Initiatives

Dr. David Laude

STEM Speaker, APRIL 26, 2016: "Creating a Campus Culture Where Every Student Graduates"

Professor David Laude presents an argument that the collaborative partnership between administrators, faculty and students to improve student success on a college campus should have as its starting point the expectation that every student will graduate. Efforts to create this environment at The University of Texas at Austin have employed predictive analytics, incentive-based scholarship programs, tools for pedagogical and curricular reform and success programs geared to student mindset, and have resulted in historic highs in student persistence and graduation rates at the University. 

Professor Laude has been a leader in program reform at the undergraduate level at UT Austin for the past 27 years. In 1996, he chaired the original committee that proposed the teacher preparation program known today as UTeach. In 1999, he created the Texas Interdisciplinary Plan as a way to provide a small college-learning environment for students with adversity indicators. Professor Laude was also instrumental in the creation of the Freshman Research Initiative that today enrolls 900 incoming freshman students in the research programs of science faculty.

In 2012 Professor Laude joined the Provost's Office to champion four-year graduation rates. He developed the 360 Communities program that places all 7200 incoming freshman in small communities to assist with acclimation to the university, and coordinates assignment of 1500 incoming freshmen from under-resourced backgrounds to freshman success programs. He has redefined the role of Financial Services to support new programs like Summer Bridge and University Leadership Network that further integrate students into the UT Austin community. All of these efforts have contributed to what are now the highest first and second year persistence rates in the university's history.