[18][19][20] Frank Lombardino, a conservative Democrat who represented northwest Bexar County in the state legislature, was known as the "father of UTSA" due to his impassioned advocacy for the institution.

[21] When Governor Smith signed the bill officially establishing the university, he did so on the back of Lombardino in a ceremony in front of the Alamo.

[18] Students temporarily attended class at the Koger Center, which also housed administrative offices until 1975, when construction on the Main Campus was completed.

The University Center expanded in the late 1990s, breaking ground in 1995 on the 97,500-square foot, $13.2 million building, dubbed "UC Phase II", which included the new Retama Auditorium and UTSA Bookstore.

Factors such as research expenditures, graduate degrees awarded and scholarly productivity all play a part in which schools receive the most funding.

[52][56] However, in 2011, the Center for College Affordability and Productivity ranked UTSA's freshman as the second most "unhappy" in the country, based solely on low retention rates.

[60] That same year, the university also fielded its long-anticipated football team as an NCAA FCS independent, with Larry Coker as the inaugural head coach.

[67] On September 1, 2017, Thomas Taylor Eighmy, the vice chancellor for research and engagement at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, began serving as UTSA's sixth president.

[68] On June 9, 2017, UTSA introduced the largest construction project in its history with the announcement of a $95 million science and engineering building which opened in fall 2020.

[69][70] On September 6, 2018, UTSA announced it had received a $15 million gift from San Antonio business leader Graham Weston and $70 million commitment from The University of Texas System Board of Regents for construction of two new facilities at its Downtown Campus for a National Security Collaboration Center and a proposed School of Data Science which opened January 9, 2023 and became the first and only Data Science school in the state of Texas.

[71][72][73][74] In November 2018, a video emerged of an incident involving a student being escorted out of a lecture hall by campus police after refusing to comply with the professor's request that she not place her feet on the seat in front of her.

[91] In 2006, UTSA acquired a 125-acre swath of land on Hausman Road to build its future athletics complex, bringing the Main Campus up to 725 acres in total.

[97] While construction was underway, the campus made its temporary home at Cypress Tower on Main Street, offering its first classes in January 1994.

At the same time, UTSA actively engaged in discussions with the City of San Antonio and Bexar County for the transfer of downtown parcels of land, valued at $13 million, to the university.

The ITC (as it is commonly known) was originally built as a $10 million project for HemisFair '68, with the stated goal of promoting awareness of the history and ethnic diversity of Texas.

The center will ultimately support the sports medicine program for UTSA student-athletes and provide future collaborative opportunities in academics, research and health care delivery.

[126][127] U.S. News & World Report ranks UTSA among national universities, which have a full range of undergraduate and graduate programs and are committed to producing groundbreaking research.

[150] In 2023, UTSA online programs ranked 85th by U.S. News and World Report, claiming the top spot among all San Antonio institutions.

[155] UTSA students and faculty conduct research in cross-disciplinary fields of study which include Advanced Materials, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security and Data Analytics, Integrative Biomedicine, Social and Educational Transformation, and Sustainable Communities and Critical Infrastructure.

[157] A 2007 study released by Academic Analytics showed UTSA was ranked fifth among other large research universities in the state of Texas for faculty scholarly productivity.

[165] This federal research institute focuses on achieving energy efficiency, job creation, technical innovation and security of supply chain networks and automation for goods such as electric vehicles, solar panels and wind turbines.

[170] In December 2019, UTSA established the Bold Promise program which offers qualified incoming freshmen who come from middle and low-income Texan families to have tuition and fees covered 100% for eight fall/spring semesters taken within a 4-year time period.

The organization facilitates a culture of care for all members of the UTSA community to recognize potential harm, choose to respond, and act in a way that positively influences the outcome for other people.

The group facilitates workshops on a variety of topics that impact the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of others, assists campus partners with resources that would aid in successfully reducing risk through their programming, and teaches marketable skills to students.

[208][209] Student Government hosts the University Life Awards, a large celebration in the Ballroom that recognizes excellence in leadership throughout the campus.

It has remained fully independent since its inception in 1981 and has received numerous awards from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, including a gold medal in 2000.

[224] Fiesta UTSA includes booths set up under the Sombrilla in a carnival atmosphere and run by Registered Student Organizations.

Best Fest, an annual celebration held in October, began in 1978 (as "Bestfest") as "a special salute to five of the state's outstanding festivals," including New Braunfels's Wurstfest, Corpus Christi's Buccaneer Days, San Antonio's Fiesta, the Texas State Fair in Dallas, and George Washington's Birthday Celebration in Laredo.

[236] UTSA is San Antonio's only NCAA Division I FBS institution and is currently a member of The American Athletic Conference (AAC).

[246][247][248]The rule ensures that a current or prospective student-athlete who has been convicted of, pleaded guilty or no contest to a felony or misdemeanor involving Serious Misconduct, has been found a delinquent in relationship to a juvenile code equivalent, or has been disciplined by the university or athletic department at any time during enrollment at any collegiate institution (excluding temporary disciplinary action during an investigation) due to Serious Misconduct shall not be eligible for athletically related financial aid, practice or competition at The University of Texas at San Antonio.