University of Texas System Regent Gene Powell (left) and President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, (right) congratulate new UT System Student Regent Kyle J. Kalkwarf. The fourth-year medical student is the first student from the UT Health Science Center San Antonio to receive this prestigious appointment.
Printer Friendly Format

A fourth-year UT Health Science Center San Antonio medical student will soon be crisscrossing the state of Texas. Kyle J. Kalkwarf will be traveling to the nine academic universities and six health institutions in The University of Texas System to learn the needs and concerns of the 202,000 students he now represents as the student regent on the UT System Board of Regents.

As the first UT Health Science Center student appointed to this prestigious leadership position, he will also work with the student and administrative leadership at UT System institutions to help create the best possible learning experience for students.

“I am honored by the responsibility of representing all students in the UT System. I hope to take what I have learned from great mentors and use it to represent the students in the UT System to the best of my ability,” said Kalkwarf, who began his one-year term June 1.

President William L. Henrich, M.D., MACP, said, “We are very proud of Kyle and feel this is a well-deserved honor. He is a proven military leader and student leader in the School of Medicine and Student Government Association. His military experience as an aide-de-camp will especially come in handy, as he will be relaying the students’ thoughts and concerns to the board of regents, as he did as a liaison between soldiers and commanders in the military.”

Current leadership posts
Kalkwarf also serves as president of the medical school Class of 2011, an executive board member of the UT System Student Advisory Council and a member of the Health Science Center’s Dean’s Committee for Medical School Accreditation.

Major issues for the board of regents
The student regent said that the most important issue the board will be considering this term is cutting costs as mandated by state government, while maintaining the high quality of education at an affordable price for current and future students.

Another topic he plans to focus on is recruiting the highest quality faculty in light of the economic conditions. “Quality faculty members are vital to higher education because of the difference they make in the educational experience. Recruiting and retaining the highest quality faculty should always be the goal of higher education institutions in the UT System,” he said.


UT System Student Advisory Council
His prior UT System leadership experience includes serving two years on the Student Advisory Council, composed of two student leaders from each of the 15 UT System institutions. The first year he developed recommendations for the board of regents based on the concerns of student leaders. Three of the seven recommendations forwarded to the board of regents were originated by the two UT Health Science Center representatives, Kalkwarf said. The second year he served on the council’s executive board as historian. “I worked hand-in-hand with the chair and vice chair to ensure that the committees worked effectively in creating strong recommendations that were supported by data and unique from issues that had been raised by previous Student Advisory Councils,” he said.

Committee for Medical School Accreditation
On the School of Medicine’s Committee for Medical School Accreditation, Kalkwarf served as co-chair of the Student Self-Study Subcommittee, which created a lengthy student survey covering all aspects of the medical school experience. One hundred percent of the medical students in his class completed the survey, which provided vital student input for the Student Self-Study Report. As a member of the Accreditation Self-Study Task Force, he reviews other subcommittee reports and provides feedback before they are compiled into the final accreditation report in the dean’s office. He will also meet with the accreditation team during the campus visit in January.

Military leadership posts
A graduate of Churchill High School in San Antonio, Kalkwarf earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S Military Academy at West Point in 2002 in chemistry with a civil engineering track.

Regarding the role his military experience has played in his success, Kalkwarf said, “I believe that we are a product of our experiences and my 12 years in the military constitute a sizable portion of my experiences. After four years at West Point, where I played outfield on the baseball team, I went to Fort Knox, Ky., for five months of tank training.

"I then moved to Fort Hood, Texas, where I was deployed to Iraq in April 2003. I spent 11 months in Iraq as a tank platoon leader in charge of four Abrams tanks and the 15 other soldiers that operated them with me," Kalkwarf said.

He added, "I was also deployed to Kuwait for seven months in 2006. While on that deployment I led a team that gathered information on new equipment that was being used by soldiers in Kuwait and southern Iraq and logistically supported other teams throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. The results we collected there were used to provide updates to the Army vice chief of staff for decisions on fielding new equipment.

"During my time in the Army I also helped organize and execute two large operational tests on new Army vehicles in Kentucky and Washington State," Kalkwarf said. "I also served as the aide-de-camp to the commanding general of the U.S. Army Operational Test Command where I was able to observe leadership at the highest levels of the military and learn what kind of information is important to those making decisions.”

Military awards
Kalkwarf completed active duty as a captain and earned 11 military medals and ribbons, including the Bronze Star Medal and Meritorious Service Medal. He now serves as a first lieutenant in the Texas Army National Guard, where he answers questions from medical, dental and physician assistant students who are interested in serving in the National Guard.