State appropriated dollar to UT Austin, some $6 undergo additional external reviews for in economic activity is created – a 6:1 ratio. For continuous quality improvement, and some the out-of-state research funds that the programs undergo reviews in compliance with University attracted in FY2012, it is estimated external accrediting agencies. that an additional 11,000 new jobs were created, directly or indirectly, on campus and across the Regional Impact state.

As noted above, the University is a Research and scholarly activities of the first comprehensive Tier I research university and class are inextricably linked to teaching of the already offers a full array of graduate programs. first class. Faculty who conduct research and scholarly activities take their findings into the V. PLAN FOR FACULTY AND STUDENT classroom where their students learn about DEVELOPMENT topics that are more up-to-date than what they read in the textbook for the class and they take Faculty research away from the classroom the excitement the faculty convey. Many faculty use teaching/ In general, high-quality faculty and graduate learning methods developed and shared here at students, reasonable teaching loads, excellent the University, methods used in the Signature research facilities, and research-oriented Courses and developed by faculty in the Course colleagues are necessary ingredients for Transformation Project which is designed to producing research of the first class. improve student success in large, lower division Consequently, numerous programs, activities, gateway courses by incorporating innovative and policies have been enacted to obtain these approaches to instruction and learning. ingredients at the University, including the recruiting of outstanding graduate students and In addition to the University’s Marine Science faculty members and the formal recognition of Institute in Port Aransas, the McDonald innovative research. Observatory in West Texas, the Pickle Research Campus in north Austin, and the Bee Cave This first-class research conducted at UT Austin research facility in west Austin, there are more is also beneficial to the economy of the State and than 100 organized research units as well as significantly so. In FY2012 UT Austin spent just dozens of school- or college-specific research over $2 billion on faculty and staff salaries, centers. Organized research units range from

18 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH internationally acclaimed institutes such as the funding for their research. Grant-writing Institute for Computational Engineering and workshops are often held to help junior faculty Sciences, the Long Institute for Latin American members learn about sources of research funds Studies, the IC2 Institute, and the Drug and how to navigate grant and fellowship Dynamics Institute, to the Bureau of Economic application processes. Formal mentoring Geology and the Center for Systems and programs wherein a senior faculty member Synthetic Biology. Recently, the mentors a particular junior faculty member for Nanomanufacturing Systems for Mobile up to five years represent an attempt to improve Computing and Mobile Energy Technologies (to research productivity. Several schools and be known as NASCENT) was created, UT’s first colleges have specialized staff members highly competitive National Science dedicated to identifying grant opportunities and Foundation-funded Engineering Research Center assisting junior faculty members when they (ERC). As of November 2011, there were only develop research proposals and apply for 17 active ERCs across the United States. The research grants. A majority of the schools and institutes, bureaus, and centers serve as catalysts colleges provide incentives for innovative and to focus research on a particular topic or domain, impactful research that include financial awards facilitate interactions among researchers, and and public recognition. emphasize collaborative research to maximize research productivity and impact. At the University level several programs are designed to increase faculty research The University supports limited research leaves productivity and innovativeness. The Visiting for T/TT faculty through its Faculty Research Scholar Program, whereby scholars from other Assignment and Summer Research Assignment institutions can spend up to a year at the programs, and a Faculty Travel Grant program University conducting collaborative research, is to enable faculty to attend conferences to present an attempt to stimulate innovative research by their scholarly work and learn of the most recent bringing fresh ideas to the University. The findings of others. Office of Sponsored Projects has implemented numerous protocols and policies to facilitate the Moreover, besides research institutes, bureaus, application process for external funding and and centers, each school and college in the administration of grants received. The Vice University has its own, sometimes unique, plan President for Research Office coordinates to assist faculty in becoming more productive, several internal grant programs to cover more innovative, and more effective in unanticipated research costs or to “seed” initial conducting research. Most have research or research efforts that have not obtained external development funds that faculty members can funding. This office also disseminates a weekly draw upon to support data collection and listing of research events, activities, seminars, analysis, travel to conferences to present and workshops to inform the research research, or hire research assistants. Accessing community of opportunities to interact with and these funds only requires completing a request learn from campus visitors and colleagues across form. Many schools and colleges also have campus. Changes have been made, and are being competitive research funds that faculty members made, to the basic infrastructure of the can apply for; these funds are sometimes large University to provide researchers with up-to- enough to support a non-teaching semester or a date technologies and reduce the amount of time summer stipend (the Dean’s Fellows Program or and effort spent on nonproductive, non-research College Research Fellowship Program in many activities. Thus, improvements have been made schools and colleges is an example of this type in the library system (such as easier online of funding to free-up faculty time for research access to millions of documents), information through semester-long leaves). technologies (such as more and faster computer and Internet connectivity), and purchasing Schools and colleges have programs to assist procedures (such as simplifying the manner in junior faculty members in obtaining external which research supplies are purchased, including

