SECTION: 5.2 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT

CONTENTS: SECTION 5.2

INTRODUCTION
FINDINGS OF THE REPORT ON INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT
5.2 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT
LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTER
SAM HOUSTON PRESS AND COPY CENTER
THE TEXAS RESEARCH INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (TRIES)
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
COLLEGE OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION AND APPLIED SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF MILITARY SCIENCE
RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS: SECTION 5.2
COMPLIANCE TABLE: SECTION 5.2
SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS: SECTION 5.2

INTRODUCTION

Sam Houston State University provides a variety of laboratories, learning centers, and instructional resources for its faculty and students. This report focuses on all those departments and divisions which maintain laboratories or learning centers for students or faculty. Data for this analysis were collected from interviews with department/program chairs or individuals responsible for maintaining the instructional support materials and equipment. Survey data from students and chairs were also used in the analysis. While computer laboratories fall under the aegis of instructional support, they are discussed at greater length in Section 5.3 of the self-study report. All major equipment is listed by department in the Properties Listing available in the SACS office.

FINDINGS OF THE REPORT ON INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT

The following sections report the findings of the Self-Study Steering Committee in Section 5.2 of the SACS Criteria for Accreditation. The Committee addresses "must" statements from the section and, in the order in which the statements appear in the Criteria, reports on the University’s compliance or noncompliance with these imperatives. Following the responses to "must" statements, the Committee makes recommendations and/or offers suggestions, according to the University’s compliance status.

5.2 INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT

1. To support its curriculum, each institution must provide a variety of facilities and instructional support services (i.e., educational equipment and specialized facilities such as laboratories, audiovisual and duplicating services, and learning skills centers) which are organized and administered so as to provide easy access for faculty and student users (Criteria 60). 2. They must be adequate to allow fulfillment of the institutional purpose and contribute to the effectiveness of learning (Criteria 60). 3. These requirements apply to all programs wherever located or however delivered (Criteria 60).

The Steering Committee determined that the University complies with all of these imperatives.

In reaching its conclusions, the Committee considered first the general instructional support, in overview, then examined more systematically the ways in which the following units provide instructional support which ensures the fulfillment of the institution’s mission: the Learning Assistance Center, the Sam Houston Press and Copy Center, the Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies, the four colleges (Arts and Sciences, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, and Education and Applied Science), and the Department of Military Science.

General Instructional Support
Each of the departments or divisions within the four colleges at Sam Houston State University supplies and supports audio-visual and duplicating services for classrooms and department offices with Capital Equipment budgets and from Operating and Maintenance funds. Some departments are better supplied than others, however. Some classrooms, such as all of those in the newly renovated History Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, have combination TV/VCRs, as well as overhead transparency projectors. The College of Criminal Justice features a centralized media center with a variety of current instructional equipment, and the College is in the process of building a distance education classroom. The College of Business Administration is presently implementing a system to place state-of-the-art technology in classrooms, and the Language, Literacy and Special Populations Department in the College of Education and Applied Science has recently benefited from a state grant for the purchase of updated equipment. Some departments, however, must request equipment on an as-needed basis from an audio-visual storage room.

Departments or divisions also have their own copy machines, which are purchased, maintained, and serviced through departmental budgets. All faculty and students have access to duplicating facilities.

According to a recent survey, 51% of the responding chairs and coordinators agreed that their equipment needs are adequately met. Of the faculty questioned, 50% reported that classroom instructional equipment is adequate, 60% said their classroom environments are adequate, 55% said that they have adequate instructional supplies, and 48% said they have up-to-date technology. Of those who use laboratory equipment, 41% maintained that the equipment is adequate.

Learning Assistance Center
This facility, which is conveniently located on the first floor of the Newton Gresham Library, supports all University students, although it has historically targeted students in need of remedial assistance in passing the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test, required of all students entering Sam Houston State University. Assistance in reading, writing, and math skills is provided to students at twenty-two learning stations equipped with video and computer programs and manned at least sixty hours per week by peer tutors, faculty members, and teaching assistants. The number of individuals providing assistance depends upon the number of students registered for and requiring help in the developmental courses (English 031, Math 031, and Reading 031). Students use the facilities for help with math and writing skills, study skills, and preparation of essays and term papers.

Students who are not enrolled in developmental courses but need assistance are accepted on a walk-in basis; no appointments are required. The Center serves approximately ten percent of the student body each year. Sixty per cent of these students reported that the services are adequate for their needs.

