UTSA's Strategy

VII. Appendicies

Appendix C. Strategies and Tactics for Implementation

In this appendix:
A. Enriching educational experiences to enable student success
B. Serving society through creativity, expanded research and innovations
C. Promoting access and affordability
D. Serving the public through community engagement

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE A. Enriching educational experiences to enable student success

Tactics		Metrics	Responsible Units	Resources	Timeline
Strategy 1:Improve Instruction of Courses at UTSA
a.	Expand the number of full-time faculty at UTSA	Proportion of faculty that are full-time Percent of SCH taught by full-time faculty	Provost, Deans	Faculty salaries	Fall 09– ongoing
b.	Improve teacher development training for instructors at UTSA, including graduate assistants	No. of workshops avail. Types of training avail. No. of faculty attending Evaluation of workshops by participants	TEAM Ctr.	TEAM Ctr. budget	Fall 08– ongoing
c.	Improve the evaluation of teaching at UTSA	No. of tools used in addition to student surveys	Chairs, TEAM Ctr.	T&E of faculty	Fall 08– ongoing
d.	Expand the use of technology to enhance instruction	No. of courses utilizing technology per dept. No. and types of software tools in classroom No. of faculty receiving training Evaluation of training effectiveness by participants	Chairs, TEAM Ctr., Acad. Tech.	T&E Funds for software licenses	Fall 08– ongoing
e.	Nurture and recognize outstanding teaching Establish Teaching Academy Expand recognition of outstanding teaching	No. of faculty in Academy No. of teaching awards Public recognition of award recipients	TEAM Ctr., Deans	Funds for teaching awards	Fall 08– ongoing
Strategy 2: Improve Student Advising
a.	Improve coordination between the freshman advising center and the various college-based advising centers	Average no. of credits taken by graduates % of students changing majors	College Adv. Ctrs.,OUS	Advisor salaries	Spring 08 – ongoing
b.	Engage external evaluators to analyze and improve the undergraduate advising system	Final report from reviewers List of implemented recommendations	OUS, Deans	Consultant fees	Spring 09 – ongoing
c.	Strategically increase the number of undergraduate advisors according to assessed need	No. of advisors Students per advisor	Deans, OUS	Advisor salaries	Fall 09 – ongoing
d.	Conduct an evaluation of the effectiveness of undergraduate orientation programs	Assessment of programs Improvements implemented	VPSA, Deans	T&E	Spring 09 - ongoing
Strategy 3:Strengthen and Innovate Delivery of Curriculum
a.	Review and address curricular barriers to student success by removing unnecessary course pre-requisites decreasing inflexibility of course sequencing exploring creative class scheduling	Review of pre-requisites Posted 3-yr. schedule of classes Report on different class scheduling models	Deans, Registrar, OUS, Chairs	T&E	08-09 year - ongoing
b.	Broaden experiential learning among undergraduates by providing opportunities for study abroad, research experiences, service learning, and internships/co-ops	No. of research, study abroad, exchange programs, service learning, and internship/co-op opportunities	OIP, Deans, Chairs, VPSA	T&E Coordinating staff salaries	Fall 09 – ongoing
c.	Enhance the educational experience by strengthening the periodic review process for each academic unit reviewing and updating the core curriculum strengthening and streamlining the various major curricula incorporating the three foundational themes and five collaborative areas of excellence throughout the curriculum	No. of students in programs No. of student groups in programs	Provost, Deans, Faculty	Funds for programs Office space	Spring 09
Strategy 4:Enriching Campus Life Experience
a.	Assess student service programs for learning outcomes	Evaluation report No. of recommendations implemented No. of student participants in services and programs	VPSA	T&E of VPs Funds forprograms	Fall 08– Spring 09 Ongoing
b.	Increase and enhance the retail services available on the three campuses	No. of retail services on campus No. of students using retail spaces	VPSA, VPBA	Space for retail businesses	Sum. 08– ongoing
c.	Complete the implementation of the UTSA Portal and use to improve internal communications across the three campuses	No. of students using Portal	OIT, VPSA, VPUA	T&EM&O for web site Web admin. salary	Fall 08– Spring 10 Ongoing
d.	Increase opportunities for student involvement and engagement through enhanced on-campus programming and freshman experience programs	No. of program. opportunities No. of student participants	VPSA	T&E Funds for programs	Spring 08 – ongoing
e.	Expand campus residential opportunities	Residence hall capacity Percent of student body in residence halls	VPSA, VPBA	Construction costs	Ongoing

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE B. Serving society through creativity, expanded research and innovations

