AUSTIN, Texas — The fall semester will kick off in about two months at the University of Texas at Austin. When it does, there will be more staff on campus each day than in the past few years.
Earlier this week, UT President Jay Hartzell announced that starting in the fall, almost all staff members will be required to work on-site full-time. Hartzell said an in-person environment "fosters collaboration, innovation, availability, and reliability" that will allow staff members to effectively serve "students, faculty, fellow staff members and stakeholders."
"Our vibrant campus community helps distinguish our great University, and as members of our staff, you contribute to that vibrancy each day," Hartzell wrote in a letter to the UT community. "We are here because of our students, and your consistent presence will help provide a more complete and engaging learning experience for students throughout campus."
The move has the support of Gov. Greg Abbott. On X, the platform previously known as Twitter, Abbott wrote, "This is the way. University of Texas to end remote work for almost all staff in August. It's past time to get back to work."
But not everyone is on-board. KVUE's news partners at the Austin American-Statesman spoke with Anne Lewis, a UT faculty member and member of the Texas State Employees Union executive board for Central Texas. She said union members are not happy with the university's decision.
"It is a very serious economic matter for a great many of our staff, but the other real issue is, what about these populations that really do need to work virtually?" Lewis asked, expressing concern for people with disabilities and who have mobility challenges.
In his letter, Harzell said UT leaders will work through the logistics of the changes and, by early July, will finalize their plans to end remote work for most staff members. All plans will be fully implemented by Aug. 19, one week before the start of fall classes.
Hartzell did note that a small number of roles will continue to be eligible for remote or hybrid work "at the discretion of the supervisor and college, school, or unit leader."
"These roles will be characterized by observable productivity; work that is transactional, internal, or service related; or functions that require high levels of individual time to perform," Hartzell wrote, adding, "For all staff members, some occasions may call for irregular schedules or intermittent remote work that does not require formal arrangements. Managers will continue to make those decisions on an as-needed basis."