As Thanksgiving approaches, we reflect on our blessings and recognize that many blessings come from the care, dedication, and commitment of others.  To all the SRSU community, I want to thank you for your commitment to our institution with our SACSCOC accreditation this year.  During that process, we accumulated abundant evidence of our many achievements for students, faculty, staff, and the community, and some are highlighted in this newsletter.  Thanksgiving is indeed a time for reflection and appreciation that we are all connected. Happy Thanksgiving! Jeanne Qvarnstrom   QEP with April Aultman Becker and Dan Foley The QEP Mapped courses are underway this semester, working to improve our students’ communication skills. Dr. Tiffany Culver and Dr. Joey Velasco work closely with all of the faculty Navigators to implement the …

This update will be distributed each month throughout the SRSU/RGC campuses to keep everyone informed and to invite everyone’s participation, as we are measuring our success. Please forward your contributions, comments, and questions to jqvarnstrom@sulross.edu. SRINFO Website for HB 2504 Many thanks to all faculty for uploading their syllabi onto the new HB 2504 website that features syllabi, curriculum vitae, and selected items from the student course evaluations for each semester.  To comply with the law, this will be a process followed each long semester as well as summer sessions. Anyone who has comments or suggestions about the process is invited to share them with Al Brautigam or Alejandra Villalobos Melendez or Laura Polanco. A pizza party will be offered again during the spring semester for the first academic department to…

QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM QEP Coordinators, April Aultman Becker and Dan Foley attended the 2017 SACSCOC Institute on Quality Enhancement and Accreditation in Austin from July 16-19. At the institute, they were able to learn more about the accreditation process and standards and were able to connect with colleagues across the region to discuss plans for SRSU’s QEP.  This fall, all faculty will have the opportunity to get involved with our QEP:  Compass:  Navigating Excellence through Effective Communication.  Watch for coming announcements! INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH Ready for Fall? Departments are looking forward to the start of the academic year, so IR has received more departmental requests over the last few weeks. Remember to get in the queue as early as possible. You may place a data request using  the IR Data Request…

PEER REVIEW MEETS JUNE 14TH Eighteen faculty and staff met on June 14th to review the academic assessment reports that were created for 2016-2017. Participants in the photo foreground include Dr. Jimmy Case, Dr. Sharon Hileman, and Dr. Jorge Hernandez. Feedback from the reviewers was sent back to the program coordinators for any editing necessary. All of the academic assessment reports will be included in the SACSCOC Compliance Report for SRSU accreditation. Reviewers from the past two years observed that the reports demonstrate ongoing refinement of the academic programs that we offer SRSU students. DR. JOHN HARDT VISITS SRSU On June 6, 2017, Dr. John Hardt met with over 70 faculty, administration, and staff groups from Alpine and RGC to review our preparations for our SACSCOC Accreditation Compliance Report that…

SUL ROSS WELCOMES JOHN HARDT After months of preparations, SRSU will be hosting SACSCOC Vice President, Dr. John Hardt, on Tuesday, June 6th at the Alpine Campus. He will be meeting with members of the Accreditation Committee, QEP Committee, and faculty, staff, administration, and students to help us prepare for the SACSCOC Accreditation Compliance Report (due in September 10, 2017) and our On-Site Accreditation Visit on April 3-5, 2018. ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT REPORTS All program coordinators are asked to enter their 2016-2017 data into TracDat by Wednesday, May 31st. A Peer Review meeting is sheduled for June 14th to review programs and make suggestions for program enhancements. If you would like to participate in the Peer Review, contact Jeanne Qvarnstrom. ADMIN ASSESSMENT REPORTS ARE DUE MAY 31st The May 31 deadline…

NATIONAL SURVEY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) was sent to all freshmen on the Alpine campus and seniors on both the Alpine and RGC campuses this spring. Overall, there was a 20% response rate to provide valuable information about the learning environment at SRSU. To increase participation, Danielle Lucero and the Student Government Association recommended a raffle for those who were eligible to participate and did complete the survey. Winner of the raffle were announced on Monday, April 10th, with fanfare provided by the SRSU Woodwind Quartet. Winners include Alondra Flores, who won an iPad, and Claudia Perez, Donal Morgan and Aspen Walsh, who each won a $100.00 gift certificate! this is an annual event, so there will be winners in 2018, too! ACADEMIC PROGRAM…

NATIONAL SURVEY OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT As part of the Core Curriculum assessments, all freshmen students in Alpine and all seniors in Alpine and RGC received an email invitation on February 20th to participate in the annual NSSE administration. All eligible students are urged to respond to the survey by March 31st to provide valuable information about the university learning environment. The National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) is being administered for Freshman and Seniors. Eligible students who complete the survey are automatically entered into a raffle for a FREE IPad Air 2 or $100 gift card to the Sul Ross Book Store. As of March 6, 2017 our response rate is 13.6%, Help us reach our goal of 27% for this year!!   INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH Texas Association for Institutional Research…

FACULTY EXCHANGE FOR CORE CURRICULUM ASSESSMENTS Four faculty members volunteered to present their embedded assessments at the Faculty Exchange held on January 31st. Dr. Theron Francis described the Languages and Literature Department collaboration to create a prompt for students to address to measure their personal and social responsibility skills. Dr. Francis used the prompt as the final exam for his course. Dr. Joey Velasco presented a survey that he administered to students in his classes to gauge their skill levels. Professor Marjorie Scott described questions that she posed to students over a theatre selection for her embedded assessment. Professor Kendra De Hart (photograph) presented her assessment method of having students prepare a written response to a quote from history. Faculty attending gained ideas for new strategies for measuring students' understanding…