2.10 The institution provides student support programs, services, and activities consistent with its mission that promote student learning and enhance the development of its students.
JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE
Compliance.
NARRATIVE/JUSTIFICATION FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE
The University provides a wide array of student support programs and services that ease the transitional process from high school to university, community college to university, and undergraduate to graduate. These programs and services promote overall student learning and enhance the personal, professional and academic development of its students. These programs are anchored and guided by the Institutional Mission, by the Compact with Texans, the federal mandate of No Child Left Behind and by state's mandate of Closing the Gaps.
The Office of Admissions processes all undergraduate and graduate applications for degree and certificate programs. In addition, the Admissions Office provides applicants with their enrollment status, evaluates transcripts for all in-coming students, determines residency status of all students, and staffs an outreach office on the Laredo Community College campus which provides services to prospective transfer students.
The Alumni Association's main goals are to raise funds for scholarships and to support the Institutional Mission. Current students are welcome in the association as associate members. Alumni may also receive services from Career Services.
Career Services provides an array of career related services that enhance and complement academic studies. Career services outreach begins with orientation and spans throughout the student's tenure. To continue connectivity to the University, job search services are also extended to alumni. Services are available to assist students in finding career direction, motivation for academic success, preparation for professional employment and/or graduate school admission and job search skills. The following services are available:
- Confidential career counseling is offered to undergraduates, graduates, and alumni. Assessment tools such as the Strong Inventory and Myers-Brigg are coupled with individual career counseling to assist in identifying interests, abilities, and values in choosing a major or career.
- Career development activities, such as the annual Career Expo, a combination of the Teacher Fair and the Job Fair, offer students the opportunity to interact with employers and gather information about careers, career enriching programs, and future career opportunities. The annual Graduate and Professional School Fair allows students to visit with graduate, medical, law, and other professional program representatives to ask important questions and gather information for goals beyond the baccalaureate degree. The Career Resource Center provides videos, books and other printed resources on occupational characteristics, duties, employment outlook, salary, benefits, working conditions, and employer information as well as school directories, business directories, university catalogs, and graduate school testing information. Workshops to aid students in career development are offered throughout the semester. Topics range from group counseling to preparing for a specific career.
- Job preparation and search services include information on internships available either through each college’s internship program or through external programs such as the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities Internship Program. The Career Expo, held each Spring semester, allows students to meet employers who are hiring for permanent and internship positions. Sponsored trips to other job fairs in the surrounding areas are scheduled throughout the year. In addition, job vacancy notices are advertised on the Career Services web page. On-campus recruitment allows qualified students to interview with companies, agencies, and school districts. Resume referral services, job preparation critiques, and workshops are frequently offered to aid students in resume writing, job searching, and interviewing. ( Services & Programs @ Career Services)
- Part-time on-campus employment through the Student Employment Program (SEP) provides students with hands-on learning opportunities such as applying classroom education in the work site and developing appropriate work behaviors. Information for part-time off-campus employment opportunities is also available.
The Business Office handles payment of tuition and fees, ID cards, parking permits, El Metro bus discount cards, and disburses grants, loans, and scholarship checks.
Disability Services for Students (DSS) assists students who have documented learning, physical, visual, hearing impairment and psychiatric disabilities. DSS serves as a liaison with local offices of the Department of Assistive & Rehabilitative Services including Rehabilitation Services, Blind and Visually Impaired Services, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services and other state and community agencies. This office also provides individual and group orientation to campus, loans special equipment to students to facilitate their learning process, provides special furniture in classrooms for students, advocates for the needs of students with disabilities on campus, and works with professors to assist them in making their teaching more accessible to students with disabilities.
The Office of Enrollment Management is at the forefront of student recruitment by identifying prospective students, and providing pre-enrollment services. Awareness sessions, counseling and workshops are provided for students, parents and high school counselors. In conjunction with the Admissions Office, Enrollment Management processes the First Year Freshman applications, manages data entry of all prospective students applications, and maintains communication with all students. The marketing plan, developed in cooperation with the Office of Public Affairs, allows for opportunities for students and parents from local and surrounding communities to tour the campus and learn about the services and programs available at the University.
