Task force created to study higher-education infrastructure needs for the 21st century

The University of Texas System Board of Regents Chairman Gene Powell has announced the creation of the Task Force on Academic and Facility Planning for the 21^st Century to ensure campuses are designed with a 21^st Century education in mind when it comes to space, layout and technology needs.

The task force will be headed by the chairs of the Board’s Facilities Planning and Construction Committee and Academic Affairs Committee: Regent Printice Gary and Vice Chairman Steven Hicks. They and other members will work together to review the design process for infrastructure at UT institutions.

“Our recent partnership with edX – a non-profit enterprise that features learning designed specifically for interactive study via the web – and the increased focus on blended and online learning at UT Permian Basin, UT Arlington and UT Tyler have served to remind us how rapidly higher education is changing,” Powell said. “It is critical to be sure new academic facilities are built for the future, not the traditional past.”

Powell announced the creation of the task force following a Regents meeting in Tyler earlier this month.