The new Student Success Center is dedicated to advising services and is an important gateway for students wherever they are in their academic journey.
OCTOBER 1, 2021 — Editor’s note: This is the final story in a four-part series highlighting the new Academic Success District. Part one introduced the Academic Success District’s key locations and learning hubs; part two unveiled upgraded classrooms; and part three introduced the Outdoor Learning Environments.
The Academic Success District (ASD) is a multi-layered initiative that places student success at the forefront. Initiated by UTSA Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy and Senior Director of Space Management Joshua Gerkin, the initiative advances the university’s strategic goal to become a Hispanic thriving institution and a model for student success by providing upgraded learning environments and more strategically located and streamlined resources for students to thrive at UTSA.
The first component of the ASD initiative was the relocation of several student success resources to centrally-located, ground-level locations on the Main Campus. These spaces include advising offices, mentoring programs, upgraded university classrooms, college-specific academic support centers and other learning hubs. The reorganization of these program and facility locations allows students to have easy access to resources that help them be successful and enhance their overall academic experience. Many of these programs are crucial in supporting first-generation, first-year, and transfer student success at UTSA.
The Academic Success District aligns student success resources near the Sombrilla.
The new Student Success Center is dedicated to advising services.
The Tomás Rivera Center for Academic Excellence is a key hub for tutoring services.
The Mentoring Hub recognizes, encourages and supports first-gen students.
The Collaborative Learning Hub connects students with resources.
Outdoor Learning Environments are versatile spaces with collaborative technology.
Upgraded classrooms across campus integrate learning technologies.
The second aspect of the initiative involved strategic classroom upgrades. In total, 22 classrooms in 11 buildings received a variety of renovations, including updated furniture, lighting, flooring, and digital integrations. These renovations allow faculty and students to use the space to better suit their teaching and learning needs and will help UTSA accommodate new learning styles in the future. The integrations also help UTSA increase digital accessibility and functionality for all students.
The third layer of the initiative is the Outdoor Learning Environments (OLÉ), located outside the Flawn Sciences Building and the Student Union. These flexible and collaborative workspaces provide an opportunity for both students and faculty to meet in an informal setting. Equipped with multiple power outlets, Bluetooth, AirRowdy and modular furniture, Roadrunners can reserve the space to accommodate their needs.
The Academic Success District was a collaborative effort brought about by both Academic Affairs (Academic Innovation, Student Success) and Business Affairs (Space Management, Facilities). These offices took feedback from faculty and students to ensure the initiative provided the most beneficial updates to these student success spaces and learning environments. This input reinforces UTSA’s prioritization of supporting students through their academic journeys and supporting faculty in providing inclusive and equitable learning experiences.
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In partnership with Metro Health, HCAP will host a lecture discussing the life and body of work of Dr. Fernando Guerra, longtime director of the Metropolitan Health District.
Buena Vista Theater, Downtown CampusJoin our team to reflect on the students’ achievements and challenges during the semester and explore techniques, strategies, and tools to address growth mindset, self-reliance, and what it takes to keep students committed and on the path to success
Multidisciplinary Studies (MS 240) and VirtualThis course will introduce you to this popular graduate program, providing a review of UTSA’s Employee Educational Benefit program and MPA info. Free lunch will be provided!
Mesquite Living Lab, Main CampusDía 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 is a party with a purpose! The annual art-focused fundraising celebration provides operating support for UTSA Arts, which is dedicated to community arts education for children and adults, public-facing performances and exhibitions, and arts-based research and partnerships to enhance the accessibility of the arts for the public.
UTSA Southwest, 300 Augusta, San Antonio TX 78205This year’s UEA ceremony will be an in-person event that will take place from 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 25 in the H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106) on the UTSA Main Campus. The ceremony will feature UTSA President Taylor Eighmy, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy, Vice President for Inclusive Excellence Myron Anderson, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar and representatives from Staff and Faculty Senate.
H-E-B Student Union Ballrooms (HSU 1.104/1.106), Main CampusSan Antonio’s treasured Asian Festival returns on Saturday, May 27, 2023, at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Downtown Campus. In observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month the one-day performance, entertainment, and food event will celebrate the diverse Asian diaspora represented in South Texas and San Antonio. Come and enjoy one of San Antonio’s premier family-friendly events, with hands-on activities and opportunities to learn through experience.
UTSA Downtown 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 ending generations of discrimination and inequity. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
