Addressing Systemic Barriers to Timely Degree Completion through the Establishment of a Graduation Help Desk

Authors

  • Tammy Jordan Wyatt University of Texas at San Antonio https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8608-1476
  • Matt Keneson University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Claudia Rueda University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Angelica M Barrera University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Amy Buechler-Steubing University of Texas at San Antonio
  • Rebecca Karoff University of Texas System
  • Mark Appleford University of Texas at San Antonio

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.3445

Keywords:

Degree Completion, Hispanic-Serving, student support service

Abstract

This practice report details a large, four-year, public, research 1 (very high research activity), Hispanic Serving Institution’s (HSI) approach to tackling barriers to timely graduation through the implementation of a virtual support center, the Graduation Help Desk (GHD). The GHD, established in late 2017, operates at the level of the provost’s office and tackles graduation obstacles through individual referral cases, proactive outreach, and institutional policy review. By collaborating with academic departments, colleges, and support services, the GHD ensures solutions align with degree integrity and institutional standards of excellence. Its organizational position allows it to quickly elevate institution-wide issues and make recommendations for systemic changes. The GHD’s impact, specifically the number of referral cases, students served, institutional policies changed, cost savings to students, and increased graduation rates is provided. As a successful, cost-effective, virtual service model, the GHD is instrumental in supporting undergraduate students, specifically at-risk and difficult-to-reach student populations, preventing graduation delays and lowering student costs. GHDs are a scalable intervention with a high return on investment for both students and institutions through improved operations and student success outcomes.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Tammy Jordan Wyatt, University of Texas at San Antonio

Dr. Tammy Wyatt, Senior Vice Provost for Student Success and Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Texas at San Antonio, serves as the institution’s chief student success officer, providing cross-campus leadership, fostering partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, and implementing strategic plans and initiatives to improve student success, engagement, and belonging. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, she is dedicated to creating a campus culture of excellence and measurable outcomes.

Matt Keneson , University of Texas at San Antonio

Matt Keneson serves as the Senior Assistant Registrar at The University of Texas at San Antonio where he manages class scheduling and the degree audit system. He established UTSA's Graduation Help Desk in 2017 and oversaw the office’s operations and development for 6 years. Matt is passionate about using innovative, data-driven approaches to address barriers to student success, especially those related to organizational policies and processes.

Claudia Rueda , University of Texas at San Antonio

Dr. Claudia Claudia Rueda is a Senior Grant Development Coordinator at the University of Texas San Antonio. She has over a decade of experience working in higher education supporting student learning, engagement, and success.

Angelica M Barrera, University of Texas at San Antonio

Angelica M. Barrera, Associate Vice Provost for Student-Athlete Retention and Excellence at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), brings over 20 years of progressive leadership experience in higher education, serving as a critical liaison between Academic Affairs and UTSA Athletics. Her expertise lies in catalyzing student achievement through innovative, data-driven strategies, harnessing cutting-edge research practices to transform campus ecosystems and cultivate dynamic learning environments. Ms. Barrera's leadership philosophy, anchored in strategic and transformational frameworks, champions excellence and unwavering dedication to student success, cultivating an ecosystem of innovation and comprehensive growth. 

Amy Buechler-Steubing , University of Texas at San Antonio

Dr. Amy Buechler-Steubing is an education professional with over 26 years of experience spanning organizational leadership, program development, curriculum and instructional design, and teaching. As Assistant Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives and Learning Innovation at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Amy provides visionary leadership in the design, implementation, and assessment of innovative programs, systems, and initiatives and partners across the university to cultivate a supportive, dynamic, and resource-rich environment for students, staff, and faculty to thrive. 

Rebecca Karoff, University of Texas System

Dr. Rebecca Karoff, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, leads systemwide student success initiatives at the University of Texas System. She is dedicated to utilizing the power of the system as a catalyst for quality educational attainment, equity, innovation, and transformation in the 21st-century global society, recognizing the remarkable responsibility and opportunity of the University of Texas System to achieve more equitable access and outcomes for the state's increasingly diverse students. With UT institutions and external partners, she collaborates on many initiatives, including the Exemplary Student Pathways Project funded by the Lumina and Trellis Foundations, the Student Experience Project Improvement Network funded by the Raikes Foundation, Accelerating Latino Student Success through Hispanic Servingness, initiatives on transfer and advising, and the UT System’s momentum-building strategy on Open Educational Resources (OER).

Mark Appleford, University of Texas at San Antonio

Dr. Mark Appleford, Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies and an Associate Professor of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, oversees the institution’s core curriculum, student onboarding processing, and undergraduate student policies. Mark has a strong record of implementing and evaluating student success strategies and advocates for regional and national public policy for STEM education.

Downloads

Published

2024-08-13

How to Cite

Wyatt, T. J., Keneson , M. ., Rueda , C. ., Barrera, A. M. ., Buechler-Steubing , A. ., Karoff, R. ., & Appleford, M. (2024). Addressing Systemic Barriers to Timely Degree Completion through the Establishment of a Graduation Help Desk. Student Success, 16(1), 99–106. https://doi.org/10.5204/ssj.3445

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 1 (2025)

Section

Practice Reports

License

Copyright (c) 2024 Tammy Jordan Wyatt, Matt Keneson , Claudia Rueda , Angelica M Barrera, Amy Buechler-Steubing , Rebecca Karoff, Mark Appleford

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors retain copyright and grant the Journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution International Licence (CC BY 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.