From land purchased from the city of San Antonio the expansion of downtown campus is underway. The $90 million  School of Data Science and National Security Collaboration Center building is on schedule to be completed in July 2022.

The School of Data Science downtown building will host approximately 70-plus faculty members in cybersecurity, cloud computing, data and analytics and artificial intelligence. UTSA is optimistic that having all of these departments in one building will maximize the innovation and collaboration within The School of Data Science.

“This project will set UTSA and San Antonio apart as pioneers in data science and cybersecurity, “said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.

The School of Data Science is projected to bring 10,000 new students to the downtown campus. 

“UTSA is making big moves and I can’t help but feel this is a big part of that,” said Jasmin Paquet-Durand Ford, “I do have concerns about the disconnect between main campus and downtown campus,” 

Within the building will be an abundance of classrooms, laboratories and research space. The school will support both undergraduate and  graduate students in addition to certificate programs and other professional credential educational opportunities. The UTSA website also expands upon their plan to have interconnectedness between majors. The new facility will also hold the UTSA National Security Collaboration Center which will include 72,000 square feet of innovation space, laboratories and research facilities for their partnership MITRE Corp.

According to the UTSA website, “A focus on connected classrooms and cutting-edge instructional technology will provide flexibility for course content delivery.”

The inaugural School of Data Science will be the first of its kind in the state of Texas. According to the UTSA website, local business leader, Graham Weston donated $15 million toward the building’s construction. Mr. Weston along with other local business leaders are enthusiastic about the future success that The School of Data Science will bestow upon UTSA and San Antonio’s economy at large.

 “UTSA is building the best data science program in the world. It will train the smartest students in the field and make them the hottest commodities in the workforce.” said Graham Weston, “We hope that as UTSA creates them, the biggest employers in the world will come to downtown San Antonio to recruit their IT workforces. The School of Data Science will bring thousands of the most innovative students, faculty and researchers together and will accelerate everything else in our downtown tech ecosystem.”

Currently the VIA bus route from main campus to downtown campus takes approximately 40 minute without heavy traffic and has multiple stops which account for the added delay. Due to an increase in population and density Jasmin Paquet-Durand Ford believes the current transportation offered to downtown campus is going to need a second look.

“From a sustainability standpoint I guess my main concern is the current transportation between the two campus reliable and time efficient enough to be effective for an increase in the student population, “said Jasmin Paquet-Durand Ford,“UTSA should invest in a direct route to downtown campus without the time delays of the stops that a VIA bus route creates.”

This article was corrected on January 27,2021 to include information about the new building locations and completion dates.