Projects > University of Texas at El Paso > Strategies for Institutional Change


Strategies for institutionalizing these activities within the University include:
  1. Making the connection between service learning activities and academic success. Improving student retention and graduation rates is a central concern of UTEP. Drawing on research about student success, UTEP's Quality Enhancement Plan highlights enrichment programs as key strategies to retain and graduate students. The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) has sought to advance service learning as an important enrichment strategy, and the current Quality Enhancement Plan featured its programs as an enrichment strategy.
  2. Participating on a University-wide taskforce dedicated to student enrichment. The Student Enrichment Taskforce collects data on outreach programs to assess QEP (Quality Enhancement Plan) strategies and facilitate more collaboration across the University. CCE gained a seat on the taskforce, drawing broader attention to its activities.
  3. Providing leadership on a committee charged with strategic planning for the University. A UTEP Strategic Thinking committee was established to revise the mission statement and develop recommendations within the areas of research, teaching, service, and administration. The Director of CCE chaired the service subcommittee and developed recommendations that promoted public engagement as effective not only for the service mission but for research and teaching as well.