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Student newspaper of
Tarleton State University
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
Paid •
Permit Noi 133
Stephenville, Texas 76401
61st Year No. 10 April 3, 1980
New program promises success
If early responses are any
indication, the Tarleton State
University-Texas A&M
Cooperative Program i;i
Engineering will be off to a
flying start next fall, according
to Dr. Joe E. Cude, head of the
Department of Mathematics and
Physics at Tarleton.
The recently-approved
program between the two
universities will enable students
to be a part of the Texas A&M
program while enrolled at
Tarleton, and 120 students have
already indicated an interest in
the new program.
Effective with the 1980
academic year, the two-year
engineering program at Tarleton
will be available in civil,
electrical, industrial and
mechanical engineering. After
successful completion of the
second year at TSU, students
may transfer, with no loss of
credit, to Texas A&M for their
final two years of study.
Tarleton has been a part of
the Texas A&M University
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System since 1917, and has
offered engineering courses since
1920. General requirements for
admission to the course will be
the same as for admission to
Texas A&M's College of
Engineering and each student
will have an advisor from Texas
A&M in addition to an advisor
from Tarleton.
Stephens seeks
to expand TSU
minority plans
Student recruiting
coordinator Jerry Stephens said
he wants to expand minority
recruiting efforts and improve
retention rates of minorities.
At present, TSU relies upon
visits to predominatly minority
schools and direct mail
campaigns to attract blacks and
Hispanics. This school year
continued on p. 5
Although the program is not
scheduled to start at Tarleton
until next fall. Dr. Cude said
"students who are not prepared
to enroll in calculus will be
directed to enroll in summer
school for the purpose of taking
algebra and plane
trigonometry."
Dr. Cude commented also,
"this will be a quality program
with quality students" pointing
out that at the first counseling
session in the fall the students
will be given the Nelson-Denny
Reading test and a placement
examination prepared by the
Mathematical Association of
America, plus any other tests the
faculty feels necessary, to
properly evaluate and counsel
each student.
The Tarleton-Texas A&M
program is designed to provide
an alternative for students who
desire to begin their professional
engineering preparation closer to
home or who prefer a smaller
university setting.
This bloom is a sure indication that spring has arrived. Along with shorts, bicyclers and
parties at the lake, can summer be far behind?
Officials feel optimistic
for TSU's accreditation
TSU officials say they are optimistic that both the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)' and the National
Council for Accredidation of Teachers Education (NCATE) will
grant accreditation following the joint study last week.
Both Dean of Education Leo Purvis and Dean of Arts & Sciences
Robert Fain said they were encouraged by comments from the
visiting committees at an exit interview Wednesday afternoon. Dr.
Fain said he believes reaccreditation will be granted by SACS. Dr.
Purvis said he believes NCATE will accredit the bachelors degree
programs in education, but was unsure of the master's degree
program accreditation at this time.
NCATE found TSU met all standards except that more faculty
should be doing scholarly research and writing. Dr. Purvis said. SACS
made 13 suggestions, including a need for more information on
entering freshman, more records to be kept on TSU graduates, and
improved academic counseling.
Dr. Purvis said, accreditation by NCATE would allow TSU
education graduates to be employed outside the state of Texas
without having to take additional courses or test. Students also
would be able to transfer elsewhere with credits being more readily
accepted.
TSU was first accredited by SACS in 1966, which was the earliest
date the university could be recognized after becoming a four-year
institution. This is the first time TSU has asked to be considered by
NCATE. NCATE requires that a university offer a program for
several years and be accredited by SACS and the Texas Education
Agency before it considers accreditation. Only about 50 percent of
the schools in Texas are accredited by NCATE.
Tentative drafts of the committee's findings should be sent to
TSU in three to four weeks, Fain and Purvis both said.
Accreditations will not be granted until the NCATE National Board
reviews its committee's findings in late June and the SACS board
reviews its committee's findings in December, Dr. Fain said.
Dr. Purvis thanked TSU students, in particular, for giving the
accreditation team "a lot of helpful feedback."