19 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH the construction of a 24-hour supply “store” for developing new corporate partners, the research supplies). Development Office is currently hiring a development researcher who will focus The University Development Office works specifically on understanding corporate research, closely with private donors and the university corporate giving, and emerging trends in community to cultivate philanthropic support for industry. the University. Gifts from individuals, corporations, foundations, and other entities help Staff in the Development Office (particularly the attract the best faculty and graduate students, corporate and foundation relations team) improve campus facilities, enrich the interacts continuously with personnel in research educational experience for undergraduates, administration areas of the University – expand services to the community and state, and primarily, the Office of Sponsored Projects and much more. Front-line fundraising staff in the the Office of Industry Engagement. These Development Office work hand-in-hand with Development/Research relationships have been development personnel in colleges and schools cultivated and strengthened in recent years and to identify prospects, cultivate relationships, and form the basis for efficient handling of proposals solicit gifts. Other staff in this central office and awards supporting research and other work in teams to provide centralized services for priorities at the University. Development shares campus-wide fundraising efforts, including such the cost (with the Office of Industry functions as gift processing, prospect research Engagement) of the university’s membership in and clearance, endowment creation and the University-Industry Demonstration compliance, creative services (brochures, Partnership (UIDP), and a development invitations, etc.), special events management, representative serves on the university’s annual fund operations, and estate planning. research-focused Objectivity in Research Committee. The Development Office helps advance the research mission of the University in various Improving access to information is another way ways. Foundation relations staff work with in which the Development Office is working faculty and program leaders to develop and with campus offices to better support the submit proposals for funding of research, research development efforts within colleges and facilities, curriculum development, and related schools. Looking to the future, the Development priorities, providing assistance with writing, Office is creating a new data management editing, and supporting materials. Using the resource for corporate and foundation relations Foundation Directory Online and other tools, to facilitate sharing of information campus-wide they search for prospective corporate and and provide a broad view of the complex foundation funding partners for a myriad of interrelationships among individuals, projects. In cases where proposals are “by foundations, and corporations. A long-term goal invitation only,” development staff may write to is to connect this tool with other data resources funders to make the case that the University across campus, including the Research should be on their invitation list. Management System in OSP, to identify broad areas of research activity at the University. To encourage corporate funding for research, the Being able to highlight the University’s research Development Office facilitates the processing of strengths based on collective data will be helpful “gifts to research” in cases where companies in leveraging increased funding from public and prefer to provide unrestricted support for a private sources. particular area of study, rather than funding a scope-of-work project. The Office also plays an Faculty recognition important role in stewarding corporate relationships by hosting executive visits, which Faculty members are recognized for their sometimes lay the groundwork for pursuit of teaching and research accomplishments by research partnerships. Toward the goal of various means both within the University and

20 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH outside. Within the University recognition takes There are numerous other ways that faculty the form of teaching awards such as the receive national and international recognition. Academy of Distinguished Teachers, the Donald Among these are leadership positions held in D. Harrington Faculty Fellow Program, and a professional societies, journal editorships, number of University-wide teaching awards as performances and showings in national and well as an even larger number of school/college international venues, public service activities in awards. Faculty members also receive awards municipal, state, national, and international external to the University such as the University settings, and so forth. Co-op’s Hamilton Awards and professional society awards. Descriptions of some of these All of these awards add to the prestige of the awards are given below. faculty and the University. The faculty are literally the “face” of the University to many, Recognition for research accomplishments also and their prestige translates into the prestige of takes place within and outside the University. academic and research programs that influences Within the University school/college awards, rankings of programs and institutions. The endowments that provide salary, supplements to University encourages activities by the faculty salary, and discretionary funds, and other that lead to these awards and to the enhancement recognitions are available (809 as of fall 2009). of the University’s prestige. For example, the McCombs School of Business recognizes outstanding research through such Academy of Distinguished Teachers awards as the CBA Foundation Research Excellence Award for Assistant Professors and The Academy of Distinguished Teachers is the Career Award for Outstanding Research emblematic of the University’s commitment to Contributions (the latter carrying a $10,000 excellence in teaching. Comprising honorarium). approximately 5% of the tenured faculty in the University, the Academy provides leadership in Outside the University the most prestigious improving the quality and depth of the recognitions are from international sources such undergraduate experience. Members of the as the Nobel Prize and the Japan Prize, an Academy advise the president and provost on international award similar to the Nobel Prize. matters related to the University’s instructional Faculty have also received awards from national mission; participate in seminars, colloquia, and sources such as the National Medal of Science, workshops on teaching effectiveness; and serve the national academies such as the National as mentors to new faculty. Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, American Academy of Arts and Established in February 1995, the Academy of Sciences, American Academy of Nursing, and Distinguished Teachers was one of the first the American Law Institute. Other awards associations of its kind in the nation. Each year, include the Fulbright American Scholars, new members of the Academy are selected Guggenheim Fellows, National Institutes of through a rigorous evaluation process. Deans of Health, NSF Career Awards, NEH Fellowships, colleges and schools annually nominate faculty American Association for Advancement of for membership, and a committee that includes Science Fellows, Sloan Research Fellows, the members of the Academy, students, and other Wolf Prize, Steele Prize, and Birkhoff Prize, all faculty review the nominations and recommend in Mathematics, and American Council of a slate of honorees to the provost, who makes Learned Societies Fellows. Faculty at the the final selections. Honorees are awarded the University receive a number of awards from title University Distinguished Teaching these entities each year. For example, in Professor and serve for the duration of their AY2011-12 alone, University faculty received tenure at the University. 46 of these awards. The Academy of Distinguished Teachers and the School of Undergraduate Studies have created

