About the Webinar
While 80% of community college students enter higher education intending to earn a bachelor's degree, fewer than 35% successfully transition to a four-year institution—and only 16% complete their degree. Closing this gap requires more than policy adjustments; it demands scalable, human-centered connection.
Join higher education leaders from The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Northwest Vista College alongside Mentor Collective for a conversation on how cross-institutional peer mentorship bridges the 2-year to 4-year divide, combats "summer melt," and drives long-term degree completion.
In this webinar, you’ll learn:
- Strategic Pathway Alignment: How to seamlessly connect community college pipelines with 4-year university access, retention, and graduation goals.
- Early Proactive Interventions: Why launching peer mentorship outreach early in the summer dramatically boosts enrollment yield and smooths the transfer transition.
- Data-Driven Student Support: How tracking non-cognitive indicators and automated "flags" allows advising teams to intervene early for TRIO, transfer, and first-generation students.
- Measurable Operational Impact: How UTSA saved 1,398 staff hours—representing $31,000 in equivalent administrative value—while simultaneously expanding high-touch support.
Featured Speakers
Yolanda Reyes Guevara, Ph.D., Northwest Vista College
Bio to come
Barbara Smith, Executive Director,
Transfer and Transition Student Success Services,
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Transfer and Transition Student Success Services,
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Bio to come
Jennifer Kious, Ed.M. Director of Marketing,
Mentor Collective
Mentor Collective
Jennifer Kious is an experienced educator, strategist, and researcher dedicated to scaling equity-centered learning opportunities. As Director of Marketing at Mentor Collective, she leads strategic growth initiatives and translates complex educational research into actionable insights that drive student success. Her career spans K–16 curriculum design, customer education, student advocacy, and high-impact marketing that bridges research and practice. Jennifer holds a Master’s in Curriculum Design and Teaching from Boston University and a Bachelor’s in Communication Sciences and English from the University of Connecticut.
Register Now
Secure your spot to learn how UTSA and Northwest Vista College built a transfer mentorship model that drives measurable retention. Register to attend live or receive a link to the recording!