Sent on behalf of Dr. Melissa Vito, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation: Greetings COEHD Faculty! As a part of UTSA’s First-Year Experience Framework, Academic Innovation and Student Success have partnered to launch a new mini-grant program called First-Year Student Experience & Faculty Engagement. We will award 10-20 faculty mini grants for up to $1,000. The deadline is March 1, 2022, at 5 p.m. CT. Please encourage your faculty to apply. Here are the details: Faculty play an essential role in helping students create connections with each other, their coursework, and overall college experience. The relationships and skills they develop at UTSA, as you know, will have a massive impact on their career and success after they graduate. First-year students are at a particular disadvantage when getting a successful start without having the opportunity to come on campus. One of the significant challenges of the pandemic has been recreating the opportunity to connect across shifting modalities. These mini-grants will support faculty-led efforts to help their students become more connected with each other. Here are a few examples: • Visit a local art or music exhibit • Purchase extra-curricular/interest area material to review and discuss • Meet for refreshments or a meal to discuss discipline or interest-related topics • Engage in an outdoor activity related to the curriculum • Facilitate book club/discussion on current events or issues relevant to discipline/interest area • Organize speaker/panel around topics pertinent to your field/interests • Host career networking activity with alumni and/or other faculty in your discipline • Host a game or movie night with refreshments • Participate in a community service activity We invite faculty to attend an information session to learn more about this opportunity on Friday, February 18th from 12:30-1:00 pm. Faculty can register for the session<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2... in the Faculty Center. To see the full application instructions, additional requirements, and more information, visit the UTSA Instructor Incentives page<https://nam11.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2...;. Sincerely, Melissa Vito, Vice Provost for Academic Innovation Tammy Wyatt, Vice Provost for Student Success Marisol Johnson IT Operations Manager Office of Dean of the College of Education and Human Development University of Texas at San Antonio One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, Texas 78249 E: Marisol.johnson@utsa.edu<mailto:Marisol.johnson@utsa.edu> V: 210.458.5438 |O:[signature_1529715457]Chat with me on Teams!