Financial Aid is a crucial part of the recruitment and retention effort. The mission is to provide students and families with the financial resources to pay for an education and assist students with the most current information about financial aid opportunities. Every student is given individualized financial aid counseling prior to the disbursement of funds. The Financial Aid Office assists the Office of Enrollment Management in the recruitment effort, provides awareness workshops about financial aid at local and area high schools, and assists students with the Free Application for Student Financial Aid (FASFA). Financial Aid works collaboratively with the Office of Institutional Advancement to award scholarship money according to the donors' requests. The Financial Aid Office also creates the Financial Aid Handbook, disburses federal, state and local funds to students, and provides entrance and exit counseling for loan applicants. Finally, the office monitors student grades for compliance with the Satisfactory Academic Policy (SAP) as required by Federal Guidelines and administers Mexican Tuition Waivers.
The First Year Success
Program at Texas A&M International University received
a five year development grant through the Hispanic Serving Institutions
Program (HSI) under Title V of the Higher Education Act. The grant
is entitled “A Comprehensive Strategy for First–Time
Students”. Targeting first-time freshmen and first-time transfers,
the expected long-term outcome is to increase the institution’s
overall retention. To that end, components focus on the first year
experience, expansion of tutoring services and expansion of personal
counseling services.
The mission of the First Year Success Program is “dedicated to enhancing
the educational, career, and personal success of first-time students attending
as freshmen or as transfer students of higher levels. Student success is promoted
by coordinating an array of services that are responsive to students’ unique
needs, and by personally linking the students to the appropriate service, such
as tutoring, counseling, job-seeking, test preparation, financial aid and other
university support services. This is accomplished by an array of communication
formats, such as face-to-face advising at time of need, phone calls to disseminate
relevant information, and social gatherings to bring students and staff together
in informal settings. In addition, the program offers staff accessibility throughout
the day and well into the evening, thus assuring a support network throughout
the difficult first year university experience.”
The D.D. Hachar Honors Program is a four year, full scholarship program aimed at fostering a sense of intellectual community among talented undergraduate scholars and preparing them for the challenges and rapid changes that accompany the new Millennium. Students selected for this program are given the opportunity to demonstrate greater personal responsibility for their education. Throughout the program, honors students maintain close contact with both junior and senior faculty, thus providing added incentives for serious scholars to take full advantage of the supportive context available to university students. The Honors Program incorporates special honors courses at the freshman and sophomore years in the core disciplines of English, history, and political science. These courses focus on discussion, critical thinking, and improved skills in written, oral and visual presentations. During the junior and senior years, D.D. Hachar Scholars enroll for six hours of honors courses each semester. At this level, scholars enter into a contract for the Senior Honors Thesis with a faculty member in their major.
The Office of International Education, in the Division of International Programs, develops, coordinates, and promotes the exchange of students and scholars to and from the University. The office provides assistance and advice to all international students who have been admitted to the University through an exchange program and to all the University students participating in study abroad programs.
The International Student Advisor, in the Division of International Programs, sometimes known as the Foreign Student Advisor, serves as a Designated School Officer (DSO) for Immigration and Naturalization Services. Some of the services provided are assistance with immigration regulations, international student activities and advising and counseling.
Programs for Academic Support and Enrichment (PASE) are academic support programs that have been physically and administratively organized so that students can access both advising and instructional support from a centralized location. These services are delivered on the second and third floors of the Killam Library. The PASE administrative and classified staff advise students on the Texas Success Initiative and the University Writing Assessment. (The University Writing Assessment Preparation Guide) Services provided include:
- The Writing
Center, open 56 hours a week, supports the instructional
goals of the academic programs by providing a variety of writing
support services for both undergraduate and graduate students.
These include individual and group tutoring, workshops, peer review
sessions, literary events, and access to publications and resources
(print and on-line). The Writing Center, located on the second floor
of the Killam Library, also provides an inviting physical space
where students can seek academic advising and preparation for the
University Writing Assessment (UWA), a requirement for all undergraduate
students. Assistance is available through the Internet via the
Writing Center’s web site. The Writing Center supports faculty
as well through class presentations or writing resources for classroom
projects. The Voices in the Monte Series, a writer’s speaker
series, showcases national, state, and locally recognized writers
who speak about their craft and provide support to university and
community writers.
- The Center
for Advancement of Scholastic Achievement (CASA) located
on the second floor of the Killam Library, is open 62 hours a week.
