Contact: Anthony P. de Bruyn or Ruth Pennebaker, (512) 499-4363

Date: February 9, 2006

UT System News Release

Accountability Report Approved by UT Regents

AUSTIN - The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved the System's third annual accountability and performance report on Wednesday (Feb. 8).

Like its predecessors, the 2005-06 Accountability and Performance Report gathers and analyzes information on the UT System's nine academic and six health institutions' academic, health care and service missions. The report emphasizes measures – such as student outcomes, faculty productivity, research collaborations, clinical care, and community impact-- that will shape plans to improve the UT System and its 15 institutions.

“The accountability and performance report from the UT System is one of the best in the nation,” said Mark G. Yudof, UT System chancellor. “It forms the foundation of everything we do to improve. If you don't know your graduation rates, you can't improve them.”

Some highlights of the report, which uses 70 measures for academic institutions, 50 for health institutions and 15 for the System, include:

•  An increase in percentage of undergraduate Hispanic students from 32 to 38%, which is higher than the overall percentage of Hispanic students (35%) in the 2004 Texas high school graduating class.

•  $767 million in 228,587 financial aid awards to students at academic institutions.

•  Increasing four-, five- and six-year graduation rates at nearly every UT academic institution.

•  High satisfaction rates among graduates of both academic and health institutions.

•  Increase in health-institution enrollments by 22% between 2000 and 2004.

“Did we have a good year? Are our institutions improving? Generally, the answer is yes,” said Dr. Geri Malandra, associate vice chancellor for institutional planning and accountability.

The UT System report, which is regarded as one of the top models for higher-education accountability in the country, was recently presented to the National Commission on the Future of Higher Education, which was formed in 2005 by U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.

“The UT System is one of the leaders in the country on accountability,” said James R. Huffines, chairman of the UT Board of Regents.

The UT System is one of the nation's largest higher education systems with 15 campuses, including nine academic and six health institutions, and an annual operating budget of $9.6 billion (FY 2006). Student enrollment exceeds 184,000 in the 2005 academic year. The UT System confers one-third of the state's undergraduate degrees and educates three-fourths of Texas health care professionals. With more than 76,000 employees, the UT System is one of the largest employers in Texas.

Accountability report available on the Accountability Report Homepage