Tactics		Metrics	Responsible Units	Resources	Timeline
Strategy 1: Expand Research and Scholarly Activities
a.	Provide incentives and support for interdisciplinary/ collaborative research	No. of collab. multidisciplinary research applications, awards and expenditures No. of multidisciplinary research programs	VPR	UTSA Collab. Res. Grants Intramural Program	ongoing
b.	Develop faculty workload guidelines that promote scholarly activity while fulfilling UTSA’s educational mission	Implementation of workload guidelines Use of workload standards in merit review	Deans, Chairs	T&E	Fall 08 – ongoing
c.	Review and re-structure academic units to facilitate research growth and graduate program development	Organization structure of colleges	Deans, Provost	T&E Staff positions	08-10 academic years
d.	Increase support for faculty and students to participate in professional activities that contribute to UTSA’s mission	Budget for travel, program support No. of conference, research trips taken by faculty	Deans, VPR	Funds to assist with travel, programs	Spring 09 - ongoing
e.	Make strategic senior faculty appointments to stimulate research development and growth	No. of senior appointments External research funds	Provost, Deans, VPR	Fac. salaries, startup	Fall 09 – ongoing
Strategy 2: Strengthen Graduate Programs
a.	Develop guidelines for prioritizing the introduction of new grad programs (see also tactic B-5-a)	Success rate for new program approvals	DGS, Deans	T&E	Fall 08 – ongoing
b.	Increase graduate student quality, diversity, and enrollment through aggressive recruitment and retention practices	No. of graduate students, GRE scores of grad students, Mean time to graduation	DGS, Deans, Departments	Funds for marketing, travel	Ongoing
c.	Leverage partnerships to expand/enhance graduate programs	No. of multi-institutional grad programs	DGS, Deans	T&E	Ongoing
Strategy 3: Expand and Optimize Research Space
a.	Optimize research space utilization	Ratio of research funding to space ($/ft2), Ratio of research funding to productivity, Ratio of research students to space	VPR, Deans, OSM	T&E	ongoing
b.	Secure new research space through a broad variety of funding mechanisms	Research space added	President, Provost, VPBA,VPR	Construction funds	ongoing
Strategy 4: Develop Improved Research Processes, Policies, and Infrastructure
a.	Provide education and training of administration, faculty and staff in research issues	No. of workshops, Compliance with policies	VPR, OSP, Deans	T&E	Fall 08 – ongoing
b.	Align internal distribution of F&A revenues to better support institutional research development needs	Funds spent in direct support of research infrastructure Funds spent in direct support of research activities	VPBA, VPR, Provost	Allocation of ~$6 million annually	08-09 year
c.	Provide adequate IT support for research computing, networking, visualization, and communication	No. of servers managed, No. of campus software licenses	OIT	Funds for staffing, software, hardware	ongoing
d.	Consolidate grants and contracts accounting with pre-proposal administration	Compliance with federal/state, etc. guidelines and laws, Ratio of funding $/FTG, T&E in securing research support	VPBA, VPR	T&E	08-09 year
Strategy 5: Develop Research Agenda for the Five Areas of Excellence
a.	Coordinate planning for new graduate programs with the five areas of excellence (also see tactic B-2-a)	No. of new grad programs in areas of excellence	DGS, Deans, Chairs	T&E	ongoing
b.	Continuously align college and department priorities to support the designated areas of excellence and reflect in new faculty appointments	Implemented college, dept. plans	Deans, Chairs	T&E	08-09 year
c.	Establish interdisciplinary centers/institutes to focus activity and funding in the designated areas of excellence	Completed research agendas, New research topics started within each of the five areas, Return on investment, e.g., funding, new research progs.	Provost, VPR, Deans, Faculty	T&E Funding for programs, directors, staff	ongoing

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE C. Promoting access and affordability

