What initial steps were completed to integrate the institutions?

Plans to merge the institutions, the integration process and proposed timeline were presented to the campus communities and included early engagement through campus task forces and working groups. The individuals in these groups provided valuable insights, data and ideas to best support the initial phase of the integration process. The universities worked together in the months that followed to prepare a prospectus — a plan that described the processes and procedures to be used for merging. The plan articulated the formal merger of two fully accredited, financially strong and well-respected institutions. The prospectus received approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in June 2025 and was presented to the UT System Board of Regents by the Chancellor through ongoing updates. The work of integrating the two institutions is ongoing and includes various Task Forces, Working Groups and Functional Integration teams.