Undergraduate students encounter barriers to timely graduation, and some of these barriers are inadvertently put before students by institutional or administrative structures, routines, practices and procedures. Such barriers include issues with course scheduling, availability and access, and administrative paperwork and deadlines. While academic advisors are often the most knowledgeable resources about specific degree requirements, they are not always positioned or empowered to recommend changes to ingrained institutional policies and procedures that present roadblocks, nor do they necessarily have the authority to elevate students’ concerns beyond their office or department. The Graduation Help Desk (GHD) addresses these issues by creating a virtual, one-stop resource, with top-level support from institutional leadership, for students who need help resolving roadblocks to timely graduation.

UTSA's Graduation Help Desk is available to all undergraduate students, with a particular focus on students who are closer to completing their degrees (seniors and juniors). As a virtual, one-stop resource, the GHD is able to assist vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations (e.g. online students, transfer students, first-generation students, nontraditional students, etc.). UTSA's Graduation Help Desk is an integral and unique component of the university's student success infrastructure. It serves as resource for students as well as a channel for staff to direct concerns about university policies, procedures, and systems.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program is online only.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 1120

HOW TO ENROLL: All stakeholders have access to this program. As such, there is no enrollment process

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes have been internally collected in the past

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Division of Student Success

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Tammy Wyatt at tammy.wyatt@utsa.edu or 210-458-5717

UT Success Programs (UTSP) are housed in our individual schools and colleges and provide students with a home on campus and a network of support. The University of Texas at Austin has success programs in each of our undergraduate schools and colleges, with the exception of the Jackson School of Geosciences and School of Information. UTSP provide academic, social, and development support to students throughout their first year and in some cases throughout their first two years. Each program provides an academic learning community that includes peer mentoring, group and individualized advising, learning skills training, tutoring, and peer-to-peer teaching. These academically focused success programs are distinct, reflecting the particular environment and pedagogy of their associated colleges and student populations.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 2349

HOW TO ENROLL: Participants are invited to participate in the program. Invitations are based on the eligibility requirements.

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

PRELIMINARY OUTCOMES DATA: Since 2013, the number of students served in a success program each year increased from 870 to over 2,200 – over an 200% increase. Four-year graduation rates for those schools with an active academic success program increased approximately 9.2%. Newer programs who do not yet have 4-year graduation rates, achieved an average first-year retention rate of 96.6%, an average increase of over 1.3% percentage points. Most notable are the improvements in closing the 4-year graduation rates for Students of Color and for Pell-Eligible students. Since 2013 these two populations’ four-year graduation rates have improved by approximately 16% percentage points.

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: School of Undergraduate Studies - Student Success Initiatives

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Kathy Uitvlugt at kathy.uitvlugt@austin.utexas.edu or 5124759675

UT for Me – Powered by Dell Scholars ensures all Longhorns have access to the tools and resources needed for a successful college career. UT for Me is a partnership between the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and UT Austin. Established in January 2020, UT for Me seeks to close the gap in college graduation rates across income levels and raise six-year graduation rates for Pell-eligible students at UT Austin from 73% to 90%. UT for Me provides Pell-eligible Longhorns personalized, multi-faceted support throughout their time at The University of Texas at Austin, helping them stay on track toward their degrees and graduate ready to change the world. To support their success, each UT for Me student receives a laptop, annual textbook credits, and exclusive access to a dedicated advising team. The UT for Me staff is here to support each student’s individual needs and offer connections to university resources and programming. In addition to the benefits and services provided by UT for Me, incoming Pell-eligible freshmen from families with the greatest need become part of Dell Scholars at UT Austin and receive a financial award of up to $20,000.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 4730

HOW TO ENROLL: Program eligibility is based on FAFSA, students must sign a Terms & Conditions to be considered a part of the program

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes are currently being internally collected

PRELIMINARY OUTCOMES DATA: Our first cohort (FTIC entering in fall 2020) achieved a first-year retention rate of 95.1%. We also created the first early leavers campaign at UT Austin to help students who have left return to campus, and will be welcoming 37 students back this fall. We celebrated our first graduates (6 students) in 2021-2022, all of whom graduated at least two years early.