Faculty from across the University are encouraged to use the Learning Assistance Center. In the College of Arts and Sciences, the Departments of English and Foreign Languages and of Mathematical and Information Sciences use the facilities extensively, as does the History Department.

The Learning Assistance Center equipment is state-of-the-art. This equipment is purchased with Center funds, and maintenance of equipment is carried out on an as-needed basis with Operations and Maintenance funds.

Sam Houston Press and Copy Center
The Sam Houston Press and Copy Center is easily accessible to faculty and students in the basement of the Thomason Building, on the main quadrangle of the campus. The Center is dedicated to providing rapid, quality, and cost-effective duplicating, printing, and copying for the faculty and students of Sam Houston State University. Among its services, the Press provides duplicating in both black and white, as well as color; the production of overhead transparencies in black and white and color; laminating of any size; spiral binding; printing of theses and dissertations; and publications of reports, manuals, and conference programs. The Press annually completes approximately eight hundred printing jobs, for an average of six million copies per year, ranging from business cards to major publications for the University.

The Sam Houston Press and Copy Center is an auxiliary unit which falls administratively under the Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations and is, for the most part, financially self-supporting. It is able to provide competitive copying costs through volume and efficient use of staff and equipment. Some of the equipment has been upgraded, in particular the color copiers and a new two-color seventeen-inch press. In the near future, the Press hopes to upgrade its copy center equipment to digital technology with a color copier that is networkable for all faculty and students on campus. Within its budgetary constraints, the Press continually strives to upgrade its computer composition software, but it needs to upgrade the bindery equipment, which is over twenty-five years old. The majority of the Press equipment, although not state-of-the-art, is adequate to serve the needs of the University.

The Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies (TRIES)
The Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies is located at Sam South, half a mile from the main campus on Sam Houston Avenue. The TRIES lab was established in 1992 with funds from the Army Research Office to carry out environmental studies on a nationwide basis. It is not an academic department, although the facilities are used by students and faculty from the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Geography and Geology and from the Industrial Technology Program for environmental studies and for experience in using the state-of-the-art equipment available at the TRIES lab. The facilities, which fall under the administrative jurisdiction of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, are self-supporting and are more than adequate. The lab frequently hires students as lab workers and provides access to master’s students who also may use the facilities to carry on research as part of their thesis studies.

College of Arts and Sciences
The College of Arts and Sciences provides laboratories and learning centers for students within the College and for students from other colleges as well. Each department within the College purchases and maintains its own audio-visual equipment and copy machines. All departments within the College are adequately supplied with A/V equipment and copiers.

Department of Art
The Department of Art, currently located on the southeast edge of the campus, is housed in five metal buildings and one brick building. The divisions within the Department of Art are Painting, Sculpture, Jewelry, Print, Ceramics, Drawing, Design, Computer Graphics, and Art History. Building E houses the Department’s Main offices and the Gaddis Geeslin Gallery, classrooms for Design and Art Education courses, and a department conference room. The Gallery is used to exhibit works by nationally recognized artists, MFA students, undergraduates, and Department of Art faculty. The Art History auditorium contains one hundred thirty seats, is handicapped-accessible, and is provided with multimedia equipment which can be used for visiting artist lecture programs or for the use of other departments on campus. The department’s slide library of over 30,000 slides is cared for by a librarian who maintains and conserves the slides. The copy camera is repaired on an as-needed basis with department funds. The slides are currently being transferred to computers and will have a complete index. Several other departments on campus also use the slide library.

Building F is used for Painting, Watercolor, Drawing and Design. It contains an OSHA-approved vent system which is used to remove harmful vapors. Recycled solvents and potentially hazardous liquid and solid wastes are listed in a Safety Log which is available for inspection by the University Safety Officer. The department provides lockers for all students, as well as facilities for storing and hanging student work. The building also contains faculty offices and facilities for use by adjunct teachers and teaching assistants.

Building C contains the natural gas foundry, a burn-out furnace, a forge, and iron work tables, as well as a complete wood-cutting and welding shop. An air compressor, with outlets in every room in the building, is used for sand blasting. A wood shop is provided with all the necessary equipment, and staff, either teachers or graduate students, are available whenever the studios are open. Studios are provided for 3-D design students. The Plastics Room, which is used for silicon investment and bronze casting, is carefully regulated and contains necessary safety equipment. Art technicians maintain the equipment.

