Message from the Provost

The Roadrunner Nation had to pivot quickly and transform how we delivered an academic semester in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our students, faculty, and staff did more than move classes online — they collaborated to create innovative online learning experiences built upon UTSA’s legacy of excellence and bold action. As a result, we reached new heights of success.

Last year was unprecedented for more reasons than the pandemic. UTSA awarded a record 7,415 degrees in the 2020 academic year. University faculty secured many more new grants, including $5 million from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, led by COEHD faculty, to support community partnerships inadvancing racial justice. UTSA was one of 14 U.S. colleges and universities to earn Excelencia in Education’s prestigious Seal of Excelencia. The recognition reflects our faculty’s commitment to delivering high-quality education and, through their research, bridging the space between theory and practice. That work is on full display through COEHD’s partnership on Dual Language Community Lab Schools with the San Antonio Independent School District. The partnership develops and promotes best practices and models dual language instruction that will impact students and education programs across the nation.

Finally, I am thrilled to welcome COEHD’s new dean, Dr. Mario Torres. A President’s Distinguished Professor, Dr. Torres will leverage COEHD’s existing success and find new ways for students, faculty, and staff to be agents of change. He is an accomplished leader and educator who will empower our students and faculty, and help UTSA become the top-tier Hispanic-Thriving public research university that San Antonio deserves.

KIMBERLY ANDREWS ESPY, PH.D. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Peter T. Flawn Distinguished Professor