2. Improve Student Advisinge) Improve graduate student advising
f) Expand online tools for self-advising and utilize advisors for more in-depth academic counseling
g) Implement four-year degree plans of study and online degree audit for all freshmen
h) Assign peer mentors to freshman cohort groups
i) Implement an early alert system for monitoring student academic progress
3. Strengthen and Innovate Delivery of Curriculum
a) Review and address curricular barriers to student success
b) Broaden the experiential learning opportunities for students through study abroad, research experiences, service learning, and internships
3. Strengthen and Innovate Delivery of Curriculum
c) Enhance the educational experience by strengthening the periodic review process for
each academic unit (complete) reviewing and updating the core curriculum strengthening and streamlining various major
curricula Reduce/modify course prerequisites to facilitate
greater registration flexibility for students incorporating the three foundational themes
and five areas of excellence throughout the curriculum
Faculty should include new innovations in their disciplines to enhance instruction
3. Strengthen and Innovate Delivery of Curriculum
d) Student academic services should support the curriculum to enhance student success
e) Support the use of TLC to develop/enhance skills and strengthen course content
f) Create office to coordinate and track current service learning and internships
g) Implement QEP project
3. Strengthen and Innovate Delivery of Curriculum
h) Create an information depository/centralized assistance area
i) Simplify freshman year curriculum
j) Explore alternative class scheduling paradigms
k) Implement wait lists for courses
5. Develop Comprehensive Freshman Experience at UTSA
a) Utilize block enrollment in freshman classes
b) Complete math and writing in freshman year
c) Create new Academic Inquiry course
d) Limit size of writing, Academic Inquiry courses
e) Require college-level courses immediately following developmental courses
f) Create University College to administer program
1. Expand Research and Scholarly Activities
d) Increase support for faculty, staff, and students to participate in research-related professional activities that contribute to UTSA’s mission
e) Make strategic senior faculty appointments to stimulate research development and growth
f) Increase support for current UTSA faculty
2. Strengthen Graduate Programs
d) Investigate novel ways (Gateway programs, REI programs, HSI programs) to diversify student population
e) Support international graduate students sufficiently to meet educational expenses
3. Expand and Optimize Research Space
a) Continue to expand and improve library availability of information in the appropriate format
b) Optimize research space utilization
c) Secure new research space
4. Develop Improved Research Processes, Policies, and
Infrastructurea) Provide education and training of administration,
faculty, and staff in research issues
b) Improve alignment of internal distribution of F&A revenues to better support institutional research development needs (complete)
c) Provide adequate IT support for research computing, networking, visualization, and communication
d) Devise mechanisms to improve coordination of grants and contracts accounting with pre-proposal administration
4. Develop Improved Research Processes, Policies, and
Infrastructuree) Expand access to print and electronic
information resources
f) Develop process for improving large-scale, multidisciplinary programmatic-type grants
g) Grow the public relations campaign for research education
1. Develop an Enrollment Management Plan (EMP)
(COMPLETE)
a) Explore alternative undergraduate enrollment strategies
b) Optimize graduate program enrollments and align resources
c) Revise, implement, and monitor the EMP based on analysis of undergraduate admissions criteria
a) Improve yield rate of accepted applicants to graduate programs
b) Adopt more proactive recruiting strategies: target qualified UTSA undergrads for grad programs target top-quality HS students develop recruitment pipelines from high schools and other
institutions of higher education, including community colleges expand recruitment of traditionally under-represented groups improve marketing of undergraduate and advanced degrees to
working professionals (delete? or add more support for this group?)
expand international recruitment of qualified students establish collaborative undergraduate recruitment efforts with
colleges develop strategy for managing international student enrollment
c) Develop an integrated marketing plan focused on the EMP
d) Expand and strengthen P-20, city, and community organization partnerships to support enrollment management
e) Attract and enroll a higher number of top-quartile undergraduate students
f) Increase articulation agreements to attract academically prepared transfer students
3. Develop Admissions Standards Commensurate with
Student Preparedness (COMPLETE)
a) Explore impact of UTSA admissions standards on student retention efforts (complete)
b) Develop alternative pathways for students to enter UTSA, including community college transfer programs (complete)
c) Adjust admissions standards to reflect qualifications commensurate with student success at a research institution (move to strategy #5)
4. Increase Financial Aid and Scholarships to Support the
EMPe) Improve communication of scholarship opportunities to students
f) Explore setting earlier deadlines for financial aid applications
g) Create financial incentives for students to complete 30 credit hours/year toward degrees
5. Optimize Enrollment Management Across the
Universitya) Determine institutional enrollment level
b) Determine individual college enrollment levels
c) Determine ideal enrollment mix, graduate vs. undergraduate
d) Monitor institutional EMP
5. Optimize Enrollment Management Across the
Universitye) Develop more metrics for graduate enrollments
f) Adjust admissions criteria to reflect qualifications commensurate with student success at a research university
g) Offer classes and programs at times that fit students’ needs
h) Consider banded tuition rates (perhaps focus on upperclassmen)
1. Develop UTSA’s Infrastructure to Support and Expand Public
Service Effortsa) Improve utilization of community services/resources
through UTSA Outreach Council, including inventory of UTSA public services
evaluate alignment with strategic priorities recommend adjustment to mix of services identify resource strategies and sources
b) Enhance communication tools for promoting community engagement activities, both internally and externally
c) Improve recognition of service work conducted by faculty, students, and staff
create awards for outstanding public service achievements Seek Carnegie Community Service classification
2. Expand Lifelong Learning Opportunities
a) Organize a robust central facilitating structure for all non-degree educational offerings
b) Organize professional development and lifelong learning offerings under appropriate colleges/ departments to utilize internal expertise
c) Expand high quality lifelong learning for niche markets, from P-20 through end-of-life
d) Develop appropriate incentives for faculty to participate in offering continuing education
4. Enhance Quality-of-Life Through Community
Engagementa) Implement a community engagement agenda on an annual basis
b) Raise profiles of UTSA intercollegiate athletics programs for enhancement of campus and community engagement
c) Promote economic development through partnerships with community agencies, businesses, educational institutions, and research facilities
d) Promote the arts and humanities in the community through hosting and promoting arts events
e) Promote sustainability throughout the university as a model for the community
2. Develop and Align Budgetary Resources (cont.)
e) Develop appropriate culture and support to successfully commercialize intellectual property
f) Optimize auxiliary services to meet the needs of the university
g) Establish non-profit enterprises to facilitate entrepreneurial activities and public-private partnerships
h) Adopt sustainable practices whenever feasible
2. Develop and Align Budgetary Resources (cont.)
i) Use unrestricted gifts to address strategic needs
j) Analyze faculty start-up packages using an ROI model
k) Simplify the college fee structures assessed to students
l) Establish a challenge grant program to assist units in meeting strategic objectives