Planning the Next 50 Years

E6 | Sunday, August 23, 2020 | lmtonline.com | Laredo Morning Times 50th Anniversary Additionally, a master’s in in- formation science and in the fam- ily nurse practitioner program will be available this fall. A doctoate in criminal justice is being reviewed by the Texas Higher Education Coordi- nating Board, and if approved, stu- dents will be able to register starting in the fall of 2021. To complement the College of Education’s goal of providing re- mote-instruction training and cer- tification, a master’s in curriculum and instruction with a specialization in education technology will also be available for future teachers. The program will help them find better ways to master planning, delivery and assessments while also knowing how to deliver effective and engag- ing lessons in a virtual environment. The TAMIUAdvancing Research and Curriculum Initiative, a long- term project, is meant to expand the number of Hispanic and other un- derrepresented graduate and profes- sional students that can be served by expanding courses and institutional resources, Coronado said. She said the project will rigorously examine the metrics that lead to success for graduate students within a domi- nantly Hispanic population. “We also continue to build on a legacy of faculty and student re- search collaboration that is uncom- mon for a university of our size and youth. Student researchers from TAMIU earned the highest number of awards at the competitive 16th Annual Pathways Student Research Symposium that TAMIU hosted last fall,” Coronado said. “Over 400 student and faculty representatives from throughout the Texas A&M University System gathered at TA- MIU for the two-day competition. TAMIU student researchers earned 18 of the 61 awards presented.” University College With the mission of the Univer- sity College to empower students to become competent, resilient and self-determined, TAMIU Dean of the University College Dr. Barbara Hong said the college is undergoing major restructuring. An improved Advising & Men- toring Center is being developed with all the college’s academic suc- cess coaches. This is to provide stu- dents more consistent and coherent advisement on their majors without interruptions from freshmen enroll- ment until graduation, Hong said. The improved AMC, University Learning Center and the reading and writing center will have extended hours, weekends and virtual meet- ings to meet the students’ needs now and for the next 50 years. “We aim to enhance the skills of every student through personal em- powerment paths that foster a learn- ing community, critical thinking and global citizenship,” Hong said. “Stu- dents will be equipped with a growth mindset, a meaningful purpose and a sense of belonging as they navigate through their education at TAMIU.” The First-Year Seminar will also be restructured to help teach students to cultivate their sense of self-aware- ness, self-empowerment, self-advo- cacy and self-regulation. Hong said those skills are essential and are re- inforced by a student’s growth, pur- pose and sense of belonging (GPS). Additionally, the freshman Signature Course will also help expose stu- dents to international, interdisciplin- ary and intellectual problem-based/ inquiry learning. According to Hong, the course is meant to improve students’ critical thinking, communication and team- work skills by tackling real-world problems in their communities and using their sense of self to help oth- ers during their academic journey. “We seek to prepare every student who enters TAMIU with a mindset that they are here to grow intellectu- ally, socially, emotionally and pro- fessionally,” Hong said. Photo Courtesy of TAMIU An overview of the TAMIU campus from the inside of the clocktower globe of Trailblazer Tower.