CASA enhances the instructional goals of the academic programs
by providing individual and group tutoring and workshops that support
mathematics, sciences, social sciences, and other disciplines.
CASA offers instructional material for test preparation and skill
building in reading and mathematics.
- The
Testing Center, located on the second floor of the
Killam Library, supports the academic programs by providing centralized
testing services. These include the administration of national
and state test offerings (GRE, TExES, THEA, COMPASS, CAAP, etc.)
as well as local university wide tests such as the University Writing
Assessment and the Comprehensive Exam for the graduate programs.
The PASE Computer Lab is open during library hours and is a drop-in
student computer lab offering a wide array of software programs
that support academic instruction.
- The
TRIO Student Support Services Office provides academic
support for first generation, low-income, or disabled students
that qualify under this federal grant program. The TRIO office,
located on the third floor of the Killam Library, provides individualized
tutoring, academic and career counseling, and student development.
- The General University Department oversees developmental studies
and first year experience classes as well as the administrative management
of the Texas Success Initiative, the Texas state mandate related to
college readiness. The University has a Developmental
Education Plan which has been filed with the state and
available on the department’s web site. This plan describes the
course placement, advising, and instructional sequence for developmental
studies. The University's application for accreditation through National
Association of Developmental Education (NADE) is in process and should
be finalized by 2005.
- The Language Proficiency Program manages the academic advising, testing, and evaluation of the University Writing Assessment (UWA) which is required of all undergraduate students. To meet this requirement students must demonstrate competency through an argumentative essay taken after completion of their freshman English core. Students have multiple opportunities to complete this requirement and are encouraged to use the services of the Writing Center to prepare for the UWA. Academic support for preparation is also delivered through ENGL 3301, Writing for the Professions, which is offered through the Department of Language and Literature.
Recreational Sports is a component of the TAMIU Athletics Department, which provides a balanced program focused on the overall health and wellness of students, faculty, and staff. This is accomplished by coordinating facilities and fitness related activities as well as offering a structured intramural program. The intramural program provides an outlet for students to participate in a variety of competitive events each semester and, as faculty and staff are also eligible to participate, it also provides a place to make new friends and interact with faculty and staff outside the classroom and office environment.
Student Activities promotes students’ educational endeavors, career goals, and lifelong aspirations by providing students the opportunity to engage in meaningful life activities. The office serves as the resource center for all student clubs and organizations and houses the advisors to the Student Government Association and the newly developed Student Programming Board. There are currently over 40 student organizations on campus, with interests and purposes ranging from astronomy and political science to dance. Events are offered throughout the year, which include conferences, trips, and off-campus social activities. Additional responsibilities include New Student Orientation, coordinating community service activities, and supporting student leadership programs and seminars.
Student Counseling Services (SCS) offers a broad range of psychological and counseling services. Some of the services provided are individual and group counseling, workshops on topics related to personal development and academic success, 24 hour crisis response and training opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students with academic interests in Counseling and Psychology. SCS also has an extensive collection of brochures and audiovisual materials for psychoeducational purposes. These resources are used to promote various outreach events each year including screenings for eating disorders, anxiety, alcoholism and depression, as well as an annual Wellness Fair. Most of these services are available in English and Spanish.
Student Health Services enhances the educational processes of students by reducing or eliminating health-related barriers to learning. In addition, Student Health Services is directed at improving wellness, enabling students to make informed decisions about health related concerns, and empowering students to be self-directed consumers of health care services. Some of the services provided include: health education and promotion, emergency first-aid and referral to medical facilities or services, consultation with nurse practitioner on campus, physician consultation available upon referral from nurse practitioner, and on-site class D pharmacy.
The University Police Department offers a number of services to students including crime prevention, motorist assistance, security escort, and victim assistance.
The Office of the University Registrar provides students essential services regarding their university records. Support services include registration, course and room scheduling, veterans’ benefit services, transcripts, and centralized graduation services. The University Registrar also prepares and edits the semester schedule of classes.
Veteran's Services are provided by the Office of the University Registrar. (University Registrar, Benefits for Veterans) Texas A&M International University has entered into the education and training programs administered by the Veterans Administration. Veterans who desire to take advantage of their eligibility for education and training as provided by Public Laws 16 and 346, 78th Congress, 550 and 894, 82nd Congress, and 89-358 for Veterans of Military Services after January 31, 1955.
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