UT System Board of Regents approves added investments to support UTSA student success

FEBRUARY 27, 2023 — The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently approved UTSA’s plans to add a new student housing community on the Main Campus. The Board also approved the extension of the university’s services agreement with Austin-based education technology firm Civitas Learning Inc. and the extension of UTSA’s ground lease with the Roadrunner Foundation for roughly an acre of land at the university’s Park West Campus.

All three items will advance UTSA’s vision to become a model for student success, said UTSA President Taylor Eighmy.

“UTSA is committed to creating an environment where every student succeeds,” Eighmy said. “The actions approved by the Regents will enable us keep our growing freshman population close to our student success resources, complete our new facility to support student-athletes and communicate more effectively with our students about their unique academic needs.”

“UTSA is committed to creating an environment where every student succeeds.”  — UTSA President Taylor Eighmy

Currently known as Student Housing Phase IV, this $87 million project will house freshmen and sophomores. This living-learning community will feature 600 beds, including a mix of single and double-occupancy units. It will span 162,500 square feet at the intersection of Barshop Blvd. and Tobin Ave. on the northwest corner of the Main Campus.

The complex will feature a variety of common spaces for study and community-building activities. Students will benefit from the project’s proximity to dining options, existing residence communities and campus resources that enable students to develop personally and professionally. Institutional data shows that freshmen who live on campus consistently have higher retention rates and G.P.A.s than their off-campus peers.

“We are excited that the next phase of student housing will focus on creating residential learning communities centered on strengthening student connections, involvement and peer networking,” said UTSA Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar. “The design and planning for new housing models best practices in university facilities to support student success and retention, particularly for first-year and first-generation students.”

Upon completion of the new community, expected in June 2025, the UTSA Main Campus will have 5,183 beds, putting the university at 95% of its goal to add 5,400 beds on campus by 2025.

Civitas offers real-time insights that inform UTSA’s various student success programs. The new contract, which will run February 28, 2023 to October 28, 2027, means UTSA will continue to benefit from such technology tools as Inspire, a holistic advising support platform; Illume, which helps staff identify students who are at risk of dropping out; and Impact, a data-analysis tool the helps UTSA evaluate the efficacy of its student success programs.

Civitas represents a critical investment in UTSA’s student-success efforts, as its platforms have helped UTSA ensure that its students are prepared for the corporate environment.

“Civitas has served as an integral tool to engage the entire campus in systematic, data-informed practices to collaborate in advancing student success through our ‘hub and spoke’ model,” said UTSA Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy. “We are pleased to continue our trajectory, with the help of the Civitas’ platforms and campus-wide integrated teams, to support successful degree completion for all students, readying our students to enter the workforce well prepared for their bold future.”

The ground-lease extension enables UTSA to advance construction on its Park West Fieldhouse, an $8 million, 14,325-square-foot facility located on Kyle Seale Parkway adjacent to Loop 1604.

The facility will support the health, wellness and performance of the women’s soccer and the men’s and women’s track and field and cross country programs. It is a key component of UTSA Athletics’ master plan to more competitively recruit and retain the nation’s best student-athletes, coaches and staff.

— Tricia Lynn Silva