A rendering of the location of the Patriot Plaza.

As students head back to class at the University of Texas at Tyler this spring, they will be watching the university lay the groundwork for its recently unveiled strategic plan.

In fall 2018, the college unveiled a proposed long-term master plan which would see the campus transform radically over the next 10 to 20 years. While some elements may change over time due to funding or necessity, the plan gives an idea of what UT Tyler will look like for the next generation.

The plaza will be a grassy gathering area, similar to quads at colleges around the country, designed to be the heart of the school. It will stretch from Riter Bell Tower to the parking lot in front of the Louise Herrington Patriot Center.

“Students feel great when they’re on a beautiful campus,” UT Tyler President Michael Tidwell said. “We want to get more bright students here that are looking for that image of the college experience they have in their mind’s eye.”

Although there will be some parking loss, the number of spaces has increased with a new parking garage near the Soules College of Business. In addition, the university will partner with Rose Heights

Church, located a few blocks north of the UT Tyler campus on Old Omen Road, to offer a shuttle service as it assesses the parking need in the spring.

The parking areas affected are Lot 3, University Center parking; Lot 4, faculty parking; and Lot 5, which was the small parking area around the bell tower.

Tidwell envisions the plaza as a place for students to gather, study or just relax. He said that while UT Tyler boasts a beautiful campus, with twin lakes and nature trails, it lacks that central element that students think of when envisioning their college experience.

FACILITIES

The plaza isn’t the only project the university hopes to make progress on in 2019. A new College of Nursing facility will be a legislative priority for the school as administrators look toward the opening of the 86th Texas legislative session this month.

Tidwell said the university will submit a request for funding of the new nursing facility and he is optimistic lawmakers will see the value.

Other projects include renovations at UT Tyler’s University Academy charter school campus in Palestine, an expanded presence for its engineering programs at Houston Community College and an assessment of student housing needs.

“We’re looking at a variety of options, as we change the mix with more traditional students on campus,” Tidwell said.

The campuswide master plan proposal isn’t set in stone, but rather will serve as a guide for what they hope to accomplish. In the released draft, the College of Nursing would go in about where Parking Lot 15 sits, adjacent to the Soules College of Business on the south side of the campus near University Boulevard.

Tidwell said parking will remain a priority, even as the college transitions from its roots as a commuter college to a school where more and more students will live on campus. This past fall, more than 1,700 students lived in one of UT Tyler’s housing facilities, which include on-campus dorms and several off-campus apartment complexes.

With that in mind, the new parking garage was built with the possibility of expansion.

The college wants to focus its parking around pedestrian safety, which means limiting the places vehicles can interact with pedestrian traffic.

The crosswalk on Old Omen Road near the campus’ existing main entrance will be shifted south, away from the intersection, and the university is working to build a lighted walkway that will improve safety for students walking to campus from Patriot Village on University Drive and Liberty Landing on Old Omen Road, the nearby apartment complexes the school acquired in 2014 and 2018.

The university also will begin installing sidewalks on Old Omen Road in six phases.

While the master plan renderings provide an idea of what the future could look like, facilities could change, as could placement. The university wants to create districts on campus with fine arts, academics, residential and athletics having their own designated areas.

“It’s a general idea of where we want to go,” Tidwell said. “It’s not a prescription, but a vision.”

Lucas Roebuck, the university’s vice president for marketing and communications, said he and his team understand there are a lot of changes coming for faculty and students, and they have been working to communicate that vision. They have created renderings, videos and hosted announcements at gatherings throughout the year as the university navigated the rollout of its master plan.

ACADEMICS

Over the past few years, UT Tyler has set record after record with its enrollment. Fall 2017 saw its population break 10,000 students and fall 2018 saw the enrollment of its largest freshman class. The school expects to see that growth continue based on early enrollment data for next fall.

The university also hopes to see more of its students earning academics scholarships, a desire set into motion with the implementation of its first full scholarship last fall.

Tidwell said he also expects to see academic offerings continue to expand in areas such as engineering, health care and business.

“We’re always looking to meet student and market demand,” Tidwell said.

That academic push will be accompanied by continuous community outreach. Preparation is already underway for the second year of the Career Success Conference and the college is working to line up its next guest for its Leaders and Legends Gathering. The inaugural event saw business legend Steve Forbes speaking with East Texas business leaders.

ATHLETICS

The university also is preparing to enter NCAA Division II competition this fall. The move to Division II allows the college to offer athletic scholarships.

Tidwell said the athletics staff are working to recruit student-athletes and have set the initial offering as the equivalent of 36 full scholarships. With a mix of academic and athletic scholarships, the teams could see those dollars help up to 100 student-athletes.

The college’s master plan includes a proposed athletics district, which in time, could include a 7,500-seat indoor arena, a separate soccer arena, a full track and field complex and more.

While the campus has plenty of room to grow, they have yet to put a football complex on that master plan map.

“There’s been no change on that,” Tidwell said. “We would love to have football here, but we recognize it’s a very expensive sport to operate.”

Tidwell said UT Tyler intends to compete at a high level in all of its sports and operating a football program would have those same rigorous demands.

UT Tyler competes in 17 sports and had brought home 67 American Southwest Conference team titles, 82 individual championships and made 75 NCAA tournament appearances as of its application for Division II status in February 2018.

Tidwell said the university plans to continue that legacy of athletics excellence and any new sport would have to meet the same standard.

He said if UT Tyler does decide to move toward adding football, it likely would be thanks to substantial gifts from the community.

While there are many fast-moving pieces on the college’s road forward, university officials are taking the first step down that road today.

Tidwell said they’re investing now to create that bigger picture and the culture that will continue to bring the best students to UT Tyler.

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