ARLINGTON and RICHARDSON, Texas (Sept. 20, 2005) — Presidents James Spaniolo of The University of Texas at Arlington and David Daniel of The University of Texas at Dallas today announced new areas of collaboration between their two institutions of higher learning during a day when the two presidents swapped jobs in an unprecedented demonstration of unity and cooperation.
In a midday videoconference between the two universities, Spaniolo and Daniel gave several examples of ways the schools will be working together:
- UTD and U. T. Arlington will each contribute $125,000 to create a $250,000 fund to stimulate joint research projects between faculty members at the two universities.
- Daniel and Spaniolo will visit members of the congressional delegation in Washington, D. C., together to promote higher education in the Metroplex.
- The two universities’ Materials Science and Engineering programs will collaborate and share courses, allowing students at both institutions to broaden their learning and research experiences. Partnering between the two programs will provide immediate program depth and expanded research capabilities that each institution alone could not obtain in the near-term.
- To assist the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board with its “closing the gap” campaign, Spaniolo and Daniel will make recruiting trips to targeted areas together.
- The development boards of UTD and U. T. Arlington will form a “coordinating group” to explore joint fund-raising opportunities.
- U. T. Arlington and UTD will strengthen their commitment to sharing physical resources, to enhance research collaboration.
- Each semester, UTD and U. T. Arlington will sponsor a Joint Presidential Lecture Series.
- The two universities’ alumni associations will work together to educate the public regarding legislation beneficial to both institutions.
- The universities will allow distinguished faculty to hold concurrent adjunct positions at each other’s campuses.
- Top administrators at the two universities will meet regularly to explore research opportunities, ways to collaborate and to monitor joint projects.
“We already collaborate in a number of important areas, including nanotechnology, brain imaging, robotics and computer science, and we are going to look at some other areas, such as technology transfer,” Daniel said. “This will extend our relationship to a higher level. President Spaniolo and I both understand that the best way for UTD and U. T. Arlington to achieve their full potential is by working together.”
Spaniolo and Daniel, both of whom are relatively new to their jobs, announced the one-day job swap two weeks ago to signal a new era of cooperation in higher education, research and service for the North Texas community. Spaniolo took over as president of U. T. Arlington in February 2004, and Daniel assumed the UTD presidency in June of this year.
“This is not a beginning and it’s not just the continuation of the status quo,” Spaniolo said. “This is a new era of heightened respect and cooperation for both schools and it is important for the future of both universities and an absolute necessity for the economic growth of the North Texas region and the entire state.”
Daniel said, “This region has not gotten its share of higher education appropriations. We are going to capitalize on each other’s strengths.”
The presidents said that will give the universities extra capabilities that will be hard to ignore.
“We believe we will be able to accomplish much more this way than we would by going it alone,” Spaniolo said.
Today’s job swap exposed each of the presidents to some of the diverse programs at the other’s university. Spaniolo and Daniel met with students as well as faculty and staff, and both presidents said that they learned a great deal about the strengths of the neighboring U.T. System institution of higher education.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, masters and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s Web site at www.utdallas.edu.
About U. T. Arlington
The University of Texas at Arlington is a nationally ranked Carnegie Doctoral Research -Extensive University and a comprehensive teaching, research and public service institution located in the heart of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. Its state-of-the-art research facilities, strategic location and innovative student employment programs enhance its partnership with area businesses and industry. U. T. Arlington, a member of the University of Texas System, has more than 25,000 students from 150 countries and offers 91 baccalaureate, 76 master’s and 35 doctoral degrees within nine academic units and a graduate school, as well as the only Honors College in North Texas and one of only six in the state. For additional information about U. T. Arlington, please visit the university’s Web site at www.uta.edu.