Building B, known as the Brumby Building, contains the jewelry workshops, as well as three graduate student studios upstairs. One additional graduate student studio is provided in Academic Building 3. The jewelry workshop contains fifteen work benches and fifteen sets of tools which are purchased with department budgets. One additional set of tools for jewelry-making is needed. The jewelry labs contain extruders, sheet metal cutters, a centrifugal forge for lost-wax casting, arc welding cutters, and a spray booth. Considerable care is given to safety concerns in the building.

Building A contains the Students of Fine Arts (SOFA) Gallery, and the ceramics and print-making studios. Students use the gallery to learn to curate, advertise, jury, and hang shows. In the ceramics area, students are provided with a pug mill, a clay mixer, a wheel room, and five indoor electric kilns for firing and glazing. A glaze room, which is fully ventilated, is checked periodically for safety. It currently complies with OSHA standards. The department also maintains two gas-fire kilns, a Raku Kiln, and a Pit Fire Kiln. The print-making area, housed in the opposite end of the building, is provided with extra ventilation to remove toxic fumes. There are two lithography presses with rollers, and materials for lino cuts, etching, aqua tints, and mezzo tints. An aqua tint box is also available with compressor for spraying. The Department of Art currently owns two etching presses, and a new etching press will be installed shortly. All ink rags and contaminated newspaper materials are kept in cans and cleaned out weekly, as required by OSHA. A special ventilation unit is used for removing potentially harmful vapors.

Department of Biological Sciences
The Department of Biological Sciences, located in the Lee Drain Building, in the center of campus, provides adequate laboratory space for the students. The facilities and labs for the department are fourteen years old and, although they are not current, the Department has continued to upgrade its equipment and supplies as budgets permit Four laboratories are used to accommodate sixty to seventy sections of introductory Biology, and seven labs provide space for upper-level and graduate classes. The labs are used throughout the day, and all students are provided with access to the facilities in an efficient manner.

There has been no substantial increase in the Operations and Maintenance budget in years, and additional equipment and supplies are currently needed. Much of the benchtop laboratory equipment (such as microscopes) is outdated and/or in need of repair. In particular, the microscope slide collections are out of date. Because there is no staff person to handle maintenance of the equipment, instructors must frequently attempt to repair the equipment themselves. There are insufficient funds to replace broken equipment and purchase large-ticket items which must be replaced on a piece-meal basis when the budget allows.

Departments of Chemistry and Physics
The Departments of Chemistry and of Physics are housed in the three-story Farrington Building, which was last renovated in 1980. The building contains nine teaching labs and twelve research labs in addition to traditional classrooms for undergraduate and graduate students. Chemistry teaching labs are used throughout the day. The departments upgrade equipment and supplies as budgets permit.

Operation and Maintenance budgets have not increased in approximately ten years, and additional equipment and supplies are needed to meet increased enrollments and to replace older laboratory equipment. Continuous efforts are being made to meet state and federal guidelines for laboratory safety and hazardous material management. There is a critical need for a manager or supervisor in the laboratory stock room to supervise supplies and equipment and to handle building safety issues.

Department of Theatre and Dance
The Theatre Program supports two theatre facilities in its University Theatre Center: the Mainstage and the Showcase. The Theatre Center is conveniently located on the northeast side of the campus between the Criminal Justice Center and the Newton Gresham Library. The Mainstage Theatre has adequate equipment, although it is twenty-two years old and is in need of renovation. It has sufficient lighting equipment, but the sound system needs to be replaced in both the Mainstage Theatre and the Showcase Theatre. Both facilities need painting, and the three pianos, which were acquired from other departments, should be replaced. Seating in the Mainstage Theatre is shabby and needs to refurbished. The smaller Showcase Theatre has been renovated, but it needs painting and the lighting and sound systems should be replaced. The Scene Shop and the Costume Shop are adequately supplied with equipment although there is no maintenance budget to support these facilities.

