4:25 p.m.
Sent on behalf of Dean Torres.
Dear COEHD Faculty and Staff,
With UTSA's newly acquired status as a Carnegie R1 institution with NRUF eligibility,
graduate education has become even more vital to our mission and strategic vision.
Graduate students provide intellectual support to faculty in their dual mission of
research and instruction and acquire the knowledge to become leaders across a variety of
careers that positively impact San Antonio and beyond. Recognizing this key role, the
campus-wide Graduate Student Task Force (composed of faculty, students and staff from all
units) stated in their
recommendations<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=ht...
issued in 2019 that, in order to recruit, retain and graduate the highest caliber of
graduate students, UTSA should appoint doctoral students as full-time, fully funded
graduate assistants in defined categories with funding packages that are nationally
competitive with our R1 peers.
UTSA respects and embraces these recommendations, and we in the College of Education and
Human Development wholeheartedly support them, too. Thus, effective Fall 2022, full-time
doctoral students (defined as enrolled in 9 SCH in Fall and Spring semesters and 3 SCH in
Summer) will be offered fully funded graduate assistantships at 19 hours per week (0.475
FTE). These appointments can be as GRA, GTA, GSA or a combination of these categories and
can combine multiple funding sources. The funding package for full-time fully funded GAs
will include stipend, full tuition + fees, as well as health care. To ensure uniformity
and fairness, each doctoral program has established stipend rates at which GAs must be
paid; students within that program cannot be paid below or above their published rate. For
complete transparency, funding packages for each doctoral program have been published and
can be accessed on the Graduate School website and on individual college websites.
* Stipends will be paid as Contract Pay which means that students are paid in a
timely manner on a regular cycle without requiring completion of time sheets. This
consistency allows students to be able to plan and budget their finances better. Colleges
can start submitting eforms for GAs as early as 7/18.
* Tuition and fees will be paid directly by the college on behalf of their students
by set dates, obviating any financial holds and undue stress for students.
* Full-time fully funded GAs will be auto-enrolled in the UT System's SHIP
health insurance plan and their premiums at single subscriber rates will be paid by the
college directly to the provider. Students can choose to opt-out of this coverage or add
additional coverage and additional dependents at their own expense.
To help with these changes, documents providing guidance, details of each step in this
process, as well as resources have been developed and posted on the Graduate School
website<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2...;.
The revised offer letter templates state the type of appointment (fully funded or
partially funded), the requirement that full-time fully funded students must enroll for
the 9/9/3 SCH sequence every academic year, and that by signing their acceptance students
acknowledge all requirements. This language should also be included in the Doctoral
Program Milestone agreement so that the student views and acknowledges this information in
two different documents.
I thank you all in advance for supporting this tremendous effort on behalf of our
college's Ph.D. candidates. We hope that with these changes to reducing financial
barriers, our current doctoral students will be able to focus more fully on their program
of study, leading to more successful outcomes and degree completion in a timely manner.
Also, we expect these changes will make UTSA all the more attractive to prospective
candidates as we look to grow our doctoral enrollment here in the College of Education and
Human Development and across the university.
Please contact Dr. Heather Trepal, Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student
Success, or the Graduate School if you require additional information or have questions.
Mario
Norma Jean Morales
Administrative Associate I
The University of Texas at San Antonio
College of Education and Human Development | Office of the Dean
One UTSA Circle, MB 3.304
San Antonio, Texas 78249
O: 210.458.5200
F: 210.458.4487
norma.morales@utsa.edu<mailto:norma.morales@utsa.edu>