UT San Antonio marches on with downtown growth
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UT San Antonio this week opened a 180,000-square-foot facility downtown focused on educating and growing the city's fledgling technology workforce.
Why it matters: The building, dubbed San Pedro II, represents a big bet by the university on both its downtown campus and the city's future in the tech industry.
Zoom in: UT San Antonio's College of AI, Cyber and Computing will occupy much of San Pedro II. The college is home to more than 5,000 students studying artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, computing and data science.
- San Pedro II will also house the USAA Student Success Center, the Harvey E. Najim Innovation District and the Center for Civic and Community-Engaged Leadership, which offers professional development programs.
- The Najim Center houses programs like the Start-Up Academy, a 10-week offering to learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship while creating a coffee business.
Flashback: The university in early 2023 opened the 167,000-square-foot San Pedro I, the precursor to growing its downtown presence and tech focus.
The big picture: Nationally, between 2024 and 2034 the number of data scientist jobs is expected to grow 34%, much faster than the average growth rate for all occupations, per U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
- Information security analyst careers are projected to grow 29%.
Between the lines: Part of the university's aim for its downtown campus, which opened in 1997, is to create a comprehensive space that doesn't require regular trips back to the main campus, more than 15 miles away on the Northwest Side.
- That means having student support, recreation, social amenities and on-campus housing, which it does not currently have downtown.
State of play: Meanwhile, the area around the downtown campus is seeing increased development, including plans for a new Minor League Baseball stadium in west downtown that will be surrounded by new apartments and a hotel.
- The downtown campus is also near the revitalized San Pedro Creek Culture Park, which blends a riverfront path with public art.
By the numbers: UT San Antonio plans to have 10,000 students downtown by 2028, a figure that would account for more than a quarter of its fall 2025 enrollment.
- It's unclear how many students are currently at the downtown campus. A spokesperson did not immediately provide the figure.
What they're saying: "San Pedro II represents the future of UT San Antonio," president Taylor Eighmy said in a statement. "By anchoring this investment downtown, we are intentionally and directly connecting talent with industry, government and community partners."
What we're watching: What UT San Antonio will do with the downtown Kallison Square property, a collection of circa-1900 storefront buildings near City Hall that it purchased last year.