In February 2017, the UT System Board of Regents allocated $10 million to fund institutional projects to advance student success. Throughout Spring 2017, the Office of Academic Affairs requested proposals from its eight academic institutions to fund innovative and evidence-driven student success programs and initiatives to help students achieve their educational goals, earn university degrees, and enter the world of work and civil society empowered for a lifetime of success.
Institutions were invited to submit multiple proposals for different projects, whether an institution-specific or one of the Keystone Projects.
The full RFP, including all necessary documents to enable the submission process, can be viewed through the links below.
RFP Materials
RFP Information Session Recording (YouTube)
About the RFP
Funding was awarded to the UT System academic institutions through a competitive process and along two funding tracks: (1) Keystone and (2) Institution-Specific Projects.
Each proposal was asked to make a compelling case for how it was quantum leap-worthy—that is, an innovative project that moves institutional approaches to student success in new directions, takes risks, and/or scales up proven initiatives to make dramatic progress in student outcomes. Additionally, all funded projects were expected to address one or more of the three research-identified pillars that form the foundation of the System's student success framework—Finances, Advising, and Belonging—articulated as commitments to students:
- Finances: The University of Texas System will do everything in its power to ensure that no student drops out of college because of finances.
- Advising: Every UT student will receive the advising needed to follow clear pathways to degree completion and beyond.
- Belonging: Every UT student will feel like they belong in college. No student would be unable to persist or graduate because of a lack of engagement or a sense of not belonging.
Keystone Projects
The Keystone Projects comprise a set of promising and game-changing common projects for which institutions could seek funding.
- Graduation Help Desks - One-stop shops (virtual or brick-and-mortar) that connect students who encounter unexpected barriers on the path to timely graduation with people and/or resources when students have nowhere else to turn.
- Student Success Compacts - Pilot compacts or graduation agreements enabling students to complete their degrees in a more timely fashion.
- Student Engagement Initiatives - Intentional expansion and scaling of high-impact practices aimed at reaching more students.
- Emergency Aid Programs - Allocation of emergency aid in the form of grants and other financial assistance to aid students in times of fiscal emergency.
Note: In collaboration with the eight academic institutions, the UT System Administration developed and funded a system-wide proposal requesting funding be awarded to every academic institution for a Graduation Help Desk. The role of the Graduation Help Desk is to connect students who encounter unexpected barriers on the path to timely graduation with people and/or resources when students have nowhere else to turn.
Institution-Specific Projects
Bold and transformative proposals designed to address specific needs, student populations, and contexts identified through institution-specific data, while also addressing one or more of the three pillars of finances, advising, and belonging.