21 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH the Society for Teaching Excellence, which designed to attract outstanding faculty that are in supports promising young faculty members. the initial stages of their professional careers. Thirty of these young faculty members were Fellowships are awarded annually to the most chosen in 2012 to become the inaugural class. highly qualified applicants from universities Academy members meet with junior professors throughout the United States and around the to exchange ideas about instruction and provide world. general support in the difficult but rewarding process of becoming outstanding teachers. The Harrington Faculty Fellows Program supports approximately five Fellows each Teaching Awards academic year. These Fellows visit the University to pursue their research and More than 150 teaching awards are offered collaborate with colleagues. The normal period annually at the University. University-wide of appointment is the academic year, although teaching awards (administered by the Office of some Fellows choose to stay for the summer as the Executive Vice President and Provost) alone, well. A Harrington Faculty Fellow is on leave which total over $1 million, are: from her or his home university and is appointed  Academy of Distinguished Teachers as a visiting member of the University faculty, Award with a stipend representing a substantial increase  William David Blunk Memorial over the salary at the home university, relocation Professorship expenses for external Fellows, full medical  Chancellor's Council Outstanding benefits, etc. Office space and limited Teaching Award administrative support are provided by the host  Dad's Association Centennial Teaching department or organized research unit (ORU). Fellowships  Friar Centennial Teaching Fellowship Since the primary purpose of the Harrington  Jean Holloway Award for Excellence in Faculty Fellowship is to pursue research, the Teaching Fellows have no teaching obligations. Fellows  Minnie Stevens PIPER Foundation are, of course, free to conduct seminars if they Teaching Award wish. In addition, each Fellow will be provided  President's Associates Teaching with funding to support a symposium during the Excellence Award period of his or her stay.  Regents’ Outstanding Teaching Awards  Joe and Bettie Branson Ward Excellence To ensure the diversity of backgrounds among Award the recipients and sustain the international Other teaching awards are given by individual prestige of the Program, at least 75% of the schools and colleges, and lists of these awards Fellows are recruited from institutions outside are maintained on the Provost’s Office web the University; no more than 25% come from page. the University.

Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellows Program All Harrington Faculty and Graduate Fellows become lifetime members of the Harrington The Donald D. Harrington Fellows Program was Society. This organization is designed to build a created by Sybil Harrington as a tribute to her sense of community among the scholars through late husband. She envisioned a program that special programs and events that include would support gifted and ambitious scholars seminars, dinners, and monthly informal who would, in turn, share their knowledge and luncheons. Members are encouraged to continue success with future generations, perpetuating the their involvement in the Society after their legacy and memory of Don Harrington for all fellowships have ended. time. The University is privileged to be the home of the Harrington Faculty Fellows Program. This preeminent research program is

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University Co-op’s Hamilton Awards UT Austin and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch at The Hamilton Awards recognize leading Galveston. A similar joint MD/PhD program University authors. The grand prize award is between the Department of Biomedical $10,000 with four additional $3,000 prizes. Engineering at UT-Austin and Southwestern Finalists are selected by a committee of scholars Medical School in Dallas is pending final appointed by the Vice President for Research. approval. Other University research All University faculty members with books collaborations include those with Scott and published during the previous academic year are White Medical Clinic, Seton Hospital, and the eligible for the award. These awards are named UT System health component campuses in in honor of Professor Robert W. Hamilton, past Galveston, San Antonio, and Houston. By Chairperson of the University Co-op Board. capitalizing on faculty strengths at each location and combing resources, research efficiency and Collaborations and Partnerships effectiveness are increased dramatically.

