Our office is located on the first floor of the newly-renovated and visually attractive Ferguson Hall at the hub of the campus.

We pride ourselves in being student centered, in being service oriented, in being able to answer or handle your questions or problems, and in maintaining a friendly and open environment for all who enter our office.

Among the functions and duties performed at this office are program advising, degree plans, room and course scheduling, faculty and staff related matters, curricular planning, major and minor information, General Education, checklists for graduation, and over all troubleshooting. If for no other reason, come by to visit.

DESCRIPTION

The School of Arts and Sciences exists to meet the needs of the university, to complement the other academic units, and to help students realize personal, professional, and vocational objectives. The school is composed of six Departments--Behavioral and Social Sciences, Biology, Computer Science and Mathematics, Earth and Physical Sciences, Fine Arts and Communication, and Languages and Literature--each of which encompasses a number of disciplines and programs.

A vital new addition to Arts and Sciences is the Academic Center for Excellence (ACE), which includes basic Skills classes in Writing, Reading, and Mathematics as well as Study Skills, the Pathway to Academic Socialization and Success (PASS), the Honors Program, critical thinking, tutorial support, and computer enhanced learning.

Degrees offered by programs in the School of Arts and Sciences include the Bachelor of Arts, the Bachelor of Science, the Bachelor of Fine Arts, the Master of Arts, and the Master of Science. The departments and programs in the School offer courses for the core curriculum in general education, provide course support for other programs, and develop innovative elective units in addition to required courses for majors and minors.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

1. Bachelor of Arts with majors in Communication, English, General Studies, History, Mexican-American Studies, Music, Political Science, Psychology, Social Science, Spanish, Theatre
2. Bachelor of Fine Arts with major in Art
3. Bachelor of Science with majors in Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Environmental Studies, Geology, Mathematics
4. Master of Arts with majors in Art, English, History, Liberal Arts, Political Science, Political Science--Public Administration Option, Psychology
5. Master of Science with majors in Biology, Geology

MINORS

In addition to Baccalaureate degree programs resulting in majors, the School of Arts and Sciences requires all students to complete a minor. The School offers minors in a number of different subjects or disciplines, and others are currently being planned for future offering. The list below is the status of minors in the School of Arts and Sciences at this moment:

Students in Arts and Sciences may, however, opt for a minor in Professional Studies or in Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences. Contact an advisor in one of those programs for assistance.

MISSION AND GOALS

As at other institutions of higher education, the Arts and Sciences stand at the core of University life and culture. The fundamental mission of the School of Arts and Sciences at Sul Ross State University is to foster excellence in teaching and learning. The School strives to provide an educational environment that includes a free exchange of ideas, an appreciation of diversity, the development of professionalism, a respect for the liberal arts and sciences, and an understanding of the region and community. The School encourages scholarly and creative endeavors that promote a commitment by faculty and students to productive inquiry, varied research methodologies, and long term learning. The School provides service to the community and region in the form of professional and academic activities, as a center for social and cultural activity, and by participation in community functions.

As the university's mission acknowledges, the ultimate outcome of higher education enables the individual to utilize knowledge and skills for personal growth and professional development. To this end, the School as well as the University seeks to cultivate in its students (1) mastery of analytical, communication, and computational skills, (2) mastery of a general body of knowledge, (3) competency in an area of specialization, (4) integrity, tolerance, and ethical values, and (5) attitudes and skills leading to life-long learning.

In order to realize its many duties, obligations, and expectations, the School of Arts and Sciences looks to the future and establishes means for getting there. These goals of the School of Arts and Sciences reflect and support those of the university; they include:

1. To promote quality and excellence in the academic programs. The School encourages an ever-evolving curriculum which can meet the changing needs of students and the community. Such a curriculum results in an increased concern for and study of peoples, the environment, and their inter-relationships. This means, currently, to review and develop multicultural, global, and regional studies programs through disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and inter-disciplinary efforts.

2. To retain, develop, and graduate the student body in keeping with the mission of access for all West Texas students. This means that effective tutorial, advising, retention, and developmental programs in the School be implemented to support the student- centered campus which is Sul Ross State University. The School commits itself to enabling personal attention and empathy for students.

3. To increase available financial resources from all sources. In these days of tightening state budgets, this means that the School must work with other units of the university to seek and develop alternative funding from grants, foundations, private donors, business, and alumni.

4. To strengthen and ensure an institutional commitment to Arts and Sciences faculty and staff. In other words, to develop, support, and maintain quality and committed personnel. This means providing opportunities for growth and advancement, a positive environment, and a network of monetary and honorific backing. For faculty, it also ensures a commitment to innovative program development, professional opportunities, and teaching enhancement.

5. To ensure diversity throughout the School of Arts and Sciences. This means creating broad-based hiring efforts; student recruiting; support programs; and a curriculum which is attractive to a wide range of students.

6. To support research and scholarship in an effort to advance knowledge, to facilitate teaching, to encourage professional development, and to utilize the distinctive environment of the Big Bend area of Texas.

7. To recognize and sponsor the use of modern technology. This can be used to strengthen relationships with other educational sectors, aid the Sul Ross service community, ensure student survival and success in the twenty-first century, improve teaching and learning, transmit education to previously neglected places, and provide a means of communication with other segments and regions of society.

8. To enhance and improve the image of the School, its faculty, and its programs; to also enable good programs to get even better. These efforts partially can be accomplished by publicizing the contributions of the faculty, staff, and students as well as by extensive interactions with the community.

9. To re-emphasize the public service needs of the community, and the role the School can serve in addressing these.

10. To improve and expand the commitment of the School of Arts and Sciences to effective planning. The School of Arts and Sciences needs to determine what holds it together, what it is doing, and what it can accomplish.

11. To support and facilitate excellence in teaching and learning. This is the cornerstone of the Arts and Sciences at Sul Ross State University. Since students have differing learning styles, it behooves faculty to use differing teaching methods to meet these differing styles. Students also deserve to know the instructor's objectives for the class as well as the means of assessment; this can be accomplished via a thorough syllabus.

12. To provide an environment of collegiality for all who work, study, or visit. In this School, decisions will be reached after due consultation; a spirit of togetherness will be fostered; and processes established to ensure equitable and fair treatment.

ACCOUNTABILITY

Obviously, the development of a list of goals, and the creation of a mission statement, cannot operate and function in a void. Continual review and assessment will be followed to ensure that the School of Arts and Sciences fulfills its obligation to the mission of the university and to its students. As a state supported unit providing educational opportunities for the inhabitants of this vast region, the School considers accountability to be a key part of its responsibility to community and region.

The School of Arts and Sciences at Sul Ross State University pledges itself to provide a quality education for its students, to support and maintain a first rate faculty, and to serve the community in a variety of ways. It will fulfill its mission of "fostering excellence in teaching and learning."