The Dance Theatre is located on the northeast corner of campus in Academic Building 3 (commonly called the Old Men’s Gym). The building is old and in need of complete renovation, including a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system; improved acoustic baffles; suspended ceilings; and better lighting for the large studios. The Dance Theatre, however, has recently received some major improvements paid for by HEAF Funds. New permanent seating with a forty-five degree raked support structure provides comfortable viewing and excellent sight-lines. In the Fall of 1998, pneumatically suspended flooring will be added to the Dance Theatre as well as to the ballet and modern dance studios to help prevent various orthopedic injuries. However, the Dance Theatre is still in need of a permanent proscenium wall, an enclosed control booth with safe and convenient access, and dressing rooms equipped with dressing tables and lighted mirrors, running water, and costume storage. The four main dance studios are very spacious and generally well equipped although each studio should have a serviceable piano (currently only one is available). The Costume Shop has some equipment needs, including a commercial iron and a dress form. The Dance program has no scene construction capacity.

Both the Theatre Program and the Dance Program need a technical director or shop supervisor for their costume shops. They also need a computer lab for designing and drafting the lighting, sets, and costume designs required for productions. Storage space is severely limited, as is rehearsal space, and both areas could use additional classroom facilities.

Foreign Languages Program
The Foreign Language Program laboratory is located on the third floor in A Wing of the Evans Building, on the main quadrangle. The laboratory consists of thirty-four work stations which contain Sony Educational Recorders and earphones, as well as a main console where tapes can be played or duplicated. The facilities are used extensively by students who register for one-hour blocks of time from 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m., and the lab is staffed on an hourly basis by student lab monitors. The lab is also used by the Admissions Office, as well as local high school and state officials, for administering the College Level Exam Program (CLEP) and the Texas Oral Proficiency Test (TOPT). The equipment is maintained by an annual contract with a company which supplies quarterly cleaning and ongoing repair and maintenance.

As technology has changed from cassettes to CDs, the Foreign Language Department has secured HEAF funds to install a new state-of-the-art language lab. The new facility will consist of seventy interactive work stations which will fully interface with CD-ROM and up-to-date software. The new equipment will provide campus-wide networking, as well as recording and play-back capabilities. A console controller will be added as soon as possible in Phase II, as part of 1998-99 Capital Equipment funds. As soon as the new facilities are functional, the Foreign Language lab will be much better than adequate.

Department of Geography and Geology
The Department of Geography and Geology laboratories are located in the Lee Drain Building, in the center of campus. There are a total of four labs with bench-top and experimental equipment to provide all the facilities necessary for the two departments. The department has also recently acquired a new Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, which is housed in the same building. The GIS system allows the capture, storage, manipulation, and output of mapped or spatial information. The department is adequate for the needs of the students and faculty who use the equipment.

The Operations and Maintenance budget has not increased for the department in many years; this situation, with the addition of the new GIS facilities, has put a considerable strain on the funds available. There is also a shortage of funds for the repair and maintenance of equipment, and faculty members must frequently act as mechanics to try to keep the equipment functioning.

Department of Public Communication
The Department of Public Communication is located in the Dan Rather Communications Building, adjacent to the Administration Building on the main quadrangle.

Both the television and radio labs have been recently renovated and contain state-of-the-art digital technology. The television studio allows students to work on-air through the University’s cable network television station, which is an educational broadcast station. Students are provided with modern headsets, non-linear editing technology, and five editing suites for advanced students. There are four production suites for internal production. The facilities are much better than adequate for student and faculty use.

The Photography Lab, also housed in the Dan Rather Communications Building, is only seven years old. It features twenty-two black and white enlargers and fifteen color enlargers, as well as an adequate supply of materials and equipment for student use.

The only area in which the department could be improved would be the addition of a staff person to oversee lab operation and to maintain the equipment. At the present time student workers are hired to maintain the facilities, when funds permit.

Department of Mathematical and Information Sciences
The Department of Mathematical and Information Sciences (DMIS), which comprises the Mathematics Program and the Computing Science Program, has a tutoring laboratory located on the fourth floor of the Lee Drain Building. The lab offers drop-in tutoring for any 100- and 200-level Mathematics and Computing Science course. The hours vary with semester because of funding, but tutors are available around twenty-five hours per week on average. In addition to tutoring, the lab provides a library of textbooks, videos, and study guides for student reference. In a recent survey of students (see "DMIS Institutional Effectiveness Report"), 86% of the students rated the tutoring service as "good" or "excellent." This lab is adequate for student use at the present time.

The department budget for student wages and Operations and Maintenance funds has remained the same for at least six years. Because of increases in minimum wage, this budget trend threatens the viability of tutoring services.

