Snapshots Announcements Spotlight UTSA Athletics

August 2013, Issue 8



Rave Reviews

Registrar’s Office Retreat

On June 28th, the Registrar’s Office held its first ever all Office Retreat. You may not be aware of this, but the Registrar’s Office is spread out over Main campus, downtown campus, and University Heights. The goal of the retreat was to bring everyone together in one space for professional development and some good old fashioned fun. It was a great way to learn more about UTSA, learn more about what our co-workers do in their everyday jobs, and learn more about ourselves.

Photo gallery



Congratulations to Orientation and Family Programs for designing great opportunities for the Class of 2017

SAN ANTONIO - UTSA is putting a new twist on the old college tradition of freshman orientation.

“(It's) a different setting that allows us to provide those same things they would learn in orientation, but outdoors in a smaller group setting," said Jourdaine Kener, with UTSA's Outdoor Pursuits.

It was a pretty attractive way to get to know people and learn about the school for some students, especially since there were only 11 incoming freshman in the group.

For the full article, visit KSAT.



National Association of Campus Activities Student Government Institute at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden Colorado


The Student Government Association officers attended the National Association of Campus Activities Student Government Institute at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden Colorado. They attended sessions on goal setting, leadership development and organizational effectiveness. In addition to attending presentations the UTSA delegation met with student leaders from all over the country to discuss current issues on campus, and strategies and solutions to address those issues. After a grueling 3 day institute the group had the opportunity to participate in some teambuilding in Rocky Mountain National Park, climbing a rough and rocky trail as a group all the way to the summit!



Inclusion and Community Engagement Center – Alternative Break Citizenship School (ABCs) National Parks


Early last week, UTSA students Leslianne Garcia (Graduate Assistant for Volunteer Services) and Courtney Hunter (Vice President for Alternative Spring Break) participated in the Alternative Break Citizenship School (ABCs) National Parks: Preservation by the People, for the People held at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. The ABCs are hosted by Break Away: The Alternative Break Connection. The ABCs are a weeklong intensive training sessions that combine workshops, discussions, service, reflection and speakers with an alternative break experience. Garcia, Hunter, and 38 other participants representing 27 universities and 18 states partnered with the National Park Services Science and Resource Management’s Vegetation and Hazard Tree Program and supplemented over $14,000 of work with the service they provided.

Garcia and Hunter plan the Alternative Spring Break (ASB) program here at UTSA through the volunteer student organization V.O.I.C.E.S. ASB is an experiential service learning experience that empowers and challenges students to understand their relationship with the global community. Past ASB trips have included Atlanta, Oklahoma, Big Bend National Park, New Orleans and Peidras Negras, Mexico. They have returned to UTSA inspired by the dedication of participants and with the enthusiasm to implement many of the concepts they learned. Some of their new initiatives include, adding a winter break trip, adding weekend trips, and increasing overall participation in alternative breaks. Eventually it is a goal to take an international Alternative Spring Break trip in the next 3 years.

If you are interested in learning more about alternative break trips or interested in becoming a faculty/staff advisor please contact Leslianne Garcia at 210.458.7291. Applications for this year’s trip will be available in late September 2013.

This fall, VOICES will celebrate 20 years of service on the UTSA campus. Learn more at the VOICES website.

Learn about volunteer opportunities at the UTSA Volunteer Services website, visit the Volunteer Services office in H-E-B University Center Room 1.216 on the UTSA Main Campus or email volunteer@utsa.edu.



UTSA Career Center conducts “Preparation Station”







On Tuesday, August 6th, members of the University Career Center conducted a “Career Fair Preparation Station” for San Antonio job seekers attending the Hearst Express-News Mega Job Fair at the Norris Conference Center at the Wonderland of the Americas mall.

An estimated 500 San Antonians took advantage of the opportunity to visit with professionals from the Career Center prior to attending the Job Fair to learn more about how to make a great impression at the career event. Five “stations” were set up to assist job seekers in the following important areas of job search preparation and networking:

    •   Professional Dress & Appearance
    •   Resume Writing
    •   Employer Research
    •   Greeting & Elevator Speech
    •   LinkedIn Photo Booth

The event was a huge success and Career Center staff received many very favorable comments and much gratitude from the participants. Hearst Newspapers, the sponsor of the event, has invited the Career Center staff back for future events in an effort to continue to assist community job seekers.




Transformation Fund Awards Seven Projects for 2013

The Student Affairs Development Office is pleased to announce the 2013-2014 funded projects by the Student Affairs Transformation Fund. The Transformation Fund awarding philosophy is to provide support on a one-time basis to innovative programs and services that fill immediate needs and align with the VPSA strategic plan.

The seven selected programs will receive a total of $14,300.00 in funding. Without the generous support of Student Affairs staff who contribute to the Transformation Fund, we would not have been able to provide this record level of support.

Card Swipes for Student Affairs
This initiative includes the purchasing of Card Swipe hardware used to track attendance at university functions. This system will help us connect students to programs and events, track attendance, show progress toward learning outcomes, look at demographics, and send out evaluations.

1st Roadrunner Recovery Program
The new UTSA Student in Recovery Program begins in fall 2013 and will be an outlet for students in recovery. The funds will be used to promote awareness of the risk of alcohol/drug issues on campus and to invite students in recovery to join the program, especially during the UTSA Rowdy Wing Fling event.

Constitution Day
This initiative will promote a more visible programmatic observance of UTSA’s Constitution Day.

My Playbook Drug Education
My Playbook is an online drug and alcohol education tool geared towards collegiate student-athletes to educate them about the consequences related to drug and alcohol use and abuse.

Conference Keynote Speaker
The Student Affairs Staff Development Team will use the funds to provide a diverse, dynamic and motivational keynote speaker for the Student Affairs Conferences.

Spirit and Tradition Brochures
The Spirit and Traditions brochure is designed as a tangible tool to communicate the traditions at UTSA, the values that we hold dear and the spirit of our community. It will allow Student Affairs to make people aware of the history, pride and tradition present for all members of the UTSA community.

Rowdy Cents
UTSA's Financial Literacy program, Rowdy Cents, is a new enterprise that offers face-to-face and electronic presentation-style money management education. Rowdy Cents is designed to educate students on superior money management strategies and skills specific to their current academic classification. For instance, freshmen will learn how to create spending plans, whereas seniors will study and become acquainted with the many types of loan repayment options.

Early Learning Training Program
This project will provide professional development training for 22 Child Development Center full-time staff and 10 student employees of the CDC at the 49th Annual Texas Association for the Education of Young Children (TAEYC) Conference on October 4, 2013.

Thank you to all staff who submitted a proposal and especially to those who contribute to the Transformation Fund. We encourage all departments to take advantage of this opportunity during the next grant cycle and once again, congratulations to our recipients!



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