Initiative Overview
As workforce demands evolve, UT San Antonio is committed to offering flexible, high-impact learning opportunities that meet learners where they are. The Expanding Credentials Initiative will explore new pathways to broaden the university’s noncredit, credit for prior learning, and stackable credential offerings — aligning them with workforce needs, market opportunities and the university’s strategic destinations. This university-wide effort will position UT San Antonio to better serve adult learners, strengthen industry partnerships and enhance student success and career outcomes.
Charge
The task force will identify opportunities to expand UT San Antonio's noncredit, credit for prior learning, and stackable credentials that are aligned with workforce and market needs and the university’s strategic destinations. It will assess existing infrastructure, instructional capacity, and approval processes and will develop an understanding of current local offerings and the landscape of market competitors. Based on this work, the task force will make recommendations to the provost to support scalable, high-impact credential development.
Goals
The task force recommendation will:
- Determine ways to expand access for adult learners through flexible, workforce-aligned credentials.
- Explore opportunities to strengthen partnerships with industry to ensure programs meet evolving market needs.
- Identify strategies to connect credential offerings to student success outcomes and career advancement.
- Assess best practices, tools, and technologies that support scalable, high-impact credential development.
- Conduct a baseline inventory of credentials and evaluate their alignment with current curriculum, workforce readiness needs, best practices from other institutions, and the existing tools, software, and vendor landscape.
Timeline
The task force will commence in October 2025 and take a phased approach to its work. Phase 1 will focus on short-term (8–15 weeks) credentials and present recommendations to the provost in December 2025.
Task Force Members
| Tammy Wyatt Senior Vice Provost for Student Success Co-chair |
| Mario Torres Dean, College of Education and Human Development Co-chair |
| Hector Aguilar Associate Dean, College of Sciences and Honors College |
| Miltos Alamaniotis Associate Professor, Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design and Faculty Advisory Council Representative |
| Mark Appleford Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies, Student Success |
| Claudia Arcolin Executive Director, Teaching & Learning Experiences, Academic Innovation |
| David Beheshti Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Representative, Alvarez College of Business |
| Ankita Das Student, Public Health, Deputy Senate Speaker, SGA |
| Alonzo Flowers Professor and Department Chairs Council Representative, College of Education and Human Development |
| Jill Ford Assistant Dean and Director of Student Success, Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design |
| Brandy Garcia Senior Director of Admissions Operations, Strategic Enrollment |
| Matt Keneson Associate Registrar, Strategic Enrollment |
| Melissa Mahan Associate Vice Provost, Professional and Continuing Education, Academic Innovation |
| Brian Rendell Senior Director of Academic Credentialing, University College |
| Gabriela Romero Uribe Associate Professor and Graduate Faculty Council Representative, Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design |
| Michael Rushforth Assistant Dean for Experiential Learning Initiatives and Professor of Instruction, College of Liberal and Fine Arts |
| Eric Silva Digital Transformation Architect, Academic Innovation |
| Barbara Smith Executive Director, Transfer and Transition Services, Student Success |
| Heather Staples Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies, Director of Accreditation, Professor of Practice, Alvarez College of Business |
| Rob Tillyer Professor and Associate Dean of Student Success, College for Health, Community and Policy |
| Heather Trepal Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and Dean, Graduate School |
| Mario Vela Assistant Vice Provost and Executive Director of the University Career Center, Student Success |
| Russell Wagner (interim) Assistant Vice President of Alumni Engagement, Office of Advancement and Alumni Engagement |
| Timothy Yuen Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies and Professor, College of AI, Cyber and Computing |
| Scott Ziegenhorn Global Relations Advisor, Global Initiatives |
Resource Members
| Sondra Cooper Assistant Director of Strategic Initiatives, Operations and Initiatives, Academic Affairs |
| KC Gonzalez Director, Academic Strategic Communications, Academic Affairs |
| Kelsey Mattingly Institutional Research Analyst II, Office of Institutional Research and Analysis, Academic Affairs |
| Kathy Paradise Assistant Vice Provost, Assessment and Planning, Strategic Planning and Assessment, Academic Affairs |