Department of Music
The Department of Music, housed in facilities constructed in 1984, is located adjacent to Academic Building 1. The Department of Music provides a piano lab for class instruction and thirty-six practice rooms, most outfitted with a piano. In addition, the department provides a music library and a listening room, both of which are housed in the Newton Gresham Library. The listening room is outfitted with ten stations, each supplied with a cassette and record player and earphones. Although not state-of-the-art, the equipment and facilities for the music students are better than adequate.

The department has grown rapidly during the previous ten years and has outgrown its facilities. The department desperately needs a full-time technician to repair and maintain all equipment. The piano lab is worn because of continual usage, and more sophisticated and up-to-date equipment is needed. A performance hall is also an ongoing need and concern of the department.

College of Business Administration
The College of Business Administration is conveniently located across from the Lowman Student Center on the main mall. The college is currently working to supply each of its four departments with the latest state-of-the-art technology in instructional support. Seven to ten classrooms throughout the college will be outfitted with advanced technological docking stations which will permit instructors to use their own pre-prepared computer presentation disks, regardless of the software, in any of the classrooms. The four departments—Accounting, Economics and International Business, General Business and Finance, and Management and Marketing—have also purchased audio-visual equipment from their own budgets. The majority of classrooms contain overhead projectors and TV/VCRs, with plans for future upgrading as noted above. Some of the departments have, in addition, 16 mm. projectors, laser disc players, video cameras, projection panels, TOA Voice Amplifiers, and Mentor Robots with Conveyors. Plans are in place to establish a Technology Demonstration Center and a two-way audio-visual classroom suitable for distance learning.

The Business Administration Auditorium, which is used by both the College of Business Administration and many of the other colleges and departments on campus, is fully equipped with VCR, slide projector, large screen projection system, wireless microphone, satellite system remote control, and sound system. The instructional support provided by the College of Business Administration is more than adequate to meet the needs of the students.

College of Criminal Justice
The College of Criminal Justice is located on the southeast corner of the campus in a recently constructed facility which includes classrooms, offices, a hotel, an auditorium, and a courtroom. The college is divided into four departments: the College of Criminal Justice, the Bill Blackwood Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas, the Correctional Management Institute of Texas, and the Beto Center Operations. With the exception of the graduate and undergraduate programs which address the needs of students within the College of Criminal Justice, the remainder of the centers and institutes associated with the College are out-reach programs which provide professional training for members of local and state correctional facilities and law enforcement agencies.

The majority of classrooms within the College of Criminal Justice are outfitted with TV/VCRs and with overhead transparency projectors, as well as with some computer outlets. Some enhanced classrooms and professional training rooms feature distributed sound systems, video/data grade projectors, and VCRs. A University computer lab with a variety of computers, printers, and software is also available to students in the college. Using the built-in broad-band television system, video and audio can be transmitted anywhere in-house and ultimately to the CODEC, allowing training of large numbers of participants at a variety of remote sites. Cable service (Channels 20 and 23) is also available to any television within the building. There are no laboratories or learning centers within the College of Criminal Justice. The instructional support provided by the college is more than adequate for the needs of both undergraduate and graduate students.

The College of Criminal Justice is adding a distance education classroom, which is currently under construction. This room will include a distributed sound system for use with S-VHS, VCR, computer, and the remote site audio system. Included in the multimedia lectern is a Pentium-class computer with a presentation configuration which is connected to the University network. The output from the computer can be routed to both a desktop monitor and a video/data grade projector. Additionally, a video overhead and a wireless microphone are available to the presenter. The CODEC provides connection to a distance education center via PRI/TI. Presenters using the room will have access to an AMX touch screen which will control local and remote cameras and other room functions. Three video displays will monitor incoming and outgoing data streams, as well as offer a preview channel. Two cameras, one mounted in the front and the other in the rear of the room, provide a presenter’s view and a student’s view of the room. The presenter’s camera uses a follow-mode to allow the camera to track the presenter via an infrared emitter worn by the instructor. The student camera will track to students sequentially in the question queue as each student touches the microphone on the desk in front of him or her.

The George G. Killinger Auditorium is located on the main floor of the George J. Beto Criminal Justice Center. The auditorium is used by both the College of Criminal Justice for classes and large gatherings and by the University as a whole. The auditorium has multiple audio lines throughout the room connected to a high quality audio amplification system, as well as two line level outputs. Additionally, two groups of video lines have been installed to connect cameras in the auditorium with equipment in the production facility at the back of the auditorium. A state-of-the-art lighting system, installed in 1997, contains touch screen controls at midlevel and backstage. Computer network lines, also available at midlevel and backstage, are interconnected to the University system. The facilities are much better than adequate to meet student and faculty needs.

