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History of UTSA
These resources offer a general introduction into the history of UTSA.
Manuscripts Archivist
University Archives
The UTSA University Archives is a unit within UTSA Libraries Special Collections. We exist to document the institutional memory of the university. The University Archives collects, preserves and provides access to information about the University of Texas at San Antonio that is of enduring historical, administrative, or legal value.
Our research strengths include:
- Official records of UTSA academic and non-academic departments and central administration
- University publications such as directories, catalogs, and periodicals including the Discourse, UTSA Bulletin, Roadrunner, Sombrilla, The Paisano
- Photographs that document the history of UTSA
- Papers of UTSA faculty and staff members
- Meeting minutes of faculty and staff organizations
- UTSA academic, administrative, and student web sites, 2009-present
Collection Guides
Browse University Archives collection guides by subject, including UTSA History and UTSA Records. Visit our website to do a full-text search of all Special Collections collection guides.
Digital Collections
- UTSA History and PhotographsPhotographs, reports, studies, and archival materials from the University Archives.
- UTSA PublicationsA collection of UTSA publications from 1973 to the present, including digitized versions of UTSA Bulletin (1973-1981), Roadrunner (1973-1999), Quarterly (1981-1984), and Sombrilla (1984-2015).
- The PaisanoStudent newspaper - University of Texas at San Antonio
Archive Online: UTSA Digital Collection Special Collections (1981-1998)
Other Holdings see Library Quick Search - Center for Archaeological Research ReportsSearchable collection of the Center for Archeological Research's publications from 1975 through the present.
- Archived WebsitesA collection of archived websites focused on university and university-affiliated sites, in addition to sites relevant to Texas and the Southwest, including Border Studies, Gender Studies, South Texas and San Antonio History, food culture, and renewable energy.
Blog, Twitter, & Instagram
- The Top Shelf: UTSA HistoryThe Top Shelf, the blog of the Special Collections department, periodically features articles on UTSA's history. Past topics include: the establishment of UTSA, the selection of the Roadrunner mascot, the school colors, and familiar names around campus.
- @utsaspeccollSpecial Collections archivists use this Instagram feed to share pictures from UTSA’s history, in addition to content from our other collections – rare books, historic photographs, and archives related to the diverse communities of San Antonio and South Texas.
- @UTSAYesterdayThis archived Twitter feed revealed "this week in UTSA history" through press releases and photographs dating from 1973 to 1981.
Additional Resources
- 50th Anniversary WebsiteIn 2019, UTSA celebrated its 50th Anniversary. In recognition of this milestone, a team of UTSA staff conducted extensive research in the University Archives and gathered documents, photographs, artifacts, and videos to tell stories from UTSA’s history.
The team released a detailed website with a timeline of campus events, short videos blending archival and contemporary footage, and two issues of Sombrilla magazine dedicated to people, traditions, and achievements from the university’s first five decades. - UTSA Today ArchiveSearchable archive of news stories written by University Communications.