Distinctions & Programmatic Excellence
Several of UTSA’s programs are serving as national models for furthering the success of Hispanic students and enriching scholarship around Hispanic/Latinx communities.
While these programs serve UTSA’s entire student population, they have proven particularly successful in advancing the success of our Hispanic students.
This program was recognized as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in 2015.
A special scholarship and retention program aimed at helping incoming freshmen effectively transfer from high school to a four-year university. Excelencia in Education named this program as a 2020 Examples of Excelencia finalist.
Designated a “Program to Watch” by Excelencia in Education in 2019, this center provides a slate of programs to make sure first-generation college students are leveraging the many opportunities and resources the university has to offer. Also in 2019, the center earned top honors as a national model for first-gen programming from Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA).
Since 2018, 58% of UTSA students who used the help desk and graduated were Hispanic-identifying students and, of those, 28% graduated within 4 years and 30% graduated within 6 years.
This program seeks to educate Latino graduate students to effectively serve the growing number of Latino students in U.S. public schools and the nation at large.
Recognized as a Bright Spot in Hispanic Education by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics in 2015, this program encourages middle and high school students - many of whom are from underserved populations - for advanced studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
Recognized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board with a 2019 Star Award, this program targets students with a high risk of dropping out and has resulted in a 13% increase in Hispanic student retention (Spring 2018 versus Summer 2020). Excelencia in Education named this program as a 2020 Examples of Excelencia finalist.
This program equips recent college graduates from non-business majors with fundamental business knowledge and focused career coaching. Over the past 5 years, the program has grown by 270%. More importantly, the number of Hispanic students entering the program has grown by 369%.
UTSA Libraries has developed a national reputation for building collections of one-of-a-kind research materials documenting the diverse histories of South Texas, with a particular focus on prominent Latino activists, politicians, authors, organizations and movements, and one of the largest Mexican cookbook collections in the world.
“UTSA is proud to be a Hispanic Serving Institution that is proving a model for other universities as they focus more attention on serving vulnerable student populations.”
– Tammy Wyatt, Vice Provost for Student Success