Hello Team —
Congratulations on a fantastic start to the fall term! It was great to catch up with many of you at our Welcome Back Brunch. I am so beyond proud of you and our Division. Your work has welcomed people back to our campus in an extraordinary way. You have set the tone for what will be a great year. For that and all you do, thank you!
Over the past months, we have been diligently working to reimagine not only what we deliver but how we deliver to our students and Longhorn community. Many outside our area are unaware of all that we do — and the many ways we touch and impact not only students’ experiences but their lives. One of the things that has come from those discussions is that we are not just a service, we are the hub of everything important to our students.
In fact, we are the hub of student life and well-being at UT Austin.
We — the Division of Student Affairs — collectively provide experiences so that every student can excel in and out of the classroom and graduate, helping set them up for a successful career and life. These are not words — but the actions, the programs and the human touch you deliver every day.
Our unwavering commitment to all students — undergraduate, graduate and professional — is evident in our 2022-2023 Impact Report. It’s filled with meaningful stories that explore how we influence our students in living the Longhorn life. For a powerful snapshot of our work, check out the companion piece, the Division’s 2022-2023 Year in Review. In both of these publications, you will learn more about our accomplishments:
How we challenge our students to reach their full potential.
How we cultivate a sense of belonging and well-being through our programs, spaces and resources.
How we help clear the path to getting a degree.
How our culture of readiness allows us to go above and beyond for all students as connectors and problem solvers, horizontally and holistically.
We do all of this while providing an enriched, rewarding and fun college experience! And much of that is accomplished through partnerships, a key component of our work as the hub, working together to influence our students to reach their personal and academic goals.
In my welcome back message, I challenged you to renew and strengthen your partnerships across campus — and create new ones. Sharing our 2022-2023 Impact Report and Year in Review with your partners are great ways to showcase how our Division programs, spaces and resources create the ecosystem to support the whole student — physically, mentally and emotionally.
You each also have your own examples to share with partners about how you contribute to the collective student experience. Every day, your work is an essential, guiding force to help students thrive in Austin and beyond. So, how is the challenge going so far? Feel free to email me your updates!
Again, thanks for a wonderful start to the fall term. Keep up your enthusiasm, energy and spirit — you make a difference university wide.
For Students, We Will!
Soncia Reagins-Lilly
Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students