The Carnegie Classification system defines a Tier 1 research university as a school with a high amount of ongoing research, where large quantities of research scholarships and doctorates are awarded. Tier 1 research universities are expected to have well-funded labs, offer excellent networking and grant students the opportunity to grow in their field. UT San Antonio fits much of this criteria, but its program still shows glaring flaws.
The most recent College of Liberal and Fine Arts research conference was held on March 24-26, with COLFA undergraduate and graduate students showcasing writing, art and research. These students put their heart and soul into these labors, and many created terrific works. Yet, one look at the photo gallery from the event shows that attendance was sparse. This is not the fault of the presenters by any means. The Research Department at UT San Antonio is outdated with a capital “O,” and although COLFA and non-STEM students suffered the worst consequences, the poor organization could be fixed with one step by university administration.
Humanities research, and research as a whole at UT San Antonio, has been fundamentally disadvantaged since the process began. Because of UT San Antonio’s focus on STEM programs such as its highly ranked cybersecurity degree, COLFA students may need to work harder to find professors researching niche topics such as ancient literature or neanderthal culture. Even with this advantage, COLFA and STEM based research still face one identical challenge. UT San Antonio robbed each caste of students of one important yet simple mechanism that could have made research opportunities more accessible: a list of which professors are researching and looking for student researchers.
There is no singular website, social media page, forum or GroupMe telling UT San Antonio students which professors are currently conducting research, searching for aides and listing their contact information. No developments have been announced either. The UT San Antonio Office for Research and Innovation website is an excellent tool to understand the basics of how student research is conducted. The website provides helpful contact information for potential mentors and shows the various research centers and programs offered. However, it fails to mention which programs are currently looking for researchers and leaves out lesser known projects by individual professors.
This needed platform is not just theoretical. The University of Texas at Austin has a program called Eureka, in which students can search for their program of interest and see which professors currently have active research projects. The University of California, Santa Cruz has a program that not only lists available opportunities but allows the student to filter them based on level of compensation and which majors the program is seeking.
Now, these programs are not perfect. Posts can be out of date, labs still fill up and certain professors are not tech savvy. Even so, a clunky website that gives students leads would be better than cold emailing professor after professor after hours to days of research trying to find one who just might have an available research opportunity. A Tier 1 Research University with a slew of talented computer science students and professors should be able to create at least a basic version of these programs to help students reach their goals faster and easier.
Of course, COLFA is limited by time, budget and regulations along with the Department of Research itself, but it must strive to be better. Tier 1 Research University should function like a top-ranking research university by being efficient, innovative and, above all, modern.
