AUSTIN (KXAN) — The University of Texas at Austin President Jay Hartzell delivered the annual State of the University address Wednesday afternoon. He focused on how the university continues "to advance excellence and innovation and create the most comprehensive and impactful academic experience" for students. The video above is the full UT State of the University address The address came after an eventful 2023-24 academic year for the university. In late April, pro-Palestinian protests broke out across campus that ended in dozens of arrests. State of the University address 2024 at the University of Texas at Austin (KXAN Photo/Ed Zavala) Just this week, the university announced it had created a new unit dedicated to free speech on campus. A new webpage provides ways students can protest while staying within the bounds of what the university finds acceptable. Hartzell also touched on the topic of mental health and wellness. Within this past year, the university has launched what they call "TimelyCare." A 24-hour mental health counseling service, TimelyCare joined the launch of another program, "Longhorn Listens," to help open the conversation around mental health to make all students feel safe and heard. RELATED: UT creates ‘unit’ for free speech rights on campus Also this week, the university announced changes to its admissions process. UT Austin said it will cut down on the number of top Texas high school students automatically admitted to the university, dropping the threshold from 6% to 5%. This will affect admissions for fall 2026 and help the university achieve its goal of "focusing on extremely talented people," officials said. State of the University address 2024 at the University of Texas at Austin (KXAN Photo/Ed Zavala) "Our goal for 2025 is attracting more elite talent, faculty, students and staff," Hartzell said. University officials added they hope to focus on their students' careers and professional development. Hartzell said it is the university's top priority to ensure that 90% of its students leave knowing what they will be doing and where they will be working upon graduation. "We want to help students figure out exactly what they really want to do," he added. UT Austin to drop automatic admissions for top Texas students to 5% in 2026 From developing new programs like the university's new institute CosmicAI to advancing research capabilities within its medical programs, and even working on physical campus structures like renovating the towers, Hartzell said the university has goals in place to make the next year better than the last. This is also the university's inaugural year in the Southeastern Conference.