Higher Education Administration Student Professional Association

President Bill Powers requested the assistance of the Liberal Arts Dean and others to compile a report on UT graduation rates. This report recommends ways to increase 4-year graduation here on the 40 acres to 70%. Dr. Powers wrote:

Few actions we could take as a university would benefit students, parents, and the University itself as much as increasing our four-year graduation rate. Timely graduation means a more affordable education for students and their families and would give more students access to a University of Texas education. Although our four-year graduation rate of 50 percent is the highest of any public university in Texas, we must aspire to more. It is no coincidence that the most prestigious universities also have the highest graduation rates, and if we want to become the best public university in America, we must target this issue.

In total, the task force made more than 60 recommendations. Among them:

-Requiring orientation for all incoming first-year students

-Creating an online tool to better allow students and advisors to monitor progress to a degree

-Developing more intervention programs to identify and assist students in academic jeopardy

-Identifying “bottleneck” courses where limited seats can create challenges for students pursuing a required path to graduation

-Helping students commit to a major and avoid adding a second major if requirements cannot be met within four years

-Creating flat-rate summer tuition to encourage students to take a full academic load

-Increasing tuition for students who have not graduated despite earning more than the required number of credits

Some of these, such as mandatory freshman orientation, will be implemented immediately. Others will need additional input from faculty and staff.

Raising our graduation rates by 20 points in half a decade is an audacious goal. It will require the focused effort of both administrators and students to make it happen. But I’m convinced the benefits will repay the effort many times over.

This report brings to light the highly discussed “completion agenda” and indicates that it will be an influencing factor on university for years to come.

To read the report, you can go to http://www.utexas.edu/graduation-rates

The Fall semester is upon us, and that means it is time for new student orientation! Orientation will be on August 20th in the George Sanchez Education Building (click here for a campus map). This orientation will be for both incoming Masters and Doctorate students, and it will cover a range of topics including the departmental degree plan, course availability, and an introduction with the HEASPA co-chairs and committee chairs. The tentative schedule is:

Saturday, August 20th
8:30 Optional Campus Tour, SZB Entrance
9:00 Arrival & Check In, SZB 364
9:30 Welcome to EDA, Deans Conference Room
10:00 Academic Requirements
10:30 Life Outside the Classroom
11:00 HEASPA Session
11:30 Question & Answer
12:00 Lunch, SZB 364

For incoming Masters students, if you would like to get better acquainted with the program, feel free to peruse the CUSPA handbook found here. For Doctoral students, a Doctoral handbook is currently being completed, so please contact the EDA office for more information.

Please be mindful that Saturday will also be move-in day for students living in the residence halls, so there will be heavy traffic in and around the university.
For any questions concerning new student orientation, please contact texasheaspa@gmail.com.

All graduate students will be able to register on Monday, October 25th starting at 8AM. Take a look at the Master’s Student Handbook for more details.

Here are a few reminders about registration:

• Advising Bar – Each student has an advising bar on their file that restricts them from registration.  To remove the bar, contact your faculty advisor and let them know what you plan to take in the Spring.  The faculty advisor will let Hortensia know that you have spoken, and she will remove your advising bar.
• Registration Information Sheet - Check this website to see if you have any other non-financial or financial bars.  This sheet also lists your GPA
• Course Schedule - Check for core classes under “EDA”.  Common departments for electives include Educational Psychology (EDP), LBJ School of Public Affairs (PA), Social Work (SW), Women’s & Gender Studies (WGS), African & African American Studies (AFR), Asian American Studies (AAS), Communication Studies (CMS), Mexican American Studies (MAS), Religious Studies (RS). Remember, out-of-department electives must be on a graduate level, and other electives can be on a graduate or upper-division undergraduate level.
• Internships/Independent Study - If you plan on completing an internship or independent study next spring, be sure to fill out the “Consent of Instructor for Course Registration”.  For internships, Dr. Marilyn Kameen (in SZB 210) will review your consent form and internship contract.  For independent study, the faculty member that will supervise your research needs to sign the consent form and look over  your independent study guidelines.  Both documents (consent form and contract) need to be turned into Hortensia in SZB 310 before you will be able to register for the course.

End of the Semester Links:

• Final Exam Schedule – if your class offers a final exam during finals time, this is the site where you can look up the date, time and location.
• Grade Report - where grades are posted at the end of the semester
• Tuition for Next Semester – due by Jan 21, 2010.  Tuition Bill will be ready online in December

Happy Registering!