MinerAlert
MinerAlert
UTEP’s path to becoming a major research university is unique. It is one of the only universities in America that has become a highly productive research university while maintaining its commitment to educate students who historically have been underserved by higher education. UTEP chooses to be judged not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and their success. As a result, it has become a nationally recognized model. A key factor in this transformation is UTEP’s commitment to be a learning organization that has created internal systems for self-study. UTEP will take a national leadership role and facilitate learning to improve higher education for underrepresented students and under-resourced regions nationwide. UTEP will create a Center for the Study of Hispanic-Serving Education to advance research and provide program evaluation.
UTEP will continue to share our work on ensuring access for and success of Hispanic students and others who have been traditionally underrepresented in higher education. We will continue to host national and international researchers and practitioners who are interested in specific aspects of our approach to student success and regional impact. We will also share information about UTEP’s approach through conferences and forums. UTEP will use its resources and connections with other professional organizations to convene special conferences related to administration of minority-serving institutions, success of underrepresented students, and impact on underresourced communities.
UTEP’s efforts to develop new approaches to student success can be replicated and adapted at other institutions. We have been successful in securing grants from a major foundation to build our analytics infrastructure and develop new approaches to student success. And, we received foundation funding to conduct replication studies at other minority-serving institutions, including Texas A&M International and Prairie View A&M, that confirmed the validity of the UTEP model and provided new insights about factors that explain success of underrepresented students. UTEP will continue to secure resources from foundations and other sources to undertake joint studies with more institutions that successfully serve underrepresented students, in order to yield more robust insights for all higher education institutions across the nation.
Practitioners rely on conferences and publications for insights and best practices. However, most publications describe specific cases or academic research that is more difficult to apply in specific contexts. We will work to close this gap in the literature by generating publications that provide actionable insights for practitioners. Building on the legacy of the Texas Western Press, UTEP will reestablish its Universtiy Press as a 21st century, digital-only publisher to develop journals and produce manuscripts focusing on peer-reviewed scholarly work on minority-serving institutions, success of underrepresented students, and the impact of higher education on under-resourced communities.
UTEP has become an informal training ground for administrators and faculty who have expert knowledge about Hispanic-serving institutions, student success, and higher education policy related to access, service, and excellence of public research universities. UTEP has developed training programs through the Provost’s Office, including the Faculty Fellows Program and the Dialogues in Leadership Program, to develop administrators. The Center for Faculty Leadership and Development and UTEP’s Human Resources office also provide online training and development opportunities. UTEP will leverage these efforts to collaborate with experts at other institutions to create a national curriculum and on-site training program for administrators who aspire to work in institutions that serve underrepresented students.
UTEP will take a national leadership role and facilitate learning to improve higher education for underrepresented students and under-resourced regions nationwide. ”