The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) announced a proposed plan to purchase 51 acres of property in west Fort Worth within the Walsh Ranch development for the purpose of building a new campus dubbed “UTA West.”
While technically in the City of Fort Worth, the campus will be in Parker County, and local leaders are bullish on the plans.
“I'm personally excited, and Weatherford college is excited about the opportunities for our students — our shared students with UTA,” said Dr. Tod Allen Farmer, president of Weatherford College. “We're going to have expanded educational opportunities in engineering programs, and we already have agreements in place for both master's and doctorate level programs.”
Farmer said UTA President Jennifer Cowley will bring a leadership team to Weatherford College on Oct. 18 to talk about further partnerships and transfer opportunities.
“Weatherford College has been educating our citizens for over 150 years, and with the addition of UTA in Parker County, our students are now going to have access to more graduate level programs than ever before,” Farmer added.
Parker County Judge Pat Deen sees the development as a plus toward the economic development of the county.
“I think the location that they picked out was really brilliant in going after a market, both to growth in Parker County, but also the massive growth happening on the western quadrant of Fort Worth,” Deen said. “It's really a win-win for both of our counties.”
With a goal of having higher-paying jobs in the county, Deen said the new UTA campus will help with that.
“Job training becomes a key issue in a trained workforce, and that's one of the programs that they're going to be having,” Deen said. In the process of recruiting businesses to the county, “one question we get a lot is, ‘do you have a four year college facility?’ And so that seems to limit us in getting that big ticket company or what we're trying to go after, and so this will help that as well.”
Responding to comments that the proposed campus would add to an already-burdened conduit into Fort Worth, Deen pointed out that by providing quality jobs in Parker County, there might be less need for commutes.
In addition, he said there are resources coming that will help.
“We're going to continue down the path of securing the necessary funds, leveraging my position on the Regional Transportation Council and the Council of Governments to make this a very smooth transition in helping them from a transportation standpoint, and not bottle-necking up I-20,” Deen said.
“The western part of the metroplex has an ever-growing population, a plethora of student talent, and a wide breadth of opportunity for explosive economic advancement. UTA has long been a top supplier of talent to companies across Fort Worth, and this expansion will allow UTA to broaden its impact across our region,” said UTA President Jennifer Cowley.
“UTA West represents a transformative investment in our community’s future,” said Robert Allen, Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership president. “By aligning educational resources with the region’s economic needs, UTA is poised to play a pivotal role in shaping a skilled workforce capable of meeting the demands of 21st-century industries.”
Located in the heart of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, with an enrollment of about 41,000 students, UT Arlington is the second-largest institution in the UT System.
The University ranks No. 2 nationally for veterans ("Military Times" 2024), No. 3 in Texas for advancing social mobility ("U.S. News & World Report" 2024), and No. 5 in the United States for its undergraduate ethnic diversity ("U.S. News & World Report" 2024).
UT Arlington’s approximately 270,000 alumni occupy leadership positions at many of the 21 Fortune 500 companies headquartered in North Texas and contribute to the University’s $28.8 billion annual economic impact on Texas.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved this plan and authorized the use of the Permanent University Fund (PUF) to purchase the property, paving the way for UTA West, saying the new campus is dedicated to fostering economic development and meeting the educational needs of one of the fastest-growing areas in the country.
“Anytime the UT System can expand greater educational opportunity, access, and affordability to Texans, we’re going to do it,” said Kevin Eltife, chairman of the UT System Board of Regents. “We’ve recently done it in east Texas and south Texas and now we’re heading west. We’re looking forward to planting a UT Arlington flag in west Fort Worth, currently the nation’s fastest growing city.”
“Years from now when we look back at major milestones in the life of the Fort Worth region and UT Arlington’s history, this new campus will rise to be among the top,” added J.B. Milliken, chancellor of the UT System. “As cities prepare for rapid growth, the presence of great universities contributes immensely to their vibrant transformation, and we applaud the very special relationship between UT Arlington and Fort Worth as they plan for the future in such an insightful and strategic way.”
For more information, visit https://www.uta.edu/west.
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