Commentary
UTD’s ‘Journey to Greatness’ to Benefit Entire Metroplex
Da Hsuan Feng
VP for Research and Economic Development
The University of Texas at Dallas
October 17 2005
Over the past several years, The University of Texas at Dallas has made no secret of its desire to become a legitimate, “tier one” national research university. Loosely defined, that is an institution that generates $100 million or more annually in research grants and is a member of the American Association of Universities (AAU), the nation’s “club” of 62 elite research universities.
Since joining the university on June 1, UTD President Dr. David E. Daniel has pointed out on a number of occasions that the Dallas-Fort Worth area is the only one of the top 20 major urban areas in the United States not to have an AAU research institution. Further, he has argued that the Metroplex will need several such powerful universities to remain competitive in the global economy of the 21 st Century.
It was with that situation in mind, along with my strong desire to see UTD becomes a “tier one” university as soon as practicable, that I enthusiastically accepted a new strategic senior-level position at UTD, vice president for research and economic development, reporting to Dr. Daniel. I am no stranger to UTD – I have been at the university for the past five years. However, in this new role, I will be devoting all of my time and energies to expanding the university’s burgeoning research program, increasing collaborative work with government agencies, corporations and other universities, nationally and internationally, speeding the transfer of ideas from UTD laboratories to the marketplace and marketing UTD’s research capabilities.
Elevating UTD to the ranks of the nation’s top universities will be a daunting task, which will not be achieved easily or quickly. Fortunately, though, the university has a good deal of momentum on its side. For example, the amount of research awards won by UTD has risen significantly in recent years, from $21.2 million four years ago to $37.3 million in the most recent academic year. During that same time, we have launched research initiatives in a growing number of new, promising fields like nanotechnology, materials science and brain science. And UTD has formed successful research alliances with other universities in Texas, throughout the U.S. and in a number of other countries. One such collaboration – the Strategic Partnership for Research in Nanotechnology, a consortium of six Texas universities, including UTD – has generated funding of nearly $30 million since its founding in 2002.
The pace of that growth will accelerate as new facilities, such as an $85-million Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory scheduled to open on campus by the end of 2006, come online and top-notch faculty members and researchers are hired to fill the new offices and research spaces.
While all of this activity continues apace, it is important to remember that this isn’t about bragging rights, about who’s the “big dog” among institutions of higher education locally. There’s a great deal more at stake here than the reputation of a single university. It’s about creating knowledge – knowledge that will lead to new products, new companies, new fields of endeavor and new jobs for the Dallas- Fort Worth area and beyond.
Research universities are important economic drivers in the communities in which they are located. Not long ago, I saw a statistic that made that point rather dramatically. Boston, with its cluster of eight outstanding universities, including Harvard and MIT, benefits to the tune of $7 billion annually from the research of those institutions.
A significant portion of my new responsibilities at UTD (the “economic development” part of my title) will be making sure that the Metroplex likewise benefits from the research going on in our laboratories. The goal is to transform the university into an economic engine for this region by taking the fruits of that research to the community as quickly and with as much impact as possible.
President Daniel recently referred to the course upon which UTD has embarked as a “journey to greatness.” It certainly is – but not just for the university. Each of us has a stake in seeing UTD fulfill its aspirations of becoming a national research power. Therefore, I invite each of you to partake in that journey, in whatever capacity might be appropriate for you. UTD is in the business of education and research and, now more than ever, we are “open for business.”
Dr. Da Hsuan Feng this month was appointed the first vice president for research and economic development in the history of The University of Texas at Dallas. He may be contacted at 972-883-4566 or fengd@utdallas.edu.
