The gray blanket of clouds and intense winds didn’t hinder the University of Texas at Arlington’s plans to break ground at the future site of its new UTA West campus, off Highland Hills Drive at the western edge of Fort Worth.
However, the weather did move hundreds of people attending the groundbreaking inside a big white tent. Excitement for the project spilled out into the space as UTA’s drumline played and people picked up their souvenirs: white plastic shovels sporting the slogan “I Dig UTA.”
UTA President Jennifer Cowley greeted the political, business, community and education leaders who assembled to celebrate the occasion.
“UTA is more than a place, y’all,” Cowley, wearing a pantsuit featuring the Maverick colors of orange and blue, said from the podium. “It is an idea — an idea that a great university can transform the lives of its students and the communities it serves.”
Cowley said that, a few years ago, they took this idea and sought to head west, where a lot of the region’s growth lies — not just new residents, but new businesses, too. Officials found land in the Walsh development, and plans for a new university on 51 acres began to take shape. Now, the first building is set to be completed in 2028. Eventually, years after that building is completed, the campus will be ready to serve over 10,000 students.
Ryan Dickerson, chief executive officer of the Walsh Companies, said he was excited when UTA approached Walsh in search of land for a future university campus. He initially thought it was a “long shot” that the university would exist within Walsh’s 7,500 acres of land.
“A university creates many things. (It) creates ideas, creates leaders, creates opportunities,” said Dickerson, who noted he’s already seeing how UTA West is becoming a part of the community fabric in Aledo, Fort Worth and Parker County. “A university creates quality urban development.”
The UT System Board of Regents authorized the purchase of 51 acres of land in west Fort Worth in August. In January, UTA and the UT System completed purchases of the two tracts, which will comprise the site of the future campus.
The Report filed an open records request to determine the cost of the land purchases but so far has been denied the information. The UT System cited ongoing negotiations and the risk of giving an advantage to a competitor or bidder in real estate transactions that are still ongoing, said Cynthia Tynan, public information coordinator with the UT System.
UTA leaders expect the campus to be a community hub — even before construction for the first building is complete. Officials solicited ideas from residents through a survey that earned more than 1,600 responses. By the end of the spring, they’ll open a UTA West office in Willow Park. The university will start hosting summer camps for kids as well as continuing education classes for adults, and nearby residents can learn about the future opportunities at UTA West.
The university will also focus its vision so that it becomes a part of the community, not just in what is offered but how it is built — with a design different from that of the main Arlington campus. It’ll be more of a Hill Country, ranch-style design.
“I think what you’ll see is more wood on the buildings at UTA West, even to the extent that we’re considering some type of (hybrid) mass timber element,” said John Hall, vice president for administration and economic development at UTA, in an interview with the Report. “The public spaces are where you can take advantage of wooden ceilings that really accentuate the space.”
There will be a lot of windows and limestone, too. The design team also is looking at historic structures in Parker County, from the clock tower on the Parker County Courthouse to the landscape design of Clark Gardens. Also on the drawing board are unique window shapes and arches, masonry and walking trails. The classrooms and labs will probably follow a more traditional design.
Standing outside the tent on the future university site, Cowley and others took their golden shovels and counted to three before turning the soil. There were several rounds of stirring the dirt as different sets of leaders dug in.
Addressing residents and community leaders, Cowley said UTA embodies a dream about transformation and opportunity. But Cowley, who studied urban planning, cautioned the audience.
“We know at UTA a dream without a plan is just a wish,” she said.
But today, standing on a spot on the 51 acres of the future campus, marks the beginning of a dream coming true, she said.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.
The Report’s higher education coverage is supported in part by major higher education institutions in Tarrant County, including Tarleton State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas at Arlington and UNT Health Science Center.
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