Task Force Charter
The Academic, Student, and Faculty Affairs Task Force is established to oversee the integration of academic, student, and faculty programs and services between UTSA and UTHSA. This Task Force is needed to create a seamless academic experience for students and faculty during the integration process. Its initial core objectives include reviewing program offerings and identifying opportunities for future growth and collaboration of undergraduate and graduate programs, ensuring compliance with mandatory reporting, accessing access to student support services, etc.
Task Force Updates
Latest Updates:
Ten working groups produced 44 final products, including recommendations, inventories, communication plans and roadmaps.
Presented key findings at the June 2025 ASFA Task Force meeting.
Identified Academic Year 25–26 priorities, informing the next set of working groups to be launched.
Previous Updates:
Since February 2025, the ASFA Task Force has launched ten working groups engaging 127 faculty, staff, students, and administrators from both institutions. Each group focused on a key area of academic, student, or faculty affairs—such as academic programs, student services, financial aid, and faculty development—and collectively produced approximately 44 artifacts, including recommendations, inventories, communications plans and roadmaps to guide integration efforts.
The task force has launched four new working groups: Student Financial Aid, International Services/International Visa Compliance, Health Science Center Student Career Planning and Mandatory Fees.
Stakeholder Groups
The primary constituencies involved/impacted by the work of this Task Force are academic departments, faculty, administrative staff, and students.
Task Force Members
Task Force Co-Chairs
Members
Timeline
The Academic, Student, and Faculty Affairs Task Force launched in December 2024.
Working Groups
The International Services/Visa Compliance Working Group will explore visa requirements for faculty, residents, and students, focusing on related integration timelines. The goal of the group will be to ensure compliance in the process and to discuss the needed infrastructure to facilitate smooth transitions for all international members of the community.
Leads
Members
The Financial Aid working group is established to avoid any disruptions in financial aid disbursements and ensure compliance with financial aid regulations. This group will focus on maintaining seamless financial aid operations and adhering to all relevant policies and guidelines.
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Members
The Health Science Center Student Career Planning Working Group will finalize changes to diplomas and transcripts and develop a communications plan and supporting materials for deans and their leadership teams to share with the students in their respective schools. Additionally, the team will address matters related to the full student career progression, including student recruitment, external application portals, and post-graduation documents such as board documents, etc.
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Members
The Student Fees Setting Working Group will compare mandatory student fees across institutions to recommend near- and long-term changes to benefits and perks, including any Day 1 reciprocal benefits that could be offered to students as an early win.
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Members
The Mandatory Integrated Institutional Reporting Working Group is charged with developing a process and implementation timeline for integrated institutional reporting to external third parties such as Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), Department of Education (DOE), Legislative Budget Board (LBB), and other relevant administrative agencies at the state and federal levels, to be implemented Day 1 and beyond.
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Members
The Graduate Academic Program Working Group will review program offerings across both campuses to identify near-term opportunity areas for program growth and increased collaboration in graduate programming to be implemented no sooner than the 2027-28 academic year.
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Members
The Libraries and Collections Working Group will focus on integrating and enhancing library resources and collections across the institution. The goal of the group is to ensure seamless access to varied and comprehensive resources for all faculty, students, and staff, while also addressing the infrastructure and support needed to facilitate this integration. This includes updating information about each of our respective locations/collections, ensuring that students will continue to have access to current resources, and determining future access protocols.
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Members
The Faculty Lifecycle Working Group will review the approaches to faculty lifecycles reflecting the differentiated roles and responsibilities of faculty in a general academic environment and academic health environment. The group will identify where there are synergies and opportunities for collaboration in faculty career planning, from recruitment and onboarding through career progression and development.
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Members
The Student Services Working Group will review service offerings across both campuses to identify near-term integration opportunity areas and increased collaboration. The initial goal of the Working Group is to ensure a seamless and supportive experience for all students by considering key areas such as health services, disability services, veteran services, and student conduct. The Working Group will identify services and recommend strategies to harmonize these services across both institutions. The Working Group will report to the Academic, Student, & Faculty Affairs Task Force.
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Members
The Undergraduate Academic Program Working Group will review program offerings across both campuses to identify near-term opportunity areas for program growth and increased collaboration in undergraduate programming. The Working Group will report to the Academic, Student, & Faculty Affairs Task Force.
Leads
Members
The Faculty Senate Integration Working Group is charged with envisioning a new Senate for the merged institution that is compliant with applicable state laws, Regents Rules, and System guidance.* The Group should propose a body that can perform the operational functions of previous governance bodies, while also considering opportunities to reinvent a body that supports the faculty of the newly integrated institution.
*Some of these are still pending, so the Working Group will work within the known parameters, and final recommendations will be subject to review if guidance is updated over the course of the Working Group’s timeline.
