In the College of Natural Sciences, our core values guide us. We lead with a commitment to supporting the people who are at the heart of our mission and community; to being a place of discovery that leads to breakthrough science and eye-opening insights; and to prioritizing pursuits of experiences, education, and research that benefit both individuals and the world they live in through impact at scale.
See these ideas in action in our strategic plan
Community
Community supports experiences of authentic belonging. Together, individual voices and distinct perspectives enrich and advance our college community. To feel part of a community, individuals need opportunities to grow, to connect, to feel included, to find acceptance and to know they will be treated with dignity.
We are strengthened by our differences in backgrounds, experiences and ideas, and we are united by common values and pursuits. We celebrate our diverse community, the meaningful mentoring between people of different experience levels, the connections among us that contribute to wellbeing, and the opportunities to come together and joyfully relate with one another.
Discovery
Discovery drives the Texas scientist and mathematician with a spirit of curiosity and willingness to learn. We believe discovery delivers growth and leads to advances of many types: technological and medical breakthroughs, knowledge that opens individuals to joy and possibilities, insights into ourselves and empathy for others around us.
We embrace curiosity, the root of discovery, because it opens new pathways and energizes us. Our spirit of discovery and our innate curiosity spur a willingness to explore what’s around us—from our campus, to our city, to the wider universe—and a determination to persist when we meet inevitable setbacks and stumbles along the way. Independently and together, we welcome opportunities for new and deeper understanding through discovery.
Impact at Scale
Seeking to have impact at scale drives us at the core of our bold pursuits. We aim to serve society with excellence and far-reaching effects that stem from our University of Texas at Austin experiences, education and research.
As the largest college at this globally recognized research university, we know the College of Natural Sciences carries distinct responsibilities. Individually and together, we aim to serve stakeholders, here and in the public at large, leveraging the resources of this excellent university for the greater good—for the betterment of human lives, for the improvement of society and for the protection of our planet. We want to ensure our collective legacy in Texas Science makes our whole community proud.
Dean David Vanden Bout reflected about community, discovery and impact at scale during his inaugural State of the College address. Read the transcript.