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ITF - UTSA Provost Home - The University of Texas at San Antonio

ITF - UTSA Provost Home - The University of Texas at San Antonio

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<strong>ITF</strong> Evalu<strong>at</strong>ion Study, 2010 18th<strong>at</strong> is in the beginning process <strong>of</strong> fully understanding its cultural values and beliefs and howthese areas fit in with a broader campus community. <strong>The</strong>y are in a learning mode and as such,are willing to learn about themselves from the experts on campus. Two functions <strong>of</strong>administr<strong>at</strong>ion/staff involve the cre<strong>at</strong>ion and implement<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>of</strong> the policies and procedures <strong>of</strong>the university. <strong>The</strong>re may be a tendency here to look to one another, or use their moreextensive pr<strong>of</strong>essional networks for <strong>of</strong>ficial answers when the area <strong>of</strong> personal and otherculture is highlighted. A review <strong>of</strong> the d<strong>at</strong>a by class (undergradu<strong>at</strong>e) and institutional type(public) reveals th<strong>at</strong> the total sample <strong>of</strong> freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors scoredslightly lower means than the norm group indic<strong>at</strong>ing a lesser degree <strong>of</strong> institutional globalperspective in this domain.Concomitantly, the lowest mean scores, or least global perspective area for faculty, fellinto the Community domain. This suggests th<strong>at</strong> faculty may not have strong linkages withstudents and administr<strong>at</strong>ion/staff on campus. In essence, faculty may be more prone tooper<strong>at</strong>e from a “silo” approach, whereby rel<strong>at</strong>ionships are emphasized with other faculty,r<strong>at</strong>her than with broader campus constituencies. Moreover, this domain speaks to therel<strong>at</strong>ionships developed by higher educ<strong>at</strong>ion institutions with outside entities such as localbusinesses and agencies. Given the rel<strong>at</strong>ively recent focus on campus intern<strong>at</strong>ionaliz<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>at</strong><strong>UTSA</strong>, this finding appears consistent with an area in need <strong>of</strong> further explor<strong>at</strong>ion by faculty.Limit<strong>at</strong>ions <strong>of</strong> the StudyTwo potential limit<strong>at</strong>ions existed regarding this study. <strong>The</strong> first involved the assessmentinstrument used for the research. <strong>The</strong> GPI is a rel<strong>at</strong>ively new inventory th<strong>at</strong> is gaining increased<strong>at</strong>tention by universities in the United St<strong>at</strong>es. Given its newer st<strong>at</strong>us, reliability and validity arelargely self-reported by its authors. While normed scales consist for undergradu<strong>at</strong>es students,scales for broader university constituencies are either not available, or in the process <strong>of</strong> beingcollected, therefore limiting fuller and more complete comparison and contrast d<strong>at</strong>a. <strong>The</strong>second limit<strong>at</strong>ion involved the generaliz<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>of</strong> the results. Less than 5% <strong>of</strong> the constituents onthe campus particip<strong>at</strong>ed in the study. An increased sample popul<strong>at</strong>ion size may have yieldedmore represent<strong>at</strong>ive results.Implic<strong>at</strong>ionsA cross-cultural worldview rests on one’s ability to examine self, understand others, anddemonstr<strong>at</strong>e pr<strong>of</strong>icient and inclusive rel<strong>at</strong>ionship skills. Students, faculty, andadministr<strong>at</strong>ion/staff in this study demonstr<strong>at</strong>ed increased global perspectives in terms <strong>of</strong> theirvalues and beliefs and the manner in which these areas impact others. Additionally, thesegroups hold positive global views with regard to their cultural identities.<strong>The</strong> intrapersonal consider<strong>at</strong>ions <strong>of</strong> students, faculty, and administr<strong>at</strong>ion/staff arecontinually cultiv<strong>at</strong>ed in a <strong>UTSA</strong> campus milieu th<strong>at</strong> stresses its st<strong>at</strong>us as a Hispanic andminority serving institution. Varied programm<strong>at</strong>ic opportunities are also available to thesegroups th<strong>at</strong> further bolster their personal sense <strong>of</strong> selves. This finding is consistent with theemphasis th<strong>at</strong> <strong>UTSA</strong> places on its identity as a Hispanic serving institution. Continuing tomaintain and build upon this these positive interpersonal interactions is warranted.While all the groups evidence culturally aware global perspectives, this does not appearto extend to more complex ways <strong>of</strong> thinking about others. Students and administr<strong>at</strong>ion/staffdemonstr<strong>at</strong>ed their lowest global perspectives in the Cognitive domain. It is important th<strong>at</strong>these groups be encouraged to examine more fully the ways in which they view others.

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