The Hazel B. Kerper Courtroom, located on the main floor of the Beto Center, is provided to students, faculty, and the community for mock trials and for state or local trials when facilities in the Huntsville Courthouse are unsuitable. The courtroom has a high-quality audio system with multiple inputs and a single output, an overhead projector, two twenty-five inch televisions, and a VCR. Multiple audio and video lines connect the courtroom to the production facility located in the auditorium lighting booth. Three computer network lines have also been installed. The courtroom is much better than adequate for the needs of both the campus and the community.

College of Education and Applied Science
The College of Education and Applied Science provides laboratories and learning centers for students within its own college, as well as for students from other colleges. Each department within the College is provided with Capital Equipment and Operations and Maintenance funds to purchase and maintain its own audio-visual equipment and copy machines. All departments within the college are adequately supplied with A/V equipment and copiers.

Department of Agricultural Sciences
The Department of Agricultural Sciences supervises six laboratories and learning centers, which are scattered across campus and within the surrounding community. The facilities include the Soil Science Lab, the Horticulture Lab and Greenhouses, the Poultry Lab, the Meat Science Lab, the Animal Science Classroom and Lab, the Small Engine/Tractor Mechanics Lab, and the Gibbs Ranch. Most classrooms and faculty offices for the Department of Agricultural Sciences are located on the third floor of the Thomason Building.

The Agriculture Center, located in a complex of buildings on College Farm Road and Interstate 45, one mile from campus, contains the Soil Science Lab, the Poultry Lab, the Meat Science Lab, the Small Engine/Tractor Mechanics Lab, and the Animal Science Classroom Lab. Two of the five labs are located within the arena building. The Soil Science Lab consists of a classroom with thirty-two stations equipped with gas jets and storage spaces. There is adequate but not state-of-the-art soil testing equipment in the lab. The Poultry Lab has sixteen stations, sinks, safety showers, and all the necessary equipment for carrying on experiments and studies in this field. The Small Engine/Tractor Mechanics Lab is used for construction of various projects and instruction in welding, surveying, electricity, mechanization, and other related subjects. There are eight welding stations and additional tables/spaces for trailer construction. Department tools are kept in a locked storage area. These facilities are old and out of date, but will be replaced by the new Agricultural Mechanization Center, located near Holleman Baseball Field.

The Meat Science Lab is housed on the Agriculture Center grounds. It contains a large slaughter room with pens, hoists, weight scales, overhead rails, and walk-in freezers and coolers for holding beef, hog, sheep, and poultry carcasses. The adjacent processing room is fully equipped with meat-grinding and cutting equipment and meat-wrapping tables. The scalding tanks and smokers are located in the abattoir. The facility can accommodate twenty students. Although the equipment is not state-of-the-art, it is current and better than adequate.

The new Agricultural Mechanization Center will provide twenty-six work stations for woodworking and metalworking with state-of-the-art tools and equipment. The new facility will also contain an office, a storage area, and a classroom and computer lab. This building will be much better than adequate to meet student needs.

The Horticulture and Crop Science Center is located one mile from campus, on College Farm Road. The facility consists of four buildings which are more than thirty years old and in need of upgrading. The classroom building contains twenty-four desks and an office area, a bathroom, and sinks and storage facilities for lab equipment. The head house is used for storage of equipment and horticultural supplies, while two greenhouses are equipped with potting tables, sprinkling systems, and heaters. The greenhouses lack adequate cooling systems, however.

The Gibbs Ranch, a 1,600 acre facility recently acquired by the University from the Gibbs family, is located seven miles north of Huntsville, on Highway 75. The ranch contains a number of barns and buildings which house labs, faculty offices, student housing, and meeting centers available to University students and faculty as needed. A farm manager and two full-time workers, along with several student workers, operate the ranch, and the income from its operation provides sufficient funds to run the facility without drawing on department funds. The Gibbs Ranch, as a recently acquired facility, is provided with good to moderately good equipment; however, some old, dilapidated barns need to be replaced, and greater attention should be paid to how the facility can be put to instructional use. Although new animal working facilities are also needed at the ranch, the ranch is more than adequate for student use.

