
Overview
Understanding that mentorship and leadership are integral to our students’ personal, academic, and professional growth, we are dedicated to expanding UTSA’s peer mentoring and leadership opportunities. These initiatives will empower students to share their experiences, build meaningful connections, and cultivate the skills necessary to excel in an evolving academic landscape.
Our commitment includes fostering an inclusive environment where every UTSA student feels supported, recognized and ready to meet their goals. With peer mentors who offer guidance on everything from adjusting to university life to finding campus resources and navigating academic challenges, students will benefit from a support system that complements classroom learning with real-world advice and a sense of belonging. By expanding our mentorship and leadership programs, we aim to create a community where students can lead with confidence, navigate transitions and contribute actively to a vibrant, engaged campus community.
Charge
The Peer Mentoring and Leadership task force will identify national best practices and baselines and assess existing UTSA programs, services, and initiatives that promote leadership and peer mentorship to undergraduate and graduate students. The Task Force will provide recommendations to the Provost on improving UTSA’s offerings and aligning them with Carnegie’s Leadership for Public Purpose criteria.
Goals
The task force recommendation will:
- Provide an inventory of existing programs and assessment of factors including needs, expectations, accessibility and modality
- Identify opportunities for expansion, improvement and alignment, and propose plans that provide a continuum of mentoring and leadership development from enrollment through graduation
- Recommend a design for piloting these programs, including an implementation timeline and scalability plan
- Propose institutional metrics and identify possible platforms/dashboards for measuring and tracking success.
Timeline
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November–December 2024 - Establish national baselines and best practices
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January–February 2025 - Inventory current UTSA mentoring and leadership opportunities
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February–March 2025 - Conduct gap analysis with peers and aspirants
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April–May 2025 – Deliver recommendations and plan for updated, sustained repository and tracking mechanism
Task Force Members
Jill Fleuriet Vice Provost for Honors Education Co-chair |
Tammy Wyatt Senior Vice Provost for Student Success Co-chair |
Gina Amatangelo Professor of Practice, Public Administration/Honors College |
Amy Buechler-Steubing Associate Vice Provost, Strategic Initiatives & Learning Innovation, Student Success |
Saugata Datta Department Chair and Professor, College of Sciences |
Sara De Turk Professor, College of Liberal and Fine Arts |
Maggie Floyd Senior Director for Student Development, Leadership, Belonging and Academic Support Programs, Student Success |
Herb Ganey Executive Director, Student Union |
Sara Gothelf Assistant Director for Alumni Engagement, Alvarez College of Business |
Teja Guda Associate Dean, Graduate School |
Kim Kline Professor, College of Liberal and Fine Arts Faculty Senate Representative |
Vivian Lockard (Guilfoyle) Bold Scholars Program Coordinator, Student Success |
Carlos Lopez, Sr. Lopez Scholars Program Coordinator, Student Success |
Cassandra Lopez Assistant Director, College of Education and Human Development Student Success Center |
Karime Lozano Peer Mentor, First Year Experience |
Melissa Mahan Associate Vice Provost, Academic Innovation |
Clarissa Martinez Director, College of Liberal and Fine Arts Student Success Center |
Christina Morales Peer Coach, Honors College |
Bryana Nunez, Sr. Career Consultant, University Career Center |
Araceli Ortiz Professor and Director of Engineering Education Graduate Programs, Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design |
Brian Rendell Senior Director, University College |
Mariela Rodriguez Professor, College of Education and Human Development |
Rebecca Schroeder Associate Dean, University College |
Lauren Smith Assistant Director, Academic Innovation/Online |
Johnelle Sparks Senior Associate Dean, College for Health, Community and Policy |
Vanessa Stich Peer Mentor, First Year Experience |
Michael Thomas Advisor, Student Success |
Eric Uriegas Program Manager, College of Liberal and Fine Arts Staff Senate Representative |
Alyssa Vikesland Associate Professor of Instruction, University College/AIS |
Aydan Villarreal SGA President SGA Representative |
Rhonda Waller Assistant Vice Provost, Global Initiatives |
Resource Members
Rebecca Luther Senior Director, Academic Strategic Communications |