COS student in a lab

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

  • November–December 2024 - Establish national baselines and best practices

  • January–February 2025 - Inventory current UTSA mentoring and leadership opportunities

  • February–March 2025 - Conduct gap analysis with peers and aspirants

  • 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