The Soils Lab, Poultry Lab, and Horticulture Lab suffer seriously from a lack of equipment and a lack of maintenance or repair of equipment. An Agriculture Lab fee is under consideration in order to pay for supplies and support of the facilities. Recent approval was given to expand HEAF funds for a new greenhouse at the Agriculture Center. Several structures at the Agriculture Center need to be demolished, and long-overdue maintenance of buildings is needed.

Department of Family and Consumer Sciences
The Family and Consumer Sciences laboratories are located in Academic Building 2, on the northwest corner of the campus. The laboratories consist of the Mattie Bea Medford Living Center, a Clothing Lab, a Foods Lab, an Interior Design Lab, and a Design Resource Room.

The Medford Living Center consists of a living and dining room which is used not only for entertaining and dining in a formal setting, but also for studying construction of furniture, drapery, lighting, and interior design. The facility has recently been repainted and upgraded and, although it could use additional appointments, it is better than adequate for student use.

The Clothing Lab contains twenty-four student work stations outfitted with professional Bernina sewing machines, eight of which have been upgraded to state-of-the-art equipment and the remainder of which, some as many as twenty-five years old, are being upgraded as funds allow. An outside technician maintains the machines on a regular basis, usually just prior to the beginning of the fall semester, although there is no annual contract. While the Clothing Lab is frequently filled to capacity and additional layout space is required, the lab is considered adequate for student use.

The Foods Lab contains six kitchen work stations with capability for four to five students per station. The Foods Lab is equipped with commercial food preparation materials and appropriate hood and vent systems. There is also pantry and storage space for the facility. Though there is some lack of consistency in the basic cooking equipment, since much of it has been replaced over the years on an as-needed basis, the Foods Lab is considered adequate for student use.

The Interior Design Lab consists of twenty drafting stations for interior design drawing. In addition, the lab contains a Design Resource Room available to department majors on campus during regular class hours, although the Resource Room is not staffed. The resource area is stocked with current manufacturers’ catalogues and samples of interior design materials, including wall paper, fabric, carpet, and tile. Design books are supplied by manufacturers and designers on a yearly basis. In addition, for graduate and upper-level students, a separate resource area is supplied with the most current material and supplies from manufacturers and design firms. The Interior Design Lab is considered adequate to serve the needs of the students.

Department of Technology
The Department of Technology, which offers six degrees and has an excellent employment record for its graduates, consists of six labs for Manual Drafting, Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD), Electronics, Construction, Metalworking, and Plastics.

The Drafting and CAD Labs, located in Academic Building 2 on the northwest corner of the campus, contain twenty-eight manual drafting stations and twenty CAD stations. At the present time, the equipment is not considered up to date with the most modern technology, but the University has plans to remodel the drafting laboratories and install twenty computers which will have current software and which will be networked into the University system.

The Electronics Lab is located in the Thomason Building on the main quadrangle of the campus. The department plans to expand this laboratory to include equipment that may be used to prepare students for Cisco Systems networking certification and computer A+ certification. The Electronics Lab is currently considered adequate for student work.

The Construction Lab, located off campus near Holleman Field, has altered its focus from woodworking and now concentrates on modern construction techniques. In the process, the lab has eliminated some of its inappropriate machinery and tools and will be upgrading to provide students with the equipment and materials necessary for study of new techniques and construction technologies. The Construction Lab will be more than adequate within one to two years.

The Metals Lab, also located near Holleman Field, provides equipment to train students in casting, fabrication, welding, machining, and other manufacturing processes. A small Computer Numerical Control (CNC) lathe provides students with experiences in new technology applications. Future plans involve the acquisition of a CNC milling machine. The Metals Lab is currently adequate to serve the needs of the students and faculty.

Of all the laboratories, the Plastics Lab, located in the building housing the Construction Laboratory, is the least adequate and the least well funded. At the present time, only one course is taught here. Two pieces of equipment have been donated; the rest of the equipment has been acquired through purchase or local construction over a period of time. In order to reach adequate standards, the lab requires an extruder, a chopper, and an additional injection molder, oven, and vacuum forming machine. Standing alone, the laboratory is inadequate; however, many activities may be performed in the Metals and Construction Labs, which provides at least a marginally adequate facility for training students for work in the plastics field.

The department continues to upgrade laboratory equipment and supplies as funds are available. The department is striving to put together a plan to acquire funding for laboratory space and equipment similar to, if not the equivalent of, that used in the industries in which its graduates are employed.

