As the Spring semester kicks off, both the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) and Richland College are drawing national notice as distinguished institutions. While its campus transforms with the addition of new residence halls, classrooms and enhancements, Richardson-based UT Dallas is well on its way to achieving Tier One national research university status. Richland College, a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award recipient located on the Richardson-Dallas border, has recently earned architectural industry recognition for one of its buildings.

Here are recent highlights on what is happening at Richardson’s higher education institutions.

UT Dallas

UT Dallas reached enrollment of just under 20,000 this semester at 19,728. More than 200 tenure and tenure-track professors have joined the campus’ faculty since 2005, and university research dollars surpassed $90,000,000 in FY12.

The university has been well represented in national surveys and rankings lately. Recent ranking and accolades include:

• Ranked 29^th in the Times Higher Education list of the top 100 institutions in the world under 50 years of age, May 31, 2012
• Listed as one of The Princeton Review’s “Best Western Colleges” list
• Jindal School of Management ranked 89^th among Bloomberg Business’ best undergraduate business schools in the country
• Audiology ranked 3^rd in U.S. News Report “2013 Best Graduate Schools”
• Masters-Speech Pathology program ranked 11^th in U.S. News Report “2013 Best Graduate Schools”
• Part-time business program ranked 34^th in U.S. News Report “2013 Best Graduate Schools”

Since 2005, UT Dallas has added 33 degree programs, four residence halls and a dining hall. Privately funded campus enhancements include reflecting pools, new outdoor seating and performance areas on the mall, and the planting of more than 5,000 trees throughout campus. The new four-story Arts and Technology building is slated for completion in fall 2013. A 220,000-square-foot Bioengineering and Sciences Building is scheduled to begin construction in 2014 with anticipated completion in fall 2015. A 107,000-square-foot addition to the Jindal School of Management is scheduled to begin in early 2013 with a completion date of 2014.

Richland College

Richland College serves approximately 20,000 credit and 4,800 non-credit students who come from more than 130 countries and speak 79 first languages. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board recently honored Richland College’s Faculty Professional Development program with Recognition of Excellence. Also recently, the college’s Sabine Hall science building earned architectural industry recognition. The LEED Platinum-certified building was named the 2012 recipient of the prestigious Louis I. Kahn Citation for design in higher education by American School & University (AS&U) magazine.