MAY 17, 2023 — The National Science Foundation (NSF) is hosting back-to-back events at the UTSA Downtown Campus that will highlight the impact and reach of Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs).
As a Tier One research university and an HSI, UTSA will serve as the official sponsor for the upcoming NSF HSI Grantee Conference on May 22-24. This annual meeting brings together principal and co-principal investigators from HSIs, who oversee projects, grants and training.
The conference will highlight presentations from HSI program officers and other NSF personnel. The event will also feature workshops and presentations on best practices for serving students at HSIs, and on scholarship opportunities available to the students.
The Texas Hispanic-Serving Institutions Consortium (TxHSIC) is co-sponsoring the conference, which is expected to draw 300 participants from across the country who are looking to improve their services offered to students.
“Through education and sharing experiences, this event helps ensure those entrusted with grants from the NSF are successful in allocating the funds to achieve their goals in serving the Hispanic populations in HSI higher ed institutions,” said Sandra Garcia, assistant vice president of the UTSA Office of Sponsored Project Administration. “It really helps everyone improve their work.”
Following the NSF HSI Grantee Conference, the TxHSIC will present its 2023 annual conference on May 24-26, also at the UTSA Downtown Campus. Participants will share information about HSI trends, best practices for student success, and federal, state and regional funding and resources for students, faculty and staff at Texas HSIs.
The conference will include keynote speakers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the National Science Foundation, which is funding the event.
Garcia is leading the conference, themed “Building capacity to close equity gaps at Texas HSIs,” which she said is expected to attract 150 or more participants from across the state.
The conference is open to all faculty and staff at Texas HSIs, Emerging HSIs and other allies of Texas HSIs. The registration fee is $300.
UTSA is one of just 21 HSIs with the prestigious Tier One designation, which positions the institution at the forefront of research and innovation and enables it to further drive economic opportunities and social mobility throughout the region. It is also the recipient of the Seal of Excelencia.
Garcia said the upcoming events illustrate UTSA’s critical role as a leading HSI, a federal designation the university has had since 1994. The designation, given to institutions whose full-time undergraduate enrollment is at least 25% Hispanic, enables colleges and universities to compete for grant programs set aside for HSIs.
At UTSA, 57% of undergraduate students identify as Latino or Hispanic. Since its founding in 1969, the university has served as an essential educational resource for the region’s predominantly Mexican American population, helping generations realize their hopes and dreams.
“UTSA is proud to serve the San Antonio community as an HSI and we’re thrilled that we can help bring these special events to the community,” Garcia said.
The TxHSIC was founded in 2005 by several Texas higher education institutions, and it has a membership that includes two- and four-year public and private colleges and universities. The consortium focuses on strengthening STEM pathways and providing scholarships to students at Texas HSIs.
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Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The 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.
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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.
