TAMIU Annual Report 2021

MPA ACCREDITATION RENEWED, JOINS ELITE GROUP TAMIU’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) Program had its accreditation renewed this year by the prestigious Network of Schools of Public Policy, Affairs, and Administration (NASPAA), the global standard in public service education. NASPAA’s accreditation decision letter indicates that TAMIU’s MPA Program was found to be in “substantial conformity” with NASPAA standards and has demonstrated a substantial commitment to quality public service education. The MPA Program, offered fully online and initially accredited in 2013, is now accredited again for a period of six years. It joins over 200 accredited graduate programs in public service. Dr. Peter Haruna, professor and MPA Program director, said MPA Program students and graduates can be assured that they are receiving quality professional public service education and training at TAMIU. “We could not have done this without the sustained support and encouragement of our Department chair, College of Arts and Sciences dean, Graduate School dean, and provost and vice president for Academic Affairs,” Dr. Haruna explained, “Other partners and stakeholders include MPA faculty, Advisory Board, instructional designers and MPA students and graduates who have supported the program as it navigated the rigorous, but rewarding accreditation process.” Haruna continued, “MPA Program graduates can be proud of their degree and students can be assured that they are getting high-quality, professional public service education and training.” NASPAA accreditation validates MPA Program faculty teaching, scholarship and research and adds value to the MPA degree, Haruna noted. COLLEGE OF ED PART OF SELECT U.S. GROUP TARGETING GREATER TEACHER DIVERSITY TAMIU’s College of Education is one of just six U.S. educator preparation programs at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) selected to participate in the Branch Alliance for Educator Diversity’s (BranchED) National Teacher Preparation Transformation Center. The Alliance is focused on developing an immersion process to produce highly effective and diverse teachers. TAMIU president Dr. Pablo Arenaz said the University’s selection underscores the quality of its educator preparation and its dedication to continued excellence and transformation. “Our teaching, research and service as a Hispanic Serving Institution has a robust 50+ plus year legacy. Our College of Education prepares the majority of educators within a 150-mile radius of Laredo. We’re very proud of our students, our graduates and our programs and their impact in classrooms everywhere. Our selection provides a dynamic opportunity to grow our teaching mission and our passion, and we’re eager to do so,” said Dr. Arenaz. Dean of the College of Education Dr. James O’Meara said TAMIU has already established measures for the success of its transformation. “We’ll measure our successful transformation against four outcomes: the quality of integrated student support provided to our candidates; the volume of expanded and enriched learning time beyond the traditional curriculum; the frequency of family and community engagement, and the impact of collaborative leadership and practices,” Dr. O’Meara said. Major support comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Walton Family Foundation. Support also comes from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and the Bezalel Fund, among others. NEWS 8