The primary formal mechanisms for In 2012, the University’s College of Pharmacy encouraging and enhancing cooperative research added a PhD in Translational Science. In line efforts among faculty members and fostering with a field of science that emphasizes multi- collaborative research within the University are disciplinary, collaborative research, the doctoral the interdisciplinary research institutes and degree program in Translational Science is centers. Other mechanisms include school-wide, offered as a multi-institutional joint degree college-wide, and university-wide seminars and program. This inter-institutional PhD degree workshops, special interest groups (such as program was developed in conjunction with the faculty members conducting research on various UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, the aspects of nanotechnology) created to bring University of Texas at San Antonio, and the UT faculty members from different disciplines School of Public Health (San Antonio Regional together, and joint faculty appointments in Campus). This collaboration of four universities different departments. A strategy of “cluster to offer a single joint doctoral degree is unique hires,” wherein a group of faculty members is in the UT System. The program is designed to hired in a particular area to maximize research use the existing resources and expertise in synergies, is also being employed to foster specific key areas of each university to offer a research cooperation. Collaborations and strong, diverse, and competitive Translational partnerships involving University and non- Science PhD. University faculty members derive from the Visiting Scholar Program, inter-institutional New Faculty cooperative research grants, initiatives emanating from the University of Texas System, Under former President Larry Faulkner, the and the efforts of individual University institutes University initiated a plan in AY2000-01 to hire and centers to involve faculty members from additional faculty members in areas that would other universities in research-related activities. benefit the University strategically. The original A cooperative arrangement between The goal was to hire 300 additional faculty members University of Texas System and The Texas in 10 years, or 30 new faculty members per year. A&M University System allows graduate To date, some 268 positions have been allocated students at one institution to use unique facilities to schools and colleges on campus and 232 of or take courses at the other institution with a those positions have been filled. A significant minimum of paperwork. portion of these positions have been filled by assistant professors who are the future of the Inter-institutional dual-degree programs allow institution while the balance typically consists of students in biomedical engineering, chemistry, full professors who bring substantial research biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, and experience with them and the ability to develop neuroscience to pursue both a PhD degree from and lead large research programs. Because of

23 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH funding limitations, this initiative is suspended, Student Awards however. Numerous competitive research awards In addition to these new faculty members, currently exist at the school and college level to schools and colleges replace faculty who have encourage student research. This research can retired or left the University for various reasons, reflect independent efforts by students as well as and these replacements are most often junior thesis and dissertation work. Students receiving faculty. In some instances, they may be senior these awards are recognized publicly through a faculty if the program into which they are being variety of campus media. The ongoing capital hired needs a better balance of senior vs. junior campaign contains commitments by the various faculty. Again, the faculty members hired are schools and colleges to raise the amount of those that can contribute effectively to the funding available to generate new, more teaching and research activities of the various prestigious, and more remunerative awards and University programs. fellowships to recognize and reward outstanding student research. Several schools and colleges The University has taken advantage of the UT provide administrative support to students who System Science and Technology Acquisition and apply for external research awards. In recent Retention (STARS) program, which consists of years several students have been named both competitive and non-competitive grants Marshall Scholars or Rhodes Scholars or have that are available for component campuses to received Truman Scholarships. Additionally, for recruit outstanding senior research-oriented the past decade the University Co-op has faculty. In order of priority, members of national sponsored the George H. Mitchell Student academies, senior faculty with national Awards for Academic Excellence. Last year, reputations likely to be members of national seven students received awards that ranged in academies, senior faculty members with national value from $2,000 to $20,000. reputations pioneering fields of discovery, and emerging junior faculty members with high The Undergraduate Research Fellowship potential have been the target hires. STARS Program administered by the Vice President for funding received to date by the University totals Research Office consists of two annual funding over $74.0 million, and these funds have been competitions for independent research used to recruit or retain approximately 180 conducted by undergraduate students. To date faculty members. more than $2.2 million in grants has been awarded to undergraduate students under this In AY2009-10, AY2010-11, and AY2011-12, program. some 33 new faculty hires received STARS funding. The hiring focus during those years was Student Diversity at the entry level, as 24 of these faculty were assistant professors. Eight of these new hires The University and Graduate School are were professors and one was an associate committed to recruiting and retaining professor. underrepresented students. The Graduate School has an active and vigorous partnership with the These new faculty were hired into five schools/ University’s Office of the Vice President for colleges, namely the College of Natural Sciences Diversity and Community Engagement, which with 16, the Cockrell School of Engineering was created to advance learning and working with 13, the College of Pharmacy with 2, and the environments that foster a culture of excellence remaining two in the Jackson School of through diverse people, ideas, and perspectives. Geosciences and the College of Liberal Arts. While there is still much work to do, the University has made much progress in recent years reaching out to under-represented groups. It is noteworthy, for instance, that the University

24 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH is one of the largest producers of doctorates VI. OTHER RESOURCES earned by Hispanics and African Americans in the nation. Table 9 presents the profile of Research Facilities graduate students at the University as of the Fall 2012 semester. The availability of modern research facilities is one of the critical keys to attracting and The “Closing the Gaps” initiative sets goals for retaining the very best faculty and students. At the number of doctoral degrees awarded the University, this represents a significant statewide and the number of degrees awarded to challenge for all disciplines, especially the African Americans and Hispanics (see Table STEM areas, as the campus physical plant is 10). The number of doctoral degrees awarded by aging and there are limited footprints available the University is projected to stay relatively for new construction. To provide the facilities constant overall through FY2025. necessary for the University to continue its quest to become the best public research university in As of FY2012, the state’s institutions have met the nation, the institution has adopted a and exceeded the FY2015 target for number of comprehensive facilities strategy that includes a doctoral degrees awarded. Targets established systematic maintenance plan for existing for the number of doctoral degrees to be facilities that continue to support its research awarded to African Americans and Hispanics at mission, and a strategic program of the University have not yet been reached, but are modernization, repurposing, and replacement of attainable by continuing to concentrate on those facilities no longer able to support this increasing the diversity of the graduate student mission. body and encouraging qualified students to continue beyond the master’s degree. The Changes in research infrastructure are realized Graduate School has a number of initiatives in through constructing, renting/leasing, or place to work with the graduate programs to renovating research space (see Tables 11 and recruit and retain students, including targeted 12). student support and recruitment events. .

