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GOAL 1

TEACHING, LEARNING AND THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

INITIATIVE 3

Transform the student experience through increased engagement that fosters success from the first day on campus through graduation and job placement.

INITIATIVE 3

Unique to UTEP is our culture-of-care approach to ensure student success (the UTEP Edge), and we have developed innovative programs to support students from their first day on campus through graduation and job placement. We will scale engaged learning that enriches the student experience and has been shown to increase student persistence.

We will expand innovative transition programming for first-time and transfer students. We will leverage our successful programs – including Student Orientation, Developmental Education, UNIV 1301 and UTEP Prep – to meet our students where they are, identify their individual strengths and assets, and position them in the best way possible to succeed at UTEP. We will reduce barriers to transfer student success by systematically aligning curricula and supporting the applicability of transfer credits to ensure successful completion of a UTEP degree.

We will build on our integrated and holistic advising model that extends beyond traditional academic advising and addresses other factors that impact student success. UTEP’s metrics-based proactive and individualized advising framework has been proven to increase success outcomes including retention and persistence.

We will work with employers and community partners to increase internships, co-ops, and employer-sponsored professional development programs so that students graduate with significant meaningful work experience and industry-specific skills training that enhance their job readiness. 

We will further embed professional development education in the curriculum and expand co-curricular professional development programs. We will develop high-value stackable credentials, continuing education and certification programs in areas of high demand or those for which we are uniquely qualified, such as Spanish-language certifications for professionals.

We will expand experiential and applied-learning opportunities at the undergraduate level, including research, scholarship, and creative activities, to prepare students to work in a complex world and facilitate their transition to graduate education. We will refine transition points into master’s degree programs to facilitate professional growth, and we will expand programs that bridge undergraduate and graduate curricula to facilitate access to graduate enrollment, graduate research, and efficient degree completion, enhancing our already successful professional preparation programs.

We will leverage technology to meet students where they are. We will build out our infrastructure to assist with online advising, blended learning experiences, flexible coursework delivery, and virtual support systems to help students stay on track to timely degree completion.