AUSTIN – Institutions within the University of Texas System are enrolling more minorities, graduating more students in critical math and science fields and producing substantially more research than they were a half-decade ago, according to a report prepared for the UT System Board of Regents.
Regents on Feb. 8 approved the System’s fourth annual Accountability and Performance Report, which provides data and analysis on a variety of academic, health-care and service missions across the System’s nine academic and six health institutions.
The report uses 135 measures to gauge such things as enrollment, diversity, student outcomes, faculty productivity, clinical care and community impact over five years at all 15 institutions as well as System administration.
“We are leaders nationally in pioneering this process and making our institutions transparent to the public, and this report demonstrates that,” UT System Chancellor Mark G. Yudof said. “What’s significant in this accountability study is we offer proof to the public that tax dollars are being used efficiently and productively.
“Moreover, this document is a useful tool in helping us identify those things we wish to improve to make our institutions even better.”
Among some of the report’s highlights:
- Research expenditures at UT System institutions grew 36 percent since 2002 to more than $1.8 billion in FY 2006. And the total number of new inventions rose by roughly one-third, from 459 in 2001 to 613 in 2005. The UT System in 2004 ranked fourth nationally in the number of patent awards received.
- Enrollment at UT System academic campuses increased by an average of 17 percent from 2001 to 2005, and the proportion of Hispanic freshmen at those institutions (39 percent) exceeded the proportion of Hispanic students graduating statewide from high schools (35 percent).
- UT System institutions, which already account for about one-third of the degrees conferred in the state, awarded 23,167 undergraduate degrees in 2005, a 22 percent increase from 2001. Four institutions were among the top 10 in the nation in the number of undergraduate degrees they awarded to Hispanics.
- Twenty-five percent of all degrees conferred at UT System institutions were in the critical areas of science, technology, engineering and math, which was significantly higher than the national average of 17 percent.
- Faculty from UT System health institutions treated 79,262 patients in state-owned hospitals in FY 2005, up roughly one-third from the 60,785 they treated in FY 2001.
Other noteworthy findings revealed nearly half of undergraduate students received some form of need-based financial aid, which covered nearly 80 percent of their total academic costs. Also, all academic institutions improved six-year graduation rates from 2001 to 2005, five of them by four or more percentage points; and seven of eight four-year campuses showed gains in four-year graduation rates. Seniors at eight academic institutions performed at or above expected levels on the Collegiate Learning Assessment Performance Task scale.
“This report clearly shows progress across the board at our academic and health institutions, but we will continue to evaluate where improvement is most needed and adjust our efforts accordingly,” said Dr. Geri Malandra, interim executive vice chancellor for academic affairs and vice chancellor for strategic management.
The UT System Accountability and Performance Report is regarded as one of the top models for higher education accountability in the nation. The System was the first higher education body in the state to devise a comprehensive model for public accountability.
“We are proud of the progress our institutions have made and this study continues to serve us well in developing strategies to make our campuses even stronger,” said James R. Huffines, chairman of the UT Board of Regents.
Serving the educational and health care needs of Texans for more than 125 years, 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 $10 billion (FY 2007). Student enrollment exceeded 190,000 in the 2006 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.