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Table 9.Graduate Student Profile (Fall 2012) Total Graduate Enrollment 10,622*

Gender Men 5,610 Women 5,012

Level Master’s 5,562 Doctoral 5,060

Residence Texas 40.5% Out-of-State 33.9% International 25.6%

Ethnicity White only 52.6% Hispanic (any combination) 9.1% Black only 2.8% Black (2 or more, excl. Hisp.) 0.2% Asian only 6.2% American Indian only 0.2% Hawaiian/Pac. Islander only 0.0% 2 or more (excl. Hisp./Black) 1.2% Foreign 25.6% Unknown 2.0% Source: UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis * Master’s and Doctoral only. Numbers do not include Law or Pharm.D. students. In Fall 2012 1,108 students were enrolled in the Law School and 501 in the Pharm.D. professional program.

Table 10. “Closing the Gaps” Doctoral Degree Targets Actual Actual Actual Actual Target Target Target FY2000 FY2010 FY2011 FY2012 FY2015 FY2020 FY2025 Statewide Degrees 2,621 3,813 3,945 N/A 3,900 N/A Institution Degrees 703 841 844 843 840 840 840 African American 21 15 28 34 34 34 Hispanic 48 54 57 62 62 62 White 373 404 380 396 395 395 Other 261 368 379 351 349 349 Source: THECB’s Closing the Gaps progress report, UT Austin’s Office of Information Management and Analysis, UT Austin’s Closing the Gaps targets, and UT Austin’s 2012 Goal Setting report to UT System.

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Table 11. Examples of Recent ResearchSpace Construction

Building Name Cost Gross Occupancy Date ($Millions) Square Feet Norman Hackerman Building 199.3 343,768 December 2011 Biomedical Engineering Building 83.0 180,591 November 2010 Data Center at Central Receiving Bldg. 32.0 28,544 June 2010 Belo Center for New Media 65.1 122,194 August 2012 Liberal Arts Bldg (Phase I) 69.4 149,200 February 2011 Liberal Arts Bldg (Phase II) 95.7 204,000 November 2012 Dell Pediatric Research Institute 88.5 149,653 January 2010 TACC High Performance Computing Facility 56.0 19,672 August 2012 Mission-Aransas Nat’l Estuarine Res. Pres. 21.4 36,720 April 2011 Total $710.4 1,234,342 Source: Office of Facilities Planning and Construction, The University of Texas System

Table 12. Facilities Being Planned or Under Development

Building Name Cost Gross Occupancy Date ($Millions) Square Feet Geology Building Addition 0.5 20,900 June 2017 Dell Computer Science Hall – Bill and Melinda 121.5 232,503 February 2013 Gates Computer Science Hobby-Eberly Telescope at Ft. Davis 35.0 Summer 2013 Engineering Education and Research Center 310.0 471,887 January 2017 U.T. Academy of Music 20.0 60,000 Graduate School of Business 155.0 458,125 March 2017 Total $642.0 1,243,415 Source: Office of Facilities Planning and Construction, The University of Texas System

Renovation of space is a continuing activity on year. Several schools/colleges are planning for campus as new types of research demand new renovations throughout their complexes (see configurations of space and new facilities, new Table 13). For example, the Cockrell School of laboratory features and equipment, new utilities, Engineering has completed a facilities master and furniture. While renovation does not plan for its aging physical plant, and it is necessarily create new space, it does provide estimated that total renovation costs will be new usable space that enhances the faculty’s approximately $1.1 billion in capital costs. The ability to conduct research. For each new faculty College of Natural Sciences and the College of hire in the STEM disciplines, renovation costs Pharmacy are likewise considering major range from $400,000 to $600,000. With an renovation projects that may cost between $300 estimated 10 to 12 new hires in STEM fields million to $500 million total over the next ten each year, the renovation costs for these new years. faculty alone are approximately $5.5 million per

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Table 13. Examples of Recently Completed and Planned Renovations

Building Name Cost Gross Occupancy Date (Millions) Square Feet School of Nursing building renovations 6.6 111,562 Summer 2009 Art Building and Museum Renovation 7.4 32,979 January 2010 Administration Building 36.3 253,087 April 2010 CMA-CMB Renovations 9.6 52,500 August 2013 Battle Hall Complex-West Mall Office Building 2.0 48,074 June 2018 Geography Building Renovations & Expansion 11.5 36,718 June 2014 Source: Office of Facilities Planning and Construction, The University of Texas System

