Last week I had an enjoyable visit with a very important group of professionals – the men and women who administer the UT System benefits and human resources across the UT System.  They were in Austin for their annual conference.  As always, it was inspiring to see colleagues from all over our extensive system, coming together in one place, making plans and sharing ideas.

In my remarks to the group, I let them know how much I appreciate their hard work, and reminded them how important their work is – not just to all of us as individuals – but to the success of the UT System as a whole.

It should go without saying that the strength of the UT System is our people.  We’re able to attract and retain some of the best and the brightest people from around the world, in part because of the tremendous package of benefits we offer, and the care and professionalism with which those benefits are administered. 

Those who work in our Office of Employee Benefits don’t have an easy job.  They must constantly walk a tightrope, making sure we (and our families) get the care we need, while also finding ways to control costs.  I know you’re as appreciative as I am that, because of their efforts, the premiums we pay for our benefits are much less than those of other large public group plans in Texas. 

Later in the week, I made a quick trip south to check in on UT Rio Grande Valley, where, hard as it is to believe, we are coming down to the wire!  Student orientations for the first entering class are underway, and the start of classes is just weeks away.  There is a palpable excitement in the air about what this brand new university is going to mean, to many thousands of students and to the entire Rio Grande Valley.

But as is always the case, the excitement this week wasn’t confined to one UT institution. 

At UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, researchers seem poised for a breakthrough in finding a path to early detection of pancreatic cancer, which could lead to more effective treatment of a disease that will kill more than 40,000 people this year.

At UT Tyler, a study found that every dollar a student invests in a UT Tyler education leads to a $2.70 return in higher income.  Talk about a home run investment!

Meanwhile, an analysis of research journals, dubbed the Nature Index, ranked UT Austin one of the best institutions in the world for “high-impact science.”  I’m proud to say my alma mater ranked 19^th in the world, 8^th in the United States, and number one in Texas.

Finally, at UT El Paso, not one but three national magazines named UTEP’s College of Business Administration a Top School within their “Best of the Best” rankings.

All these accolades and accomplishments sound, and are, impressive.  And yet it was really just another week at the UT System – because at any given moment, from one end of Texas to the other, our people are doing important, inspiring things.

Every UT institution is unique, and the leadership of each institution will always enjoy a great deal of autonomy and latitude.  But it’s important to remember that we are more than the sum of our parts.  We are not a federation of standalone entities.  Rather, we are a system.  And one of my goals as chancellor is for us to enhance our responsibility as a mutually supporting system that leverages and scales our unmatched diversity, strength, and reach.

I’ve said before, at the end of the day, none of us are as smart as all of us – and, none of are as strong as all of us.

This week has already started out strong with a trip to Midland and Odessa to visit UT Permian Basin and today onward to the island to visit UT Medical Branch at Galveston. I hope this week you will join me in reaching out to at least one colleague at a different UT institution than your own.  I bet you’ll learn something, and they will too.  Reaching out to each other is a good first step toward building a stronger system, and a stronger Texas.

Thanks for reading, have a great week and a wonderful Independence Day weekend.