Principles of Excellence

On April 27, 2012, President Obama signed Executive Order 13607; Establishing the Principles of Excellence for educational institutions' service members, veterans, spouses, and other family members. Sam Houston State University fully complies with the seven principles and is dedicated to helping our veteran and non-veteran students succeed! Educational institutions participating in the Principles of Excellence program agree to the following guidelines:

Provide students with a personalized form covering the total cost of an education program.

The Johnny Isakson and David P. Roe, M.D. Veterans Health Care and Benefits Improvement Act of 2020 requires educational institutions to make certain disclosures to students using federal military and/or VA educational benefits. You can access a personalized data sheet by visiting the THECB Net Price Calculator and selecting Sam Houston State University (SHSU). Additional financial information can be found at the NCES College Navigator site.

The Financial Aid Shopping Sheet is a consumer tool that participating institutions will use to notify students about their financial aid package. It is a standardized form that is designed to simplify the information that prospective students receive about costs and financial aid so that they can easily compare institutions and make informed decisions about where to attend school. This can be found in your MySam Portal.

Students using GI Bill® Chapter 33 (Post 9/11), Chapter 31 (VRE), or Fry Scholarship benefits must submit a VA request form for benefits processing each semester. The SHSU Veterans Resource Center will review available benefits, have it applied to the bill, and then send notice to the student to review their bill for remaining debts.

Provide educational plans for all military and Veteran education beneficiaries.

Each student can access their degree plan through the MySam Portal. A list of all degrees can be found here.

End fraudulent and aggressive recruiting techniques and misrepresentations.

Sam Houston State University bans all inducements (including any gratuity, favor, discount, entertainment, hospitality, loan, transportation, lodging, meals, or other items having a monetary value of more than a de minimis amount) to any individual or entity (other than salaries paid to employees or fees paid to contractors in conformity with all applicable laws) for the purpose of securing enrollment of service members or obtaining access to tuition assistance funds as part of efforts to eliminate aggressive marketing aimed at service members.

Sam Houston State University does not participate in high-pressure recruitment-marketing tactics. Sam Houston State University will not provide any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based directly or indirectly on securing enrollment of federal financial aid (including TA funds) to any persons or entities engaged in any student recruiting, admission activities, or making decisions regarding the award of student financial assistance.

Accommodate Servicemembers and Reservists absent due to service requirements.

Re-admission is guaranteed, pending proof of compliance with minimal technical standards and the Codes of Academic and Behavioral Conduct, for students whose military reserve obligations may necessitate a period of absence from the academic program when they are called to extended active duty. For more about the re-admission policy please review the University handbook.

Designate a point of contact to provide academic and financial advice.

Veterans and their families may contact the Veterans Resource Center:

Kyra Mays
Coordinator
1903 University Avenue, Estill Building, Room 331
Huntsville, TX 77340
936.294.4833
knm070@shsu.edu

Gordon Lane
Coordinator
1903 University Avenue, Estill Building, Room 331
Huntsville, TX 77340
936.294.3609
gtl009@shsu.edu

Becky Paschal
Coordinator
1903 University Avenue, Estill Building, Room 331
Huntsville, TX 77340
936.294.2544
bxp016@shsu.edu

Ensure accreditation of all new programs prior to enrolling students.

Sam Houston State University works with the State Approving Agency (SAA) to ensure accreditation of new programs prior to enrolling students in those programs.

Align institutional refund policies with those under Title IV, which governs the administration of federal student financial aid programs.

Sam Houston State University's institutional refund policy aligns with the Title IV refund policies.

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/.