The University has used rental/leased space efficient and up-to-date environmental control extensively over the years to house such for sanitation and animal health monitoring. It research centers as the Center for Transportation also has access to a diagnostic laboratory, two Research, the Center for Space Research, Social complete animal surgery suites, several Work, the Institute for Advanced Technology, darkrooms, controlled environment rooms, and a and others. necropsy room. Facility users include the Departments of Anthropology, Chemical A major resource for researchers at the Engineering, Electrical and Computer University as well as researchers world-wide is Engineering, Bio-Engineering, Biochemistry, the Texas Advanced Computing Center Kinesiology, Nutrition, Microbiology, (TACC). TACC is the home of the University’s Molecular Biology, and Psychology as well as unparalleled supercomputers, including the College of Pharmacy. Lonestar, Ranger, and the recently christened world-class Stampede (for which TACC won a Library Resources $51.5 million award from the National Science Foundation), and the leading-edge Visualization Containing more than 10 million volumes, the Laboratory. These computing systems are library of the University is the fourth largest dedicated to open science research and allow public academic library in the nation and is scientists and engineers to address complex and consistently ranked among the country's top 10 large-scale issues. Scientists employ TACC research libraries. The University's holdings in systems to look at the origins of the universe, Latin American materials are recognized as investigate the genetics of plants and animals, among the most significant in the world. Also research minute details of earthquakes, test world-renowned is the Harry Ransom options for treating diseases, and create new Humanities Research Center (HRC) that houses visions in the arts and humanities. With a staff 30 million literary manuscripts, one million rare of nearly 100 individuals, TACC provides both books, five million photographs, and more than software and hardware support for nearly a 100,000 artworks. The Jack S. Blanton Museum thousand scientists and engineers globally as of Art contains 17,000 works of art from well as offering basic and advanced courses and Europe, the United States, and Latin America. training in high performance computing. The L. B. J. Library and Museum contains more than 40 million documents relating to President Another University-wide research resource is the Lyndon Baines Johnson. And the Texas Animal Resources Center (ARC). The ARC Memorial Museum houses the Texas Natural provides animal husbandry and veterinary History Collections, including the non-vertebrate consultation services, and training for all paleontology collections and the Vertebrate University research involving 10,000 - 15,000 Paleontology Laboratory. laboratory animals yearly. It permits the most

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Peer comparisons provide one of the best arrangements, often in concert with other measures of resource adequacy. For large members of the University of Texas System, that research universities, the Association of deliver millions of pages of electronic full text Research Libraries (ARL) provides the directly to the desktops of the University longitudinal statistical data that enable peer community. comparisons. The 2010 list of holdings of member institutions of ARL ranks the The University of Texas Libraries are part of University of Texas Libraries as the 8th largest consortia that greatly expand the purchasing among its 123 members. These collections are power, and number of resources available to housed in fourteen separate library and archival University students and faculty members. The collections administered collectively by the University of Texas System digital library University of Texas Libraries, and in three contracts allow the Libraries to avoid millions of outstanding research centers with separate dollars for online content. The Libraries are a administrative lines: the Center for American member of TexShare, the State Library Program, History; the Jamail Center for Legal Research; which allow the Libraries to avoid over a and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research hundred thousand dollars for online content. The Center (HRC). In 2010, the investment by the Libraries are a member of the Greater Western University of Texas in library materials was well Library Alliance consortium that allow the over $17 million, earning a ranking of 15th Libraries to avoid tens of thousands of among the ARL membership. interlibrary loan fees. The Libraries participate in the Research Library Cooperative Program The library collections are managed through with the University of California at Berkeley and close consultation between the University Stanford University. This program is an faculty and Libraries subject specialists to agreement to share the resources of these ensure that library resources meet the teaching libraries' circulating collections. The Libraries and research needs of the University's academic are one of the five patent and trademark programs. The collection program is managed depository libraries in Texas, part of the Federal by the Libraries Research Services Division and Depository Library Program. All of these includes both formal collecting policies and consortia greatly increase the resources available statistical overviews of the collection. to University researchers.

Information Technology Services (ITS) twice a The University of Texas Libraries provides year plans a series of hands-on sessions for digital stewardship services to University faculty instructors that cover the fundamentals of and campus units by providing repository computer security, electronic reserves and services (UT Digital Repository), data digital library resources, Web publishing, and management planning services (Data graphics and multimedia applications. Management @ UT), and alternative publishing platforms (through the Texas Digital Library The Libraries provide access to hundreds of open journals service). online databases supporting every academic program at the University, as well as in excess The UT Digital Repository (UTDR) service of 800,000 e-books and access to more than provides open, online access to the University's 85,000 e-journals. The Libraries use the latest research and scholarship in order to preserve web scale discovery technology and Open URL these works for future generations, promote new linking technology to provide powerful and models of scholarly communication, and help seamless access to licensed electronic resources deepen community understanding of the value of from around the world. Robust off-campus higher education. To date, the largest collection access to licensed resources is provided through in the UTDR contains over 10,700 theses and the campus secure electronic ID and the dissertations from University of Texas graduate implementation of EZProxy. Enhanced access to students. The remaining 7,100 works in the digital information is assured through licensing repository are works from units and faculty

