Just four days after being sworn in, Richardson Mayor Amir Omar held his first official meeting at city hall May 16. His guests were not veteran council members, city business owners or prominent developers, but a group of university students: the president, vice president and legislative chair of UTD’s Student Government. For the students, it was a shock how quickly the mayor agreed to meet with them. For the new mayor, it was a deliberate signal that the 30,000 Comets at UTD would have a direct line to his office.
“He usually responds to us within the day, which is crazy,” SG vice president and neuroscience junior David Baker said. “He has given us an unprecedented connection with local officials in a way I don’t think has ever really existed before.”
He has given us an unprecedented connection with local officials in a way I don’t think has ever really existed before.
— David Baker, SG vice president
Omar said that to him, the longstanding “town and gown” relationship between UTD and Richardson is going to be a focal point of his time as mayor. He said that while the campus and the community have a long history of collaboration, there exists a barrier between the students and the city at large — a barrier he wants to tear down.
“Look at everything happening with the arts and technology on campus,” Omar said. “UTD’s already built this fantastic Asian art museum. I want residents to be comfortable visiting it. I want people to be comfortable with the campus. To feel like they can invite their friends to meet up at it. It’s just too big of an asset for us to act like what happens at UTD is not happening in our very own city.”
I want people to be comfortable with the campus. To feel like they can invite their friends to meet up at it.
— Amir Omar, mayor of Richardson
What began as a major first meeting between SG and the city of Richardson has rapidly grown into repeat collaborations. In his first six months as mayor, Omar has already visited the campus over 20 times to meet with high-ranking university officials, including former president Richard Benson and current president Prabhas Moghe, the Formula racing team, the Graduate Student Assembly, UTDesign and the International Center. Omar has also visited the SP/N Gallery, the Athaneum, the Chinese Institute of Engineers’ Mid-Autum Asian Arts Festival and the 50th anniversary of the EPPS school. Omar has been on campus every single month since the fall semester began. His most recent visit was on Nov. 11, when he spoke at the SG senate meeting.
“Gosh, in only six months I’ve already met with so many different departments, organizations and students at UTD,” Omar said. “Each interaction has been fantastic, from getting a tour of everything new on campus to talking to students and getting to sit down with the presidents and my city manager to discuss our visions for the future.”
In only six months I’ve already met with so many different departments, organizations and students at UTD.
— Amir Omar, mayor of Richardson
Giana Abraham, SG president and neuroscience and psychology double major, said she was happy to see Omar’s dedication to immediately getting down to business when they first met.
“I went into our May meeting thinking it would be a quick hello since we were all new to our roles,” Abraham said. “Instead, we immediately started talking about how we could work together this year.”
Abraham and Baker said the ideas discussed with Omar weren’t focused on simply making campus more accessible to Richardson at large, but also on leveraging UTD’s student researchers to help improve the city. Omar said he was looking to hold his next quarterly town hall, which will take place early 2026, on the UTD campus itself — a first for a Richardson mayor. Baker said they had also discussed the idea of working to set up more bus routes or shuttles between the campus and the city to help students go to city events easily while letting people onto campus without having to deal with parking.
Baker said the idea that stood out to him the most was the possibility of establishing a research initiative that lets students deal with real-world problems like improving public works in the city and planning out community gardens.
“He told me that he had ‘all these ideas on how to improve the city, but I don’t have the time to realize everything,’” Baker said. “He said that as long as we could provide the students, he could provide the projects. You don’t see that too often in other cities, this openness with the student body.”
He said that as long as we could provide the students, he could provide the projects.
— David Baker, SG vice president
For Omar, who earned his executive MBA from UTD in 2013, this is all part of a larger vision. He said that he frequently uses the phrase “1 + 1 = 11” to summarize the massive benefits he thinks are possible from a truly symbiotic relationship.
“People will want to be more civically engaged if they see their leaders, the representatives they elected, on our campus,” Abraham said. “Getting students engaged with their local politics early is the best way to help them work with their communities after graduation.”
Baker said UTD’s layout can create a feeling of isolation, which makes Omar’s active presence on campus crucial to breaking that notion.
“Our campus seems super isolated from the rest of Richardson because when you drive, you can’t really see what’s going on,” Baker said. “Having such an active relationship with the mayor helps us get the word out that we are more than just parking lots and student housing. There is a whole academic world once you get to the center of campus.”
Having such an active relationship with the mayor helps us get the word out that we are more than just parking lots and student housing.
— David Baker, SG vice president
Omar said he felt the timing was incredibly ripe for a partnership. Both Omar and Moghe are in their first year, and the potential exists to define a whole decade of collaboration. Omar said he intends to keep running for mayor after his first term until he has served the maximum of six terms for a total of 12 years. UTD’s presidents have historically served around 10 years each.
“He really does seem like a public servant that cares about the people around him,” Baker said. “And I’m very excited to see what he’s able to get up to in these next few years.”