(Jan. 19, 2018) -- In an email sent today to UTSA faculty and staff, President Taylor Eighmy announced two new initiatives to advance UTSA as San Antonio’s university of the future. Additionally, Eighmy provided updates on the presidential, strategic, tactical and operational initiatives underway to support the university’s strategic vision.
New Initiatives Announced
The National Security Collaboration Center and SACSCOC Reaccreditation initiatives have officially been added to UTSA’s strategic planning portfolio. Though both projects have been in the works for several months, they are now included within the management and tracking structure established under the President’s Office strategic initiatives team, led by Can Saygin and Elvira Jacquez. Learn more about both initiatives below.
Representatives from EAB visited campus Jan. 9–10 to meet with individuals involved in the many student success initiatives currently underway, and to identify opportunities for accelerating progress and making our efforts efficient and sustainable. The Student Success Task Force will begin working on creating a clear definition of student success and a communication plan to encourage a culture of student success. Later this month, EAB will share recommendations regarding a formal infrastructure to track and monitor success, and identify areas of opportunity to utilize best practices.
Strategic Enrollment Task Force
The Strategic Enrollment Planning Task Force is currently creating five situational analysis documents examining finances/financial aid, undergraduate academic programs, graduate academic programs, student success and recruitment/marketing. The analysis documents will be complete by the end of January and reviewed by the entire task force in meetings with Ruffalo Noel-Levitz January 24-25. Additionally, Ruffalo Noel-Levitz is currently developing a market demand analysis for academic programs, which will be available in the coming months. Chair Lisa Blazer is engaged in conversations with city leaders from San Antonio Works, Project Quest, Bexar County Economic Development and the San Antonio Economic Development Department to discuss the city’s workforce needs and how they dovetail with UTSA’s future strategic enrollment efforts.
Finance and Budget Modeling Task Force
After completing their financial diagnostic, representatives from Huron Consulting presented their findings to the Senior Leadership Team and deans on December 5, and to task force members on January 17. In February, they will share the findings with the Department Chairs Council. Collaborating with the university’s Budget and Financial Planning office, Huron has begun phase II work to assist UTSA in reviewing and making decisions on a new budget model. A steering committee is in place to assist Huron for this next phase, consisting of selected members from the broader task force. Additionally, a budget training for UTSA leadership is in development and will cover best practices, important terminology, and various aspects of budget analysis and development. The training will be available starting next month.
SACSCOC 2020 – Racing to Reaccreditation
UTSA will undergo a Reaffirmation of Accreditation review from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) in 2019-2020. This initiative builds on the work of a team of about 40 individuals from across the university, assembled in July of 2017, to drive our Race to Reaccreditation 2020. In order to assess readiness for our review, the team completed a status check last summer. During the spring and summer, they will be addressing any gaps or improvements needed to ensure compliance with the 2018 Principles of Accreditation.
National Security Collaboration Center
This initiative will establish a National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC) at UTSA to advance research, education, and workforce development in the areas of cybersecurity, data analytics and cloud computing. Next week, President Eighmy and Interim Vice President for Research Bernard Arulanandam will visit Washington D.C. to rally industry support for the NCSS. Coming up are several meetings between UTSA leadership and industry executives to build public-private partnerships and expand UTSA's research and workforce development efforts in cybersecurity. These meetings will take place with Northrup Grumman Corporation, ManTech, BAE Systems, DeLoitte and IBM, among others.
Dreamers Center
On Monday, January 22, the Dreamers Center will open to provide support to the university’s DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients and other undocumented students. Originally scheduled to open in early February, President Eighmy made the decision to accelerate the center’s launch in order to fast-track service delivery. The university is currently searching for a permanent, full-time Dreamers Center Program Manager to coordinate services, programming and community partnerships. Until that position is filled, Courtney Balderas-Jacob, assistant director for international student services, will serve as the center’s interim program manager. The center will be located within the Student Center for Community Engagement and Inclusion (UTSA Student Union 2.01.04).
Sexual Violence Prevention and Support
Funding support has been secured for a new Department of Title IX Services. The department will report to Institutional Compliance and Risk Services, and will be located on the 5th floor of the North Paseo Building. The Title IX Services department will be staffed by two positions: a Director and Prevention Coordinator, and a Confidential Advocate. The new department is on schedule for a February 1 launch.
Behavior Intervention Team
The Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) was founded in 2011 by a group of volunteers from across campus. The goal of this group is to thwart violent acts and address concerning behaviors among individuals on campus. A new Behavioral Intervention Specialist position has been created to develop, plan, coordinate and administer the work of the BIT Team, and will report to Lieutenant Tom Calucci in the UTSA Police Department. The addition of the Specialist position will allow for better data sharing among BIT members, and enhanced collaborations with partners such as the Healthy Minds Committee.
Learn more about the UTSA strategic plan.
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The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusJoin the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event is to achnowlege the graduating seniors and induct the new cohart of scholars to our program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140,) Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
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