29 March 8, 2013 THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN 2013 STRATEGIC PLAN FOR RESEARCH across the University campus, including: the collection from TDL member institutions as well Center for Research in Water Resources; as some from outside the consortium. Thomas Jefferson Center; Department of Government; IC² Institute; LBJ School of Public To better manage the collection of student Affairs; The Mesoamerica Center; research, the TDL has also developed an Radionavigation Laboratory; and the School of electronic thesis and dissertation management Law, among many others. system employed by the University and a wide body of universities across the country. The To address the growing need for data TDL is also involved in the nationwide management plans, in December 2011 the development of a Digital Preservation Network Libraries launched a new service for researchers that will provide multiple formats for storing called “Data Management @ UT.” The Libraries research data, papers, reports, and other products partnered with TACC and Information across a number of geographic locations in the Technology Services (ITS) to develop the US. Hosted by the University, it is the goal of service, which includes an informational website TDL to become a center of excellence in the and a coordinated strategy for helping address creation, curation, and preservation of digital researchers’ unique data needs. As part of the scholarly output of Texas universities. This is a coordinated strategy, each organization of the resource that will benefit not only the faculty partnership offers distinct resources and and students of higher education, but due to the capabilities. University of Texas Libraries acts sheer depth and breadth of resources available at as a repository for datasets up to one gigabyte, the participating institutions, is likely to be of including publications and papers. TACC houses interest to many researchers. larger (terabyte and petabyte-sized) datasets and collections that require complex systems. ITS The University of Texas Libraries strives to provides hardware, co-location, network access, create Web sites that are 100% accessible. The web services, and technical assistance. Libraries go beyond the minimums set by the University's Web accessibility policy and the The University was a founding member of the requirements of Section 508 of the Texas Digital Library (TDL), a statewide Rehabilitation Act by using style sheets to consortium managed by four Texas members of control layout and conducting accessibility the Association of Research Libraries: The evaluations with users who require assistive University, Texas A&M University, the technologies such as the JAWS screen reader. University of Houston, and Texas Tech The Libraries offer assistive technology in University. They have come together to provide several locations and wheelchair accessible a shared digital infrastructure for supporting the workstations in the Perry-Castañeda Library and scholarly activities of these four schools plus several of the branches. There is information affiliate member institutions throughout Texas. available online detailing library services for The TDL serves as an open access repository for users with disabilities. research output as well as instructional materials, all of which will be available to both The Libraries also employ a series of assessment scholars and the general public. The TDL tools to listen to the University community and infrastructure currently consists of several respond to the diverse needs of its students, DSpace repositories, an Open Journal Systems faculty, research staff, and others. Among the publishing platform, an Open Conference tools that have been employed by the University Proceedings and Conference Management of Texas Libraries is the LibQUAL+ protocol System, a Terabyte scale storage system, faculty administered by Applied Research Laboratory. research wiki tools, website creation software, The LibQUAL+ survey collects qualitative data and an informational Web site. The repository, in the form of comments. Through content which came online on February 3, 2006, analysis, the Libraries are able to incorporate currently contains dissertations in a combined suggestions for improvements in areas of service into the annual strategic plan.

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benefits for graduate students with fellowships Graduate Student Support of more than $10,000 who elect to pay the premium. The Graduate School administers a fellowship program that distributes over $12 million VII. NATIONAL VISIBILILTY annually to graduate students through various graduate programs. The majority of the funds In addition to the resources identified above, are awarded on a decentralized award decision there are additional resources available to basis whereby the colleges and schools have an support research activity on campus directly and award allocation and it is then left to the unit to indirectly and thereby support the national decide how best to strategically use the funds. visibility of the University and the research For example, some units may choose to focus on conducted therein. These sources include recruitment awards while another unit may opt endowments, funds for research program to focus on supporting continuing students. In development, and funds for faculty recruiting. this way the award size can also be tailored to meet the different needs across the colleges and Endowments schools. In addition to these funds, each college/school/department administers Significant funding to support research activities additional funds for teaching assistantships, is available from the Available University Fund research assistantships, and fellowships, and the (AUF) which draws interest from the Permanent Executive Vice President and Provost provides University Fund (PUF). Funds are allocated by resources for tuition benefits for graduate UT System for various programs that support students. While more than half of all graduate research. For example, the STARS program has students receive some kind of financial support, the overall goal of increasing the research the percentage of doctoral students receiving capacity of academic institutions by funding support is much higher. Financial support start-up packages for outstanding faculty in includes employment as a teaching assistant or STEM and areas of distinctive strength in assistant instructor (which entails a tuition academic institutions. The Regents put this assistance benefit), employment as a graduate program in place in FY2005, and more than research assistant, graduate school fellowships $150 million has been allocated to component (recruiting fellowships and continuing campuses for research activity. The University fellowships), and external fellowships. has received almost $74.0 million in STARS Program funding and approximately 180 faculty In recent years the University has emphasized have been recruited or retained using these making multi-year awards up front to be more funds. competitive to recruit the very best students to the University. For example, Graduate School In addition to this endowment funding, there are fellowships have been restructured to provide hundreds of endowments from a multitude of more five-year financial packages than in the donors who have given funds for specific past. The William C. Powers Fellowships purposes, specific research centers and awarded by the Graduate School provide laboratories, and/or to specific disciplines. funding for years 1, 4, and 5, while years 2 and 3 Typically the yield of these endowments is used are funded at the departmental level through for faculty salaries or salary supplements, fringe teaching assistantships and graduate research benefits, and discretionary funds. The latter assistantships. funds are typically used to support research activities and in some cases the salary funds Access to health insurance benefits is an support faculty during summer months. It is important consideration for graduate students estimated that about $85 million annually from and their families. In the last legislative session, endowments and gifts go to research in the form the State Legislature passed SB-29. This bill of salary supplements, operating costs, and so provides access to the group employee health forth.

