The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) has given The University of Texas at San Antonio the 2025 Excellence in Student Success Award in recognition of the university’s comprehensive, data-driven approach to advancing student achievement.
“This award affirms UT San Antonio’s position as a national model for student success and reflects a decade of intentional work to develop an environment that creates opportunities and fosters avenues of support to ensure our students thrive both in the classroom and in the professional workforce,” said UT San Antonio President Taylor Eighmy.
“I am immensely grateful for and proud of the work of my colleagues in our Academic Affairs and Student Success teams for their leadership in driving us to this critical milestone in our journey toward becoming a world-class university that provides students access and excellence at every waypoint of their academic journeys.”
APLU made the announcement Tuesday at its Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, where UT San Antonio was selected from a distinguished group of finalists including the University of California-Merced, University of Illinois Chicago, Northern Illinois University and The University of Tennessee-Knoxville.
“Congratulations to The University of Texas at San Antonio on winning the inaugural Excellence in Student Success Award,” said APLU President Waded Cruzado. “Public and land-grant universities provide the most accessible path to a life-changing college education, and we’re delighted to recognize UT San Antonio’s efforts to advance student success, help students graduate in a timely manner, and support a skilled workforce. UT San Antonio’s approaches to boosting student success serves as a model for other public research universities across the country.”
UT San Antonio was recognized for its integrated “hub-and-spoke” framework that connects academic innovation, student success services, career readiness and institutional research in support of every learner, according to APLU.
The organization highlighted the university’s use of predictive analytics, proactive advising and experiential learning as key drivers behind its dramatic increases in retention and graduation rates.
APLU also praised UT San Antonio’s commitment to continuous improvement through collaborative leadership structures such as the “RUBY Team,” which seeks to ensure that every student success initiative is informed by real-time data and scaled across the institution.
“This recognition reflects the remarkable dedication of our faculty and staff, who put our students at the center of everything we do,” said Heather Shipley, provost and senior executive vice president for academic affairs.
“At UT San Antonio, student success is woven into the fabric of our university,” Shipley added. “Through data-driven innovation, collaboration and care, we’ve built an ecosystem where every Roadrunner has the tools and opportunities to thrive academically, personally and professionally. I’m especially grateful for Senior Vice Provost Tammy Wyatt and the Student Success team, whose leadership drives this work forward.”
Prioritizing student success
At the heart of the university’s progress in student success is a collaborative, data-informed ecosystem that integrates academic innovation, financial access and career readiness. The framework has led to significant improvements over the last decade, including a 25% increase in first-year retention and a 94% rise in four-year graduation.
One program making a significant impact is the Roadrunner Success Hub.
Formerly known as the Graduation Help Desk, this initiative was launched in 2017 to help students overcome barriers to timely graduation. Using the predictive analytics platform Civitas Learning, the Roadrunner Success Hub team identifies early warning signs and proactively reaches out to students before small issues become major obstacles.
The platform also enables data-driven collaboration among advisors, faculty and support staff, helping the university tailor intervention strategies for different student populations and scale what works. Since it began, the Roadrunner Success Hub has supported more than 6,000 students — saving almost $5 million in tuition and fees — and driven over 340 policy and process improvements across the university.
The university’s hub-and-spoke student success framework further strengthens this ecosystem by creating a seamless and coordinated support structure for students.
At the center, or “hub,” of the model is the university’s division of Student Success, which provides academic advising, tutoring, peer mentoring and coaching, career resources and other academic support services for all students. The college-based student success centers function as “spokes,” offering support that aligns with students’ majors and career goals.
The framework is united by five shared goals:
- Career-Engaged Learning: Connecting students with experiential learning, internships and professional development
- Academic Support: Ensuring students receive the support they need to succeed in their classes
- Belonging and Well-being: Creating spaces and programs that foster community, mentorship and personal growth
- Digital Fluency: Equipping students with essential technological skills
- Training and Professional Development: Enhancing customer service and the student experience through faculty and staff workshops and learning experiences
Representatives from hub-and-spoke units meet monthly to discuss initiatives, raise awareness of programs and services, share best practices, and look for opportunities to partner.
“Our Hub-and-Spoke Student Success Framework exemplifies the power of collaboration,” Wyatt said. “By aligning our advising, coaching and academic support systems, we’re able to anticipate challenges, respond to data in real time and provide consistent, high-quality care across the university.”
Another key driver behind the university’s progress is the RUBY Team, a cross-divisional leadership group convened by Shipley that represents Student Success, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Academic Innovation, Institutional Research, Faculty Success and Student Affairs.
The RUBY Team meets regularly to review data, share insights and coordinate actions, ensuring every strategy is informed by evidence and scaled effectively.
“Our data ecosystem allows us to move from being reactive to proactive,” said Steve Wilkerson, senior vice provost for strategic analytics and integrated systems. “We can identify trends early, reach students before small issues become big ones, and make informed decisions that remove barriers to completion.”
Wilkerson and his Institutional Research team have been critical partners in university-wide student success initiatives, building a wide range of data dashboards and reports that individuals across the institution use regularly to track patterns in student enrollment, retention, graduation and many other areas.
‘Culture of innovation’
The collective results of these initiatives are visible across every stage of the Roadrunner journey. The university’s coordinated hub-and-spoke model, combined with real-time analytics and proactive support, has produced measurable gains for students over the last decade:
- Retention: First-year retention is up 25%; second-year is up 33%; third-year is up 27%.
- Graduation: Four-year graduation rates have increased to 94%; six-year rates are up 71%.
- Degrees awarded: The number of undergraduate degrees awarded annually is up by 30%.
- Affordability: Average student loan debt reduced by $6,700; 39% of graduates have no education-related debt.
- Time to degree: Average time to degree has been reduced by a full year, from 5.2 years to 4.2 years.
“These achievements are the result of a shared commitment to continuous improvement,” Shipley said. “UT San Antonio’s culture of innovation and care ensures we’re not only helping students graduate. We’re preparing them for meaningful careers and lives of impact.”
The university’s progress has also strengthened its national reputation. UT San Antonio’s recognition as both a Carnegie R1 institution and a Carnegie Opportunity College and University underscores the university’s dual commitment to excellence and access, a distinction achieved by only 21 institutions nationwide.
