Academic Diversity Initiatives and Pre-College Youth Development

Office of Assistant Vice President for Academic Diversity Initiatives and Pre-College Youth Development
Directed by Dr. Leonard Moore Associate Vice President
The Academic Diversity Initiatives and Pre-College Youth Development group focuses on:

building a pipeline to college for underrepresented, low-income, and first generation K-16 students;
assisting with the recruitment, retention, and graduation of these students; and
encouraging undergraduates to attend graduate or professional school

Programs in this area are: Neighborhood Longhorns Program, the University Outreach Centers, the Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence, Pre-College Academic Readiness Programs, and projects led by distinguished DDCE Faculty Fellows including Latino Male initiatives, Scholarship in Action, and Thematic Initiative focusing on faculty and graduate recruitment.

Neighborhood Longhorns Program - Celina Ruiz-Snowden, Executive Director
… increases student achievement through an educational incentive program operated in partnership with the Austin Independent School District in 21 Title 1 elementary schools and middle schools to improve overall grade performance, reading, math, science, and language arts skills, to increase student retention rates; and provide scholarship awards for students to apply towards a college education

Longhorn Center for Academic Excellence – Dr. Leonard Moore, Executive Director
… increases and maximizes the academic and personal success of first generation and traditionally under-represented students at UT Austin

Gateway Scholars – Dr. Aileen Bumphus, Executive Director
...maximizes the academic success and social connections of new first generation and underrepresented students at UT Austin. Started in the fall of 1994, Gateway Scholars has expanded to include UTransition, a learning community for first generation and underrepresented transfer students, the Achieving College Excellence (ACE) Program, a service for students who seek additional academic assistance, and the Welcome Program, a diversity education program for incoming first-year students.

TRIO Programs – Dr. Ge Chen , Executive Director
… increases college retention and graduation rates through academic, career and social programs

UT Outreach Austin – Patrick K. Patterson, Executive Director
… assists underrepresented students to excel academically, take college entrance exams, graduate high school, complete college admissions and financial aid applications, and enroll at The University of Texas at Austin

UT Outreach Dallas – Dr. Kenya Walker, Executive Director
… assists underrepresented students to excel academically, take college entrance exams, graduate high school, complete college admissions and financial aid applications, and enroll at The University of Texas at Austin

UT Outreach Houston – Dr. Kenya Walker, Executive Director
… assists underrepresented students in grades 8-12 to excel academically, take college entrance exams, graduate high school, complete college admissions and financial aid applications, and enroll at an institution of higher education.

UT Outreach Centers of South Texas – Dr. Rose Martinez, Executive Director
… assists underrepresented students in grades 8-12 to excel academically, take college entrance exams, graduate high school, complete college admissions and financial aid applications, and enroll at an institution of higher education. Includes UT Outreach San Antonio and UT Outreach Rio Grande

ChemBridge – Dr. Kenya Walker, Executive Director
… offers two web-based, dual-credit courses that allow high school juniors and seniors to earn six hours of college Chemistry in Context credit upon successful completion of the courses. Concurrently, students earn two semesters of high school credit for an advanced science class that will expose them to the rigor of college-level STEM coursework. ChemBridge is a collaborative partnership among participating Texas high schools, the College of Natural Sciences and the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin. More than 200 students are served annually at Texas high schools that are underrepresented in postsecondary institutions.

Students Partnering for Undergraduate Rhetoric Success – Dr. Kenya Walker, Executive Director

… prepares high school juniors and seniors for college-level coursework by improving their writing and analytic thinking skills. SPURS pairs lower-division rhetoric and writing courses at UT Austin with English Language Arts classes from Texas high schools that are underrepresented in postsecondary institutions. With over 200 students served annually, SPURS is a collaborative partnership among participating Texas high schools, the Department of Rhetoric and Writing and the Division of Diversity of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.

Scholarship in Action-Dr. Louis Harrison, Faculty Fellow/Director; Professor, Curriculum and Instruction, College of Education; Center for African and African American Studies, College of Liberal Arts
Exists to make the scholarly resources of the University available to the
surrounding African American community. We will endeavor to tailor the
presentations/lectures/workshops to the specific needs of the African
American community surrounding the university by soliciting ideas and
suggestions from African American leaders in the community and
matching needs with faculty and university personnel with appropriate
research interests and expertise.

Project MALES – Dr. Victor Saenz, Faculty Fellow/Director; Assistant Professor, Educational Administration, College of Education
Project MALES, or Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success (projectMALES.org), encompasses two interrelated initiatives: a research agenda focused on exploring the complex experiences of Latino males in higher education; and, a demonstration project that aims to cultivate an engaged support network for Latino males at UT-Austin and beyond.

Diversity Recruitment – Dr. Geraldine Henderson, Faculty Fellow/Director; Associate Professor, Advertising, College of Communication

Math Masters – Dr. Kenya Walker, Executive Director
… is a three-year cohort program that equips students with the skills necessary for successful completion of college-level math courses. Using college readiness standards provided by the Texas Education Agency, the first year of the program assists students in achieving mastery in Algebra II. The second year of the program provides curriculum in Pre-calculus or Advanced Quantitative Reasoning. The third year of the program offers curriculum for Calculus, Statistics, or an advanced dual-credit math course. With over 200 students enrolled, Math Masters is a collaborative partnership among participating Texas high schools, the Charles A. Dana Center and the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at The University of Texas at Austin.