Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans:
Accelerating Access and Opportunity in West Texas
As an institution that serves nearly 1,200 miles of the economically depressed Texas- Mexico border, SRSU is dedicated to understanding and responding to the specific needs of Hispanic students and low-income students who face tremendous political, fiscal, and geographic barriers. This grant will achieve the primary goal of expanding postbaccalaureate education opportunities for, and improving the academic attainment of, Hispanic students expanding the postbaccalaureate academic offerings, and enhancing the program quality at SRSU, where large numbers of Hispanic and low-income students complete postsecondary degrees. The following goals and objectives will help overcome these challenges and support student success.
Goal 1: Expand postbaccalaureate educational opportunities and better align graduate programs to student expectations and market opportunities
Goal 2: Enhance program quality to support student success and increase the effectiveness of online instruction and improve the overall experience for online students
Objective 1: Increase the number of graduate students enrolled from a baseline of 429 to 515 by Sept. 2027 (Goal 1)
Objective 2: Increase the number of postbaccalaureate degrees and certificates awarded annually from a baseline of 195 to 234 by Sept. 2027 (Goal 1)
Objective 3: Increase the retention rate for graduate students from a baseline of 57.4% to 67% by Sept. 2027 (Goal 2)
Objective 4: At least 10 faculty will achieve certification in teaching online or become certified peer reviewers from a reputable professional development organization by Sept. 2027 (Goal 2)
Objective 5: At least 85% of faculty who teach online courses will complete professional development in online course quality assurance by Sept. 2027 (Goal 2)
Objective 6: At least 80% of faculty who teach graduate courses will complete professional development for customer service and student retention (Goal 2)