Departments of Curriculum and Instruction, Educational Leadership and Counseling
The departments have integrated technologically enhanced multimedia teaching in their classrooms; this includes overhead transparencies, computers, and projectors. Funds from a state grant have been used to upgrade facilities for methods classes. Equipment includes a distance learning television center with hyper-converter, video visualizer, and Picture-Tel podium and control center. The Educational Leadership and Counseling Department received additional funds from a national grant to establish a specialized learning center for future counselors and administrators.

Department of Language, Literacy and Special Populations
Within the past two years, the Language, Literacy and Special Populations has implemented a state-mandated field-based teacher training system. Of the student-teaching programs, all except Early Childhood training have been moved to the eleven school districts within a one-hundred-fifty mile radius, where students receive training in up-to-date audio-visual and media technology required as part of their 3,000 hours of teacher training. A three million dollar Professional Development Grant from the State of Texas has been used to purchase additional computers, VCRs, taping facilities, overheads, and other equipment, all of which have been placed at the elementary, junior high, and high schools which serve as labs for the student teachers. Each semester, between three and four hundred students are assigned to the eleven surrounding school districts for these field-based programs. Special Education student teachers are assigned to state schools or private residential facilities for their lab experiences. Bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes are also field-based, most of them conducted in the Aldine School District in north Houston. The program has proved to be better than adequate, and the University has been cited as exemplary in Elementary Education teacher training by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The Early Childhood Preschool Lab has been retained in the Teacher Education Building. This facility, which accepts children of ages three and four, is open to anyone in the community, although children of SHSU students and faculty are given priority. A certified lab teacher, usually a master’s student, monitors the children and assists student teachers in class projects. The facilities for the lab contain three times the recommended floor space and feature fully equipped learning stations, restrooms, kitchen, and a two-way glass for student observation of children. This facility is better than adequate for the needs of the students in Early Childhood Education.

The Technology Instruction Center, located on the third floor of the Teacher Education Building, has been reduced in size, although it has not been eliminated. The facility consists of a computer lab and a presentation classroom, as well as two offices and storage areas for equipment. The professor in charge of technology-enhanced instruction is assisted by an A/V technician who maintains and repairs all equipment. The center annually assists as many as nine hundred students in preparing presentations through Power Point, Hyper Studio, or Page Maker. Some help is also provided in preparing other media such as overhead transparencies. The television studio and studio control room have been disassembled and are not currently in use. Although there is little funding and the equipment is old, the facility is adequate for student use, particularly because of the recent shift to field-based instruction.

Across-the-University Writing Program/Center
The Across-the-University Writing Program has existed since 1989. The program has offered over one hundred workshops for faculty and students and ten two-day retreats for members of the faculty. The director has ordered over two hundred library books and eleven videotapes concerning writing for faculty use. The program director also publishes a newsletter every semester.

The Across-the-University Writing Program has just received funding from Houston Endowment Inc. to establish a writing center. The center may be located in the Newton Gresham Library and will assist students, faculty, staff , community members, and alumni with help in writing resumes, essays, term papers, articles, reports, and books. Computers and equipment will be purchased from grant funds to implement the programs. The center will be applying for College Reading and Learning Association Tutor Certification.

Although not yet in place, the Across-the-University Writing Center is seeking additional funding and plans to hire a Writing Center Director. It is hoped that this center will be much better than adequate for students needing help with writing.

Department of Military Science
The Department of Military Science is housed on opposite sides of the third floor of Academic Building 3. The old building is in need of renovation. Four of the classrooms (two on each side of the building) have overhead projectors supplied by the military, but there is only one television and VCR, provided by the University, and one Phillips LCD projector for the use of the department. The department does have one very old copier and a printer supplied by the Army. There are no laboratories or learning centers associated with Military Science. Because classrooms are located on opposite sides of the building, transport of equipment is difficult. The department needs another copier, VCR, and television.

RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS: SECTION 5.2

Having determined that the University complies with all of the imperatives in this section of the Criteria, the Steering Committee has no recommendations. The Committee offers the following suggestions, however:

The Biological Sciences and Chemistry Departments, as well as the Technology Department, should receive updated laboratory equipment.

A copier, VCR, and television should be supplied to the Department of Military Science.

COMPLIANCE TABLE: SECTION 5.2

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS: SECTION 5.2

None

The Biological Sciences and Chemistry Departments, as well as the Technology Department, should receive updated laboratory equipment.

A copier, VCR, and television should be supplied to the Department of Military Science.