Tactics		Metrics	Responsible Units	Resources	Timeline
Strategy 1: Develop Enrollment Management Plan (EMP)
a.	Conduct an analysis of alternative undergraduate admissions criteria for freshmen and transfer students	Recommendations for improved enrollment management Student body demographics Diversity Student preparedness	Admissions, OIR, Deans	Admissions and OIR – T&E	Started; finish in May 2009
b.	Conduct an analysis of graduate program enrollments and align effort and resources to optimize them	Grad program enrollments	Deans, DGS, OIR	T&E of deans and OIR	Spring 08 – 10
Strategy 2: Enhance UTSA Recruitment Efforts Within the EMP
a.	Aggressively contact admitted students to improve yield rate of accepted applicants to graduate programs (see tactic B-2-1)	Grad admissions yield rate	Deans, DGS	Funds for scholarships, travel	Fall 08 – ongoing
b.	Adopt more proactive recruitment strategies: target and recruit qualified UTSA undergrads into graduate programs develop recruitment pipelines from other institutions of higher education, including community colleges expand recruitment of traditionally under-represented groups improve marketing of advanced degree programs to working professionals expand international recruitment of students	No. of 5-year combined BA/MA degree programs No. of UTSA graduates enrolled in grad programs No. of campus visits for prospective students No. of faculty exchanges No. of international students	Admissions, Deans, DGS, OIP	Funds for scholarships, Funds for marketing and travel, T&E	08-09 – ongoing
c.	Develop an integrated marketing plan focused on the EMP	Marketing efforts No. of students recruited each year	Admissions; VPUA	Funds for marketing and travel	08-09 year
d.	Expand and strengthen P-20, city, and community organization partnerships to support enrollment management	No. of partnerships with K-12 schools No. of partnerships with CCs, universities No. of partnerships with community organizations	VPCS, VPSA, Deans	T&E	Spring 08 – ongoing
Strategy 3: Develop Admissions Standards Commensurate with Student Preparedness
a.	Conduct an analysis of the impact of UTSA admissions standards on student retention efforts	Report recommendations	Admissions, OIR, Deans	T&E – OIR	08-09 year
b.	Develop alternative pathways for students to enter UTSA, including community college transfer programs	Number of student transfers from designated community college programs with UTSA	Admissions, Deans	T&E Additional recruitment dollars	Fall 08 – ongoing
c.	Adjust admissions standards to reflect qualifications commensurate with student success at a research institution	Ave. class rank, SAT/ACT scores, HS GPA of incoming freshman class	Admissions, VPSA	T&E	2010-2016
Strategy 4: Increase Financial Aid and Scholarships to Support the EMP
a.	Conduct and implement an external analysis of current strategies for distributing undergraduate and graduate student financial aid	Report recommendations Targeted scholarships for academically qual. students Retention and graduation rates	Financial Aid	OIR Funds for ext. consultant, schol. staff	Fall 08–ongoing
b.	Expand on-campus employment opportunities for undergraduates through work-study, research, etc.	No. of students on paid research assistantships Budget for student wages	CMO, Deans	Funds for student wages	Fall 08 – ongoing
c.	Implement fundraising campaign for scholarships, fellowships	Endowments for scholarships and fellowships	President, VPUA, Deans	Funds for scholarships marketing and travel	Spring 08 – ongoing
d.	Expand on-campus teaching opportunities for graduate students	No. of teaching assistantships Percent of advanced degree graduates with teaching experience	GS, Deans	Funds for TA positions	Spring 08 – ongoing

STRATEGIC INITIATIVE D. Serving the public through community engagement

Tactics		Metrics	Responsible Units	Resources	Timeline
Strategy 1: Develop UTSA’s Infrastructure to Support and Expand Public Service Efforts
a.	Coordinate utilization of community services/ resources through the UTSA Outreach Council inventory UTSA public services evaluate alignment with strategic priorities Recommend adjustment to mix of services identify resource strategies, sources explore Carnegie Community Service classification	Complete inventory of UTSA’s service activities Assessment of services mix as it aligns w/strategic priorities Report to CMO on services mix, resources, and classification	VPCS, Outreach Council	T&E	08-09 year
b.	Develop web site for community engagement activities	Website completion No. of “hits” on web site	VPCS, OIT, VPUA	T&E Funds for web development	Spring 2009
c.	Develop a plan to recognize service conducted by faculty, staff, students, and alumni	No. of service recognition/ awards	Provost, VPCS	T&E Funds for awards	Spring 09
Strategy 2: Expand Lifelong Learning Opportunities
a.	Organize a robust central facilitating structure for all non-degree educational offerings	No. of programs offered % of programs with involvement by colleges	Provost, VPCS	Funds to staff office	2008-10
b.	Organize professional development and lifelong learning offerings under appropriate colleges/ departments to utilize internal expertise	No. of programs offered	VPCS, Provost, Deans	T&E Funds for marketing	2008-10
c.	Expand high quality lifelong learning for niche markets, from P-20 (e.g. kids’ academic summer camps) through end-of-life (e.g. Elder College)	No. of students engaged No. of groups engaged Net revenue	VPCS, Provost, Deans, CPE	T&E Funds for marketing	Spring 09
Strategy 3: Increase Student Engagement With the Community
a.	Set a goal to establish incentives for UTSA students to engage in “signature experience” (e.g. community service learning, internships, study abroad, etc.) learning activities (see A-3-b)	% of grad. class completing “signature experiences” No. of “signature experiences” by category	Deans, Depts.	T&E	2009
b.	Establish a clearinghouse to facilitate and increase partnerships with the community for “signature experiences”	Number of partnerships established Number of placements External financial support	Career Services	T&E	2009
Strategy 4: Expand Public Services and Community Engagement
a.	Implement a community engagement agenda on an annual basis	Community support for UTSA No. of projects with commnty. No. of pub. serv. beneficiaries Creation of Speakers Bureau	President, VPCS	T&E	ongoing
b.	Raise profile of UTSA intercollegiate athletics programs for enhancement of campus and community engagement	UTSA brand-loyalty Student participation Community participation	President, Athletics, VPSA, VPUA	T&E	ongoing
c.	Promote economic development through partnerships with community agencies, businesses, educational institutions, and research facilities	UTSA economic impact study Jobs created by IED programs No. of graduates entering regional workforce No. of commercialization spin-off licenses	Assoc. VP Econ. Dev., VPCS, VPR	T&E Grant funds	Fall 08 – ongoing
d.	Support the arts and humanities in the community through hosting and promoting arts events	No. of arts events Community participation and attendance	COLFA, VPSA, ITC	Funds for events	ongoing
e.	Promote sustainability throughout the university as a model for the community	Campus sustainability policy	VPBA	Funds for energy cons.	ongoing

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