FEBRUARY 25, 2020 — UTSA has been named a Gold Military Friendly School for 2020–2021 by Viqtory Inc. Published by Military Friendly, the Military Friendly Schools survey is the nation’s longest-running review of college and university investments in serving military and veteran students, and UTSA’s gold designation reflects the university’s comprehensive support of its military-affiliated population.
UTSA exceeded all six of the standards set forth by the Military Friendly Schools survey but scored especially high marks in three categories: culture and commitment, admissions and orientation, and academic policies and compliance. UTSA was one of only three four-year research institutions in Texas to earn the gold designation.
“The Military Friendly recognition is important to us as we are working hard to become more veteran-inclusive at UTSA, and that is why we continue to implement new policies and initiatives to help our military-affiliated students in their educational pursuits,” said retired Air Force Col. Lisa Carrington Firmin, associate vice president for veteran and military affairs at UTSA.
—LISA CARRINGTON FIRMIN, Associate Vice President for Veteran and Military Affairs
In its selection Military Friendly suggested veterans and other military-affiliated students should attend UTSA for two key reasons. The first is UTSA’s relationships with several military bases in the region, making the university part of a larger community supporting service members and veterans. The second is the university’s Office for Veteran and Military Affairs, which operates out of the new Center for Military Affiliated Students and provides consolidated services to military-affiliated students on campus. The office’s efforts to advocate, innovate and collaborate to facilitate the inclusion and success of those students are highlighted.
“VMA houses two VA VetSuccess on Campus counselors, provides federal and state certification, and provides programming, which includes priority registration, tailored orientation, mentoring, workshops, emergency funding, scholarships and community partnerships to ease education and career transitions,” Military Friendly wrote.
Several of these items were recent successes implemented by the VMA office. UTSA now offers priority registration and an exclusive orientation tailored to veterans in addition to separate breakout sessions for all military-affiliated family members. Starting this spring, institutional scholarships are being awarded to veteran, guard/reserve, ROTC, active-duty and military-related students for their educational pursuits at UTSA.
Targeted programming such as veteran resource fairs, professional development, and wellness workshops have also been carefully honed and well-received. Firmin added that VMA is working hard to streamline federal and state educational benefit processing and putting more of it online to make the procedure easier for UTSA’s military-affiliated students.
VMA is also engaging in original research into a veteran’s sense of belonging that is informing its work on veteran culture and educating others about the student-veteran population. This research will be instrumental to many initiatives, including cross-cultural considerations training that teaches both veterans and UTSA faculty and staff members about the uniqueness of each culture.
According to the City of San Antonio’s Office of Military and Veteran Affairs, approximately 250,000 veterans live in San Antonio. About 16% of UTSA’s total student population—or 5,220 students—are active-duty military members, veterans, reserves/guard, ROTC and their family members.
Military Times selected UTSA as a 2020 Best for Vets university in November for the university’s accomplishments in serving its military-affiliated population.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
Archaeology 101 will introduce campers to archaeology and build on learned skills through experimental activities (like cave painting, weaving, and garbology).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusJoin UTSA Professional and Continuing Education for an inspiring journey into the artistic universe of Dee Clements, where threads intertwine with creativity, sustainability and cultural exploration. This thought-provoking lecture delves into her past work, exploring the intricate threads that connect tradition, innovation and social impact.
Russell Hill Rogers Lecture Hall, Santikos Building, Southwest CampusThis academically rigorous mathematics-based summer enrichment program prepares middle and high school students for advanced studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Participants learn about problem-solving systems, develop greater awareness of STEM careers, strengthen their research and study skills, and participate in special events.
UTSA Main CampusArchaeology 201 will briefly go over the foundations of archaeology and related skills, followed by a different topic over the course of this week (like skeletal analysis, global cultures, and more).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusThis one-week virtual camp introduces students to the world of white-hat hacking and penetration testing — two methods that cybersecurity researchers use to identify security vulnerabilities in an organization’s network.
Online via ZoomArchaeology 101 will introduce campers to archaeology and build on learned skills through experimental activities (like cave painting, weaving, and garbology).
Center for Archaeological Research, UTSA Main CampusThe camp exposes rising high school juniors, rising seniors and incoming college freshman to the many facets of the criminal justice system. Students will have opportunities to learn the functions of police in society, apply scientific theories to criminal investigations by examining a mock crime scene, and visit the Federal and County Courthouses, Bexar County Emergency Management Office and SAPD Public Safety headquarters.
UTSA Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.