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Provost’s Office Funding Economist, Scientific American, Wired, Nature, and National Geographic. An engineering The Provost’s Office also has funding professor's work on drones was picked up designated by the University’s Budget Council widely in print and broadcast media around the (which provides oversight of the University’s world. A computer science professor's research budget and advises the president on strategic into automated intersections broke out of planning as it relates to the budget) to be used technology media into numerous general news for faculty recruiting, research enhancement, and outlets. innovation. Some of these funds are recurring and thus may be used for faculty salaries or The University also posts news and features other purposes that requires continuous funding, stories (including videos and slide shows) about whereas other funds are non-recurring and are research activities on its main web page at used for one-time purposes. All of these funds www.utexas.edu. Current stories as well as those are allocated at the discretion of the Provost. archived from past years are available. News media contacts and experts in the disciplines News Media represented on campus are accessible. University Communications regularly issues Research from the University of Texas at Austin experts lists on subjects of topical interest. In is promoted by University Communications in a addition to University-wide means of number of ways, including personal contacts distributing news stories on research, all schools with the media, university-issued press releases, and colleges have their own web pages through use of journalists’ resources such as Newswise which research activities are publicized. Some and EurekAlert, and, increasingly, through also have a public relations staff that prepares social media. In 2012, the University distributed news stories and press releases about research in 110 research-related news releases. Of those 52 their schools/colleges. were posted on EurekAlert (a service used specifically by science writers) with more than Social media play a big role in communicating 104,000 views. Eighteen were posted on University research. At this time, the main Newswise (used by a broader spectrum of University Facebook page has over 410,000 fans journalists) and received more than 46,000 (one of the largest followings in the country) and views. The University is a member of over 40,000 Twitter followers. An example of Futurity.org, a website that posts research news the reach of social media was a university- from AAU universities in the U.S. and AAU- produced story about research at the Applied level universities in Canada, the United Research Laboratories on reducing the noise of Kingdom and Australia. Futurity.org has had underwater construction and drilling. The post more than two million visitors in 2012. In about the Bubble Curtain in July was seen by October, it had more than 406,000 visits and more than 90,000 people on Facebook and had 553,000 page views. over 280 likes. Other University units have well- followed Facebook and Twitter accounts, In 2012 University faculty and others were including the UTexas Research Facebook page included in stories in the New York Times an and Twitter accounts. Schools, colleges, units, average of three times a week (in first three departments and programs also use social media quarters of calendar year 2012) and weekly in to spread the word about University research the Washington Post and USAToday. Other news. national publications that included news about University faculty numerous times during the Other means of publicizing research activities year were Businessweek Bloomberg (three per are through many newsletters and brochures week); CNN (twice a week) and U.S. World & distributed by deans and department chairs to News Report (1.5 times per week). The alumni, friends, peer institutions, and University also received dozens of research government agencies. mentions each in influential media including the

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The Office of the Vice President for Research Office of Research web site. It has information publishes the Research Alert, a weekly email about upcoming research grant opportunities as newsletter sent to more than 1,100 researchers well as news about research honors, media and staff at the University and posted on the appearances, and research projects.

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APPENDIX

NATIONAL AND EXPANDED COMPARISON GROUPS

National Comparison Group Indiana University–Bloomington Michigan State University Ohio State University–Main Campus University of California–Berkeley University of California–Los Angeles University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan–Ann Arbor University of Minnesota–Twin Cities University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Washington-Seattle Campus University of Wisconsin–Madison

Expanded Comparison Group Columbia University in the City of New York Duke University Indiana University–Bloomington Michigan State University Northwestern University Ohio State University–Main Campus Rice University Stanford University Texas A&M University-College Station University of California–Berkeley University of California–Los Angeles University of Florida University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign University of Michigan–Ann Arbor University of Minnesota–Twin Cities University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University of Pennsylvania University of Washington-Seattle Campus University of Wisconsin–Madison

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