UT San Antonio held a grand opening for the San Pedro II building located downtown on Dolorosa Street. The event brought together university leaders, donors, faculty and students to celebrate the opening, marking the expansion of UT San Antonio’s downtown presence. UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy commenced the ceremony.
“The newest home of our College of AI, Cyber and Computing and a really, really powerful symbol of where our great institution is going,” Eighmy said regarding the facility.
The San Pedro II building is a $130 million world-class 180,000 square-feet facility designed to aid students in immersive experiential learning and professional development opportunities. The building will house students majoring in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, computing and data sciences. Students will have the chance to learn about the fields through internships, community engagement and research opportunities. Along with San Pedro I, San Pedro II will serve as a catalyst for economic and community investments in San Antonio.
UT San Antonio and the College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing have partnered with Valero, USAA and Najim Charitable Foundation for this project.
“We don’t even consider this a corporate partnership, our continued investment and partnership with UT San Antonio is an investment into our neighbors, in our community and in the future of our great city,” Head of Corporate Impact at USAA Jenna Saucedo-Herrera stated during her speech. “UT San Antonio is a vital institution for providing employers like USAA with the talent that we need to thrive.”
The building reflects these partnerships through specially-named spaces, designed to support collaboration and innovation. The Harvey E. Najim Innovation District will be used for community engaged projects that connect theory to practice. Valero Engagement Center will hold meetings, conferences and showcases for students and faculty. Both centers are located on the first floor. The second floor holds the USAA Student Success Center, which will support students with mentoring and career preparation.
The Paisano spoke with the Founding Dean of the College of AI, Cybersecurity and Computing Jinjun Xiong, Ph.D., to discuss the grand opening.
“We need students to come here and learn about new technology, about AI, cyber and computing,” Xiong shared. “It is most important to learn all of those technologies in a way that connects to the local cities and the local communities. San Pedro II is a wonderful place to do all of this.”
His remarks emphasized the university’s focus on combining technology education with community impact, a point repeated throughout the event.
San Pedro II seeks to aid students in making connections and getting the hands-on experience that students seek.
“With the USAA partnership, I think there is going to be more student engagement and more opportunities,” freshman UT San Antonio student Devin Rodriguez explained. “We are trying to have more internships, more careers and I think that will be here.”
The opening of San Pedro II is an expansion of UT San Antonio’s Downtown Campus and offers wider opportunities in technology-focused fields. Students and faculty feel the new facility will support further learning and research.
