UHV joins national education services network
The University of Houston-Victoria recently joined a national nonprofit network that focuses on offering resources and strategies aimed at accelerating Latino student success.
In addition to the university joining Excelencia in Education, UHV President Bob Glenn has joined the network of Presidents for Latino Student Success. In the future, UHV hopes to earn the Excelencia network’s Seal of Excelencia, a certification that acknowledges institutions that go beyond promoting enrollment and put resources toward serving the needs of students to help them reach graduation.
“UHV is proud to join a network that is very intentional about working toward measurable success for students,” Glenn said. “UHV’s success is built on the success of our students both in earning their degrees and in achieving success outside the university. By joining the Excelencia network, we will have access to resources and tactics that can make a huge difference for our students.”
The Excelencia network was launched in 2004 and is building a network of educators and policymakers who allow universities to share data and strategies that have seen measurable levels of success in helping students reach graduation. This year, about 43 percent of UHV’s students are Hispanic, and the university has been designated a Hispanic-Serving Institution since 2013.
Although the Excelencia network was created to meet the needs of Hispanic students, the strategies and tools that UHV will learn will likely also serve the needs of other underserved students who often face similar obstacles that prevent them from succeeding in college. For example, many Hispanic students come from homes where the parents do not have college degrees and do not have the resources to help pay for their children to go to college, said Karla DeCuir, UHV interim vice president for enrollment management. However, being part of a national network could help UHV find solutions that will either remove obstacles or help students navigate difficult situations to achieve success in spite of those circumstances.
“Hispanic students are just one group of many that have historically faced obstacles and difficulties when it comes to attending college and getting their degrees,” DeCuir said. “Serving the needs of our students means a lot to us as an institution, and joining this network will enable us to do that.”
In order to join Excelencia in Education, the network requires that the joining institution’s leadership be committed to developing initiatives and systems to support the needs of students. UHV has offered a variety of programs to assist students who need support preparing for college, such as the Summer Bridge programs and the tutoring services available in the Student Success Center. UHV also has made earning the network’s Seal of Excelencia one of its strategic goals in the university’s five-year plan.
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.