San Antonio Express-News (Sunday)
Utilizing the power of education
Senior vice provost makes it a priority to help UTSA students get what they need to succeed
LaTonya Robinson’s tone is measured and matter-of-fact while describing her childhood growing up in Houston’s Fifth Ward.
“I come from fairly humble beginnings,” said Robinson (“L.T.” to friends and colleagues). “Neither of my parents graduated past the fifth grade.”
The Fifth Ward of Houston is a historically Black neighborhood known for its poverty. According to Houston’s Planning and Development Department, the median income of the Greater Fifth Ward is $20,326, while the city of Houston’s is more than $44,000.
Her parents’ greatest hope for her was that she would have more opportunities than they’d had — and particularly that the young L.T. would obtain a better education than their own.
“Although they did not have the context to fully understand for themselves how to support me, they always encouraged me to read more and continue to learn and explore the world,” she said.
Nominated for an unexpected college scholarship, Robinson became a first-generation college student. Today, as senior vice provost for student affairs and dean of students at the University of Texas at San Antonio, she makes it her priority that first-generation students have the support and resources they need.
“I wanted to help support other students like me, firstgeneration students, underrepresented students, to show them the opportunities and options available to them,” she said.
As an undergraduate, Robinson admitted she was “social” and “a little bit of a rule breaker” when she first arrived at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville.
But one kindly hall director gave her a suggestion that changed the course of her career.
“He said, ‘I appreciate that you’re very social and you like to get to know other folks, but I want to make sure you’re following our rules,’ ” Robinson said. “So we would like you to use your power of gab — your gift of gab — for positive change instead.”
That’s how she got her start as a student volunteer working in student activities. From there, Robinson became a resident adviser and completed her bachelor’s degree in communications.
By then, she knew her calling was to work in the field of student affairs. Robinson applied to Western Illinois University, which awarded her a graduate assistantship and housing as she worked toward her master’s degree in college student personnel affairs.
After obtaining her master’s, Robinson accepted a full-time hall director position at East Carolina University. When she moved back to Texas to care for a family member, she became a hall director at University of Texas at Austin. During her 13 years there, she ascended the ranks, becoming area manager then program manager.
It was at this point, UTSA President Taylor Eighmy said with a laugh, that UTSA “spirited her away.”
“Her story is synonymous with the journeys that all of our students are on,” Eighmy said. “She’s a wonderful exemplar of the power of education and the power of purpose.”
Robinson arrived at UTSA in 2017 and began her dual role in 2019. Eighmy noted that he has many talented colleagues, but said Robinson is in a class of her own since she is the outward-facing persona of the administration to 36,000 students.
“When our students want to engage our university leadership, more often than not they turn to L.T. as the first place they go,” he said. “She has one of the most complex jobs on campus … but one of the least understood.”
Robinson’s dual role has put her in a unique position to help underrepresented students — and to use her voice to advocate for diversity and inclusion for all students.
“In the senior vice provost role, I work with other campus leaders to identify the barriers that students might have to success, and I help work with them to reduce them as much as possible,” Robinson said.
Robinson also talked about the need for proper training of staff and faculty, so that they’re constantly “thinking about equitable ways to provide resources.”
“We’re teaching them about students’ needs,” she said, so that “if they encounter a student who is LGBTQIA or from a different culture, that they have cultural competence, that they are using language that is welcoming to them.”
As for first-generation college students, it’s not just helping the students but also the families, who don’t always fully understand how the university works, she said.
“I ask lots of questions to our departments about the services that we provide. Is this accessible enough? Does everyone have a full understanding of what’s going on? How can we streamline processes in a way that makes them easier and more available to our students and our families?” Robinson asked.
It’s hard, she said, for firstgeneration students to find a sense of belonging.
“When you come to a campus and you’re first generation, you’re not quite sure whether you belong there or not,” Robinson said. “So how do you find your tribe?”
Academically, first-generation college students often need extra support and resources, depending on their previous educational background.
“When you come here, we have a particular expectation about academic rigor; but we want to make sure that we’re offering resources through tutoring, through academic resources, anything they need to adjust academically to a new environment,” Robinson said.
Her work with first-generation students is just one of many passion projects that she has undertaken at UTSA.
She spearheaded a groundbreaking new partnership with UT Health San Antonio to give UTSA students more comprehensive health care services on campus, including mental health services.
“Our focus is to provide as many resources as possible for well-being holistically for our students — mind, body and spirit,” Robinson said.
Robinson also helms advocacy work for campus sexual assault survivors as chair of the President’s Task Force on Sexual Assault and Misconduct Prevention.
UTSA has modeled its approach off the program crafted by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, which emphasizes a culture of respect fueled by clear policies, consistent enforcement and consent education.
As a result, UTSA has developed and strengthened a specific office for survivor support, as well as hired a campus advocate for survivor support. “We have also worked with all of the campus counselors to clarify all our policies around sexual assault and misconduct,” Robinson said.
She also was called on during the February freeze, working with campus police and other university partners to deliver food for students in need and to assist with water and electricity needs.
“Whether it’s promoting the census or working with community organizations or working with colleagues in the community or managing things related to the pandemic, there are always additional things that end up on her plate by virtue of what she does; and she does all of that with optimism, hope, enthusiasm, collegiality and a can-do attitude,” Eighmy said.
The pandemic has been its own challenge. Robinson’s first pandemic task was helping students and employees transition to online learning and telecommuting.
Robinson also coordinated with other campus partners to provide laptops, mobile hot spots and accessible platforms to students and employees who lacked access.
“We also used this time to strengthen telehealth and telecounseling opportunities for students locally.” Robinson said.
She reached out to the campus human resources department to identify ways to support remote staff members and to keep them feeling motivated and appreciated. As a result, she decided to create recurrent webinar sessions for supervisors who managed and supported those employees.
But the pandemic isn’t the only event making headlines that’s affected the university’s students. The summer of 2020 was an especially painful time for Black people and other people of color who are students on campus, Robinson said.
“We wanted to acknowledge the challenges by hosting a community conversation to process emotions regarding the murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd,” she added. “Over 400 UTSA community members joined us in sharing concerns, resources and potential solutions.”
Robinson also hosted similar events related to the discrimination of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and developed a social justice book club on campus.
“I believe that we are experiencing two pandemics right now,” Robinson said. “We are experiencing a viral one, and we are experiencing a racial one.”
“She has always been an advocate for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion,” Eighmy said, “within the university, within the administration.”
One of Robinson’s most treasured memories is the time that a Black student walked up to her and told her what a role model Robinson had been.
“She said, ‘Since you’ve been here, you’ve been a role model to me because I don’t see women who look like me in roles like yours,’ ” Robinson said.
That, she feels, is her ultimate accomplishment.
“Accolades are great, but they’re fleeting. It’s about the impact that really matters,” Robinson said.