Posted on August 7, 2026 by HCAP Marketing and Communications
Change in Structure Provides Targeted Focus for Student Success Functions
Swisher (L) and Plantenga (R)
Dr. Rob Tillyer, Interim Dean of the College for Health, Community and Policy at UT San Antonio, announced the following additions to the College’s leadership team, effective August 1, 2026:
Raymond Swisher, PhD
Associate Dean for Graduate Student Success
Derek S. Plantenga, MSW, LCSW
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Success
Prior to his appointment as Interim Dean, Tillyer served as the college's Associate Dean for Student Success, providing him with first-hand insight into the substantial demands that exist in this area of the college’s operations. One of his first actions was to separate the position’s responsibilities into the more traditional configuration of one Associate Dean focused on undergraduate students and another focused on graduate students. Tillyer noted, “this will allow more bandwidth for each Associate Dean to maximize effectiveness in supporting students.”
Dr. Raymond Swisher, Professor in the Department of Sociology and Demography, has been appointed Associate Dean for Graduate Student Success. He joined the College for Health, Community and Policy in 2020 as Department Chair. In this new role, he will provide leadership and support for all our existing graduate programs and explore opportunities to grow our graduate program portfolio. Swisher will also take on directing the college’s new PhD in Community and Policy program, which welcomes its inaugural cohort this Fall.
“I am excited to take on these new roles,” Swisher said, adding: “graduate education, mentoring students, and collaborating with them on research are among the most rewarding experiences I have had in academia.” Regarding the PhD program in particular, “its inter-disciplinary and community-engaged approach to improving our communities is so important and resonates with my own inter-disciplinary background.”
On Swisher’s appointment, Tillyer shared, “Ray is well positioned for this role based on his long history of student-focused engagement and a demonstrated passion for supporting students through their academic journey.” He went on to note that “Ray also possesses considerable administrative experience which will enable him to integrate seamlessly into this role.”
Derek Plantenga, Professor of Practice and Director of the Bachelor of Social Work program in the Department of Social Work, has been appointed Associate Dean for Undergraduate Student Success. In this expanded role, Plantenga will have broad responsibilities in leading the services provided to the college’s undergraduate student population while enrolled at UT San Antonio. He will have a targeted focus on operations related to student engagement, career preparedness and real-world learning, and enhancing opportunities for students to gain hands-on research experience.
“Derek brings a positive and infectious energy to his work that he applies to a student-focused perspective on supporting programs and students,” expressed Tillyer. Plantenga also noted that “the unique student population of UT San Antonio is one of our greatest strengths,” and that he is “excited to step into this new role with the opportunity to learn from and support students throughout our college!”
Plantenga, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Texas, joined the college in 2011 and has served in a range of student facing leadership roles, including Director of Field Education, Graduate Advisor of Record and, currently, Program Director for the Bachelor of Social Work program in the college. In this role, he was instrumental in successfully building the program and saw the inaugural BSW cohort graduate this past May. According to Tillyer, this experience “positions him to effectively link our undergraduate programming with broader university partners for greater student success.”
— HCAP Marketing and Communications
Author: Peter Thorsett
