An Update on the Campus Master Plan

Dear A&M-San Antonio Community Members,

I write today to offer an update on the campus master plan. Those of you who have been at A&M-SA for a while may recall that in 2017, we undertook a comprehensive master planning process, which yielded the existing master plan for campus growth to support up to 50,000 students.

In the subsequent years, we have been faithful to the master plan, developing facilities that support academic expansion and student success. As we continue to expand in both our physical footprint and in student enrollment, and as we forge new community and business partnerships, it is vital to stay connected with our community of stakeholders to ensure that our plans for campus growth are thoughtful and strategic, anticipate long-term needs, and prioritize above all else our academic goals and student interests.

With our rapid growth, our importance to the South Side of San Antonio, our increasing integration into the City of San Antonio’s planning efforts, and our designation as a federal Opportunity Zone, many development opportunities have been brought to A&M-San Antonio and we must be careful to consider them with the master plan in mind as our framework of guiding priorities. Some of these development opportunities, along with long-term plans to bring on an intercollegiate athletics program and to increase the number of residential students, have created the need to consider some very narrowly focused master plan updates related to the athletics, student recreation and research districts. We are also taking into consideration the growth and traffic in areas adjacent to the campus and challenges related to ingress/egress for these districts.

To advise Vice President for Business Affairs, Dr. Bill Spindle, in this endeavor and to ensure alignment with the existing master plan, I have appointed a task force composed of the following individuals:

Chair: Trevor Liddle, Director of Operations, Business Affairs

Faculty Senate representative: Dr. Robert Vinaja, Assistant Professor of Computer Information Systems

Staff Council representative: Hugo Cantero, Academic Success Coach, Student Success

Student Government Association representative: Jesus Orona, Senator, College of Business

Additional members:
Brandy McLelland, Vice President for Enrollment Management
*Dr. Mirley Balasubramanya, Dean, College of Arts & Sciences
*Dr. Richard Green, Assistant Professor of Accounting
*Dr. Megan Wise de Valdez, Associate Professor of Biology
JoAnna Benavides-Franke, Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement
Jessica Loudermilk, Chief of Staff & Director of Presidential Operations       

*Drs. Balasubramanya, Green and Wise de Valdez were members of the original Master Plan Steering Committee in 2017.

I have advised the task force that this process should be inclusive and invite the university community to participate and share their insights to inform key decision points. At the conclusion of its work, the task force will provide me with recommendations for master plan updates for my consideration and approval. I anticipate that this update to the master plan will be completed by April 2020.

Warm regards,

Cynthia Teniente-Matson