Related Links
Graduation, retention, and student success links of interest for students, faculty, and staff. Links are categorized as follows:
- Graduation Related Programs
- Higher Education Data Sources
- Student Success Literature
- UTSA Services & Info for Students
Graduation Related Programs
University of Texas System Graduation Rates Initiative - UT System's effort to improve graduation rates at component institutions. Contains progress reports, campus initiatives, trends and targets, and links to studies related to graduation.
University of New Mexico Graduation Project - Outreach program at UNM seeking to locate stop-out students and re-enroll them to complete their degrees. The Graduation Initiative at UTSA studied this program during our formative phase.
California State University Task Force on Facilitating Graduation Report - Document produced by the CSU System documenting several practices for improving graduation rates.
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Closing the Gaps - Web site associated with the THECB's efforts to close the gaps in higher education. Contains links to the Closing the Gaps plan, institutional targets, progress reports, and other data related to these efforts.
Higher Education Data Sources
College Navigator - Developed by the National Center for Education Statistics, this online tool assists potential college-goers in finding the right college for them by searching relevant college criteria and displaying information in an easy to read and understandable format. Search options in English or Spanish.
IPEDS - The federal Department of Education's Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPDES) main site. From here, you can access reports, news, and various reporting tools that provide access to or information about IPEDS data.
IPEDS FAQ on Graduation Rates - Frequently asked questions about how the Department of Education's IPEDS system collects data for calculating graduation rates at 4-year institutions.
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Higher Education Accountability System - Interactive data system for viewing state-wide and individual institution performance towards the Closing the Gaps goals.
THECB Profile Reports Electronically Produced (PREP) - Interactive reporting system providing data (sourced from CBM reports) on all public institutions of higher education and higher education systems in Texas. Reports cover enrollment, degrees awarded, declared majors, semester credit hours, and contact hours (for 2-year institutions). Excellent system for comparing variables between institutions, systems, or statewide.
University of Texas System Accountability & Performance Report - The 2007-2008 report from UT System detailing performance across various measured areas (including student access, success, outcomes, enrollment, instruction, research, and operations efficiency.
University of Texas System Facts & Trends - The 2008 report from UT System intended as a statistical supplement to the Accountability and Performance Report (see above).
UTSA Office of Institutional Research (OIR) - Source for official data relating to UTSA.
UTSA OIR Fact Book - Excellent, concise collection of facts and information about UTSA.
Student Success Literature
Center for the Study of College Student Retention Reference List - an alphabetic listing (by author) of over 1,400 scholarly references related to college student retention and success.
The Toolbox Revisited - Clifford Adelman's "data essay that follows a nationally representative cohort of students from high school into post secondary education, and asks what aspects of their formal schooling contribute to completing a bachelor's degree by their mid-20s" [from the document's executive summary]. Published by the U.S. Department of Education, February, 2006.
UTSA Services & Info for Students
UTSA offers many services to aid students in achieving success. Some of these services are listed below.
Academic Advising - Several academic advising centers exist at UTSA to assist students in making the best decisions about their academic career.
Career Services - Assists students with developing the skills to pursue their future careers, provides job listings, and hosts employers seeking to hire students.
Counseling Services - Provides a confidential atmosphere for students to discuss personal concerns.
Financial Aid & Enrollment Services - The place to go for information about financial aid, admissions, scholarship, ASAP assistance, and other services.
Fiscal Services - Handles billing for student related charges along with refunds, and deposits.
Health Services - Provides medical care and other health related services for students.
Information Bulletin - Details about university and academic procedures and policies.
Judicial Affairs - Administers matters dealing with student conduct.
Ombudsperson - Assists students who encounter challenges within the campus community.
Parking & Transportation - Provides on-campus parking and transportation services both on- and off-campus.
Scholarship Office - Group within Financial Aid that provides students with resources and information in the search for scholarship funds.
Testing Services - Administers tests for incoming students (placement), current students seeking to obtain course credit or for graduate school admissions.
Tomás Rivera Center for Student Success - Offers various student support programs including Learning Communities, tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, and learning assistance.
Undergraduate Studies - Offers information on the organizational structure of the Office of Undergraduate Studies.
UTSA Bluebook - Online tool to search course subjects for current semester to find instructor, textbooks, course syllabi, and view his/her CV/Vita; to search departments for statistics about faculty, students, class size; to display UTSA fiscal year operating budget.