PPoHA Grant to bring increased support for graduate student success

SAN ANTONIO —Texas A&M University-San Antonio (A&M-SA) has been chosen as one of 10 institutions of higher education to receive funds from the Department of Education’s Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (PPoHA) Program. Over the course of five years, this grant will provide the University with $3 million dedicated towards Proyecto Éxito (Project Success), a specialized project to enhance resources and support services for graduate students.

“A&M-SA was awarded the Proyecto Éxito (Project Success) grant by the U.S. Department of Education to enhance graduate education through the development of three activities that will create a graduate student success center, provide supportive services, redesign curriculum, and assist students in decreasing their time and cost while earning a master’s degree,” said A&M-SA's Vice Provost for Research and Health Sciences, Dr. Vijay Golla. “I am very excited by this opportunity as the development of this project results from the university’s commitment to meeting the needs of its students and to making a positive impact on the local community.”

The PPoHA Program began its funding awards in 2009 with an initial cohort of 22 institutions, including two Texas A&M University System campuses. Of the 10 institutions chosen for the 2022 cohort, A&M-SA was the only system campus chosen, and one of only two San Antonio area universities listed. The goals of Proyecto Éxito will be approached through three core projects: development of the El Centro Para El Exito de los Estudiantes Graduados (The Center for Graduate Student Success), Desarrollo Professional y Diseño Curricular (Professional Development and Curriculum Design), and Reducciòn del tiempo y el costo de Finalizaciòn (Reducing time and cost to completion) efforts.

"Proyecto Éxito is how A&M-SA will build support for our graduate students to ensure a barrier-free graduate school experience. It is so exciting to be a part of establishing a positive graduate culture for our students and the surrounding community,” stated Dr. Theresa Garfield, interim director of graduate studies and professor of special education. “We want to transform graduate education so that when individuals think about pursing an advanced degree, they think about us first.”

Proyecto Éxito is motivated by five ambitious objectives, ideally completed by the Fall 2027 semester. With the goal of being more in line with undergraduate Hispanic student enrollment, A&M-SA graduate programs hope to increase Hispanic student enrollment by 4%. Supported by The Center for Graduate Student Success, A&M-SA strives to increase the Hispanic graduate student retention rate by 6.36%. Through efforts to reduce time to completion, the two-year graduation rate for Hispanic master’s students is projected to improve by 10%. Additionally, the average time to completion for Hispanic master’s degree students is estimated to improve by .20 years. Finally, through curriculum improvement efforts, it is outlined that 50% of graduate level courses will be redesigned with a more dynamic approach to career relevance and to include a culturally-responsive perspective.

"This 3 million dollar grant will provide opportunities for our graduate students to continue to succeed, making meaningful contributions to our global community by mitigating anything that may prevent them from achieving their dreams,” Dr. Garfield continues, “many of our students were first generation college students as undergraduates and are now first generation graduate college students. We are developing supports that mirror the absolute best practices for undergraduate students while integrating critical evidence-based practices for graduate students.” 

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About Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Established as a stand-alone university in 2009, Texas A&M University-San Antonio is a comprehensive four-year public university that reflects the culturally diverse, heritage-rich community it serves. Situated on nearly 700 acres in South San Antonio, the University offers 37 undergraduate degrees and 19 graduate degrees to more than 7,300 students. A&M-San Antonio is home to the Henry G. Cisneros Institute for Emerging Leaders and the Cyber Engineering Technology/Cyber Security Research Center. The University holds the Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) designation and is one of only 30 higher education institutions in the U.S. to have received the Seal of Excelencia certification from Excelencia in Education for its support of Latino student success. More than 77 percent of A&M-SA students identify as Hispanic, and approximately 60 percent are the first in their family to attend college. A&M-San Antonio is a military-embracing institution; in 2020, Military Times ranked the University No. 35 in the nation for “Best for Vets: Colleges.” Visit tamusa.edu for more information. #onamission