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: KJ Harris at kj.harris@austin.utexas.edu or 512-475-6259

The Undergraduate Success Scholars (USS) program mission is to serve underrepresented minority (URM) students at the University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) with engagement opportunities, academic support, mentorship, and guidance to meet both personal and professional goals. The Undergraduate Success Scholars program aims to increase URM student enrollment, success, and retention.

Through a formalized structure, USS guide students on their pathway to degree completion through its progressive four-year program. Each year provides unique experiences and builds on the next to set milestones for success at UT Dallas. The program pillars: Student success planning, mentorship, leadership development, enrichment workshops provide opportunity for students to receive personalized academic planning for program staff and engage in online goal-setting. The Family Mentorship Initiative provides incoming freshmen a mentor within a family group that receives additional support from an assigned UT Dallas staff, faculty, or community member. The USS program also provides a variety of enrichment opportunities, including monthly workshops, specialized cultural or community building events, and student leaders organize opportunities for participants to engage with other USS members in social, academic, and service activities.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program is in-person only.

PROGRAM SCALE: Medium-scale (reaches between 10 and 25 percent of its target population)

APPROXIMATE PARTICIPANTS SERVED IN 2021-22: 263

HOW TO ENROLL: Student are invited to participated and program enrollment is based on accepting the program invitation

EVALUATION STATUS: Data related to program outcomes have been internally collected in the past

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Office of Undergraduate Education

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Kimberly J Edwards at uss@utdallas.edu or 972-883-3871

The University Leadership Network is a data-driven research-informed strategic program within the departments of Undergraduate Equity and Excellence that utilizes a holistic approach to serving students. Based on the core functions of building community, developing leadership skills, career readiness via experiential learning and financial literacy. ULN sets ambitious goals for its students and helps prepare them for life beyond graduation.

Over the course of four years, students earn incentive-based awards up to $20,000 ($5,000/yr) by completing programmatic milestones like maintaining full-time enrollment status, participating in experiential learning opportunities and leadership/professional development curriculum. Incentive-based awards have two main goals: to provide students with additional financial support to reduce financial need and to provide incentives for academic progress. The University Leadership Network selects 350 to 400 high-achieving students each academic year to participate in the program. Selection is based on FAFSA documentation utilizing the Estimated Family Contribution (EFC).

Analyses of the efficacy of ULN shows that participation in ULN significantly improves retention and graduation rates. These outcomes demonstrate how ULN is an innovative and effective intervention for postsecondary student success. Over the past 9 years, ULN continuously achieved positive outcomes as a result of the intentional programming and personalized support offered by staff members.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program has a hybrid format or has both online and in-person components.

PROGRAM SCALE: Small-scale (reaches fewer than 10 percent of its target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: College of Undergraduate Studies

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: April Barnes at april.barnes@austin.utexas.edu or 512.475.7889

In January 2021, the University of Texas at Arlington launched the eLearning Transformational Model (eLearning TM) program to build the foundation for sustainable and scalable transformation into a dynamic, digitally enhanced and responsive university. UTA’s eLearning TM efforts align to provide exceptional contribution to the Building a Talent Strong Texas plan, specifically in areas of increasing attainment of postsecondary credentials for adult learners and streamlining student academic and career pathways through innovative course and program redesign and enhanced support services that lead to increased credentials of value.

The eLearning TM team utilized a structured, holistic approach to supporting the implementation of a set of six short-term micro-credential (certificate) programs in high-demand employment areas (health informatics, diversity and inclusion in business, logistics engineering, military social work, and learning technologies) designed for adult learners. The 90+ members of the cross-campus eLearning team coordinated to launch these certificate programs and simultaneously identified a need for and launched eight parallel projects to provide robust and high-quality course and faculty development; offer flexible teaching and learning options through modernized technology and facilities; deliver enhanced market analysis to programs for recruitment; harness data for targeted support of learners across instructional modalities to close achievement and equity gaps.

DELIVERY FORMAT: The program is online only.

PROGRAM SCALE: Large-scale (reaches more than 25 percent of its intended target population)

DEPARTMENT(S) OVERSEEING PROGRAM: Provost Office

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO: Amber Smallwood at amber.smallwood@uta.edu or 817-272-5474