Louisiana State University and A&M College

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  2. COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATION
  3. PART 1. Signatures Attesting to Compliance
  4. PART 2. List of Substantive Changes Approved Since the Last Reaffirmation
  5. PART 3. Institutional Assessment of Compliance
    1. Section 2: Core Requirements
      1. 2.1 Degree-granting Authority
      2. 2.2 Governing Board
      3. 2.3 Chief Executive Officer
      4. 2.4 Institutional Mission
      5. 2.5 Institutional Effectiveness
        1. 2.5 Institutional Effectiveness (Continued)
      6. 2.6 Continuous Operation
      7. 2.7.1 Program Length
        1. 2.7.1 Program Length (Continued)
      8. 2.7.2 Program Content
      9. 2.7.3 General Education
      10. 2.7.4 Course work for Degrees
      11. 2.8 Faculty
      12. 2.9 Learning Resources and Services
      13. 2.10 Student Support Services
        1. 2.10 Student Support Services (Continued)
      14. 2.11.1 Financial Resources
      15. 2.11.2 Physical Resources
    2. Section 3: Comprehensive Standards
      1. 3.1.1 Mission
      2. 3.2.1 CEO evaluation/selection
      3. 3.2.2 Governing board control
      4. 3.2.3 Board conflict of interest
      5. 3.2.4 External Influence
      6. 3.2.5 Board dismissal
      7. 3.2.6 Board/administration distinction
      8. 3.2.7 Organizational structure
      9. 3.2.8 Qualified administrative/academic officers
      10. 3.2.9 Personnel appointment
      11. 3.2.10 Administrative staff evaluations
      12. 3.2.11 Control of intercollegiate athletics
      13. 3.2.12 Fund-raising activities
      14. 3.2.13 Institution-related entities
      15. 3.2.14 Intellectual property rights
      16. 3.3.1 Institutional Effectiveness
        1. 3.3.1.1
          1. 3.3.1.1 (Continued)
        2. 3.3.1.2
        3. 3.3.1.3
          1. 3.3.1.3 (Continued)
        4. 3.3.1.4
          1. 3.3.1.4 (Continued)
        5. 3.3.1.5
          1. 3.3.1.5 (Continued)
      17. 3.4.1 Academic program approval
      18. 3.4.2 Continuing education/service programs
      19. 3.4.3 Admissions policies
      20. 3.4.4 Acceptance of academic credit
      21. 3.4.5 Academic policies
      22. 3.4.6 Practices for awarding credit
      23. 3.4.7 Consortial relationships/contractual agreements
      24. 3.4.8 Noncredit to credit
      25. 3.4.9 Academic support services
        1. 3.4.9 (Continued)
        2. 3.4.9 (Continued - 2)
      26. 3.4.10 Responsibility for curriculum
      27. 3.4.11 Academic program coordination
      28. 3.4.12 Technology use
      29. 3.5.1 General education competencies
      30. 3.5.2 Institutional credits for a degree
      31. 3.5.3 Undergraduate program requirements
      32. 3.5.4 Terminal degrees of faculty
      33. 3.6.1 Post-baccalaureate program rigor
        1. 3.6.1 Post-baccalaureate program rigor (Continued)
      34. 3.6.2 Graduate curriculum
      35. 3.6.3 Institutional credits for a graduate degree
      36. 3.6.4 Post-baccalaureate program requirements
      37. 3.7.1 Faculty competence
      38. 3.7.2 Faculty evaluation
      39. 3.7.3 Faculty development
      40. 3.7.4 Academic freedom
      41. 3.7.5 Faculty role in governance
      42. 3.8.1 Learning/information resources
      43. 3.8.2 Instruction of library use
      44. 3.8.3 Qualified staff
      45. 3.9.1 Student rights
      46. 3.9.2 Student records
      47. 3.9.3 Qualified staff
      48. 3.10.1 Financial Stability
      49. 3.10.2 Financial aid audits
      50. 3.10.3 Control of finances
      51. 3.10.4 Control of sponsored research/external funds
      52. 3.11.1 Control of physical resources
      53. 3.11.2 Institutional environment
      54. 3.11.3 Physical facilities
      55. 3.12.1 Substantive change
      56. 3.13 Policy compliance
        1. 3.13.1 "Accrediting Decisions of Other Agencies"
        2. 3.13.2. "Collaborative Academic Arrangements: Policy and Procedures"
        3. 3.13.3. "Complaint Procedures Against the Commission or Its Accredited Institutions"
        4. 3.13.4. "Reaffirmation of Accreditation and Subsequent Reports"
          1. 3.13.4.a.
          2. 3.13.4.b.
      57. 3.14.1 Publication of accreditation status
      58. 3.13.5. "Separate Accreditation for Units of a Member Institution"
        1. 3.13.5.a.
        2. 3.13.5.b.
    3. Section 4: Federal Requirements
      1. 4.1 Student Achievement
      2. 4.2 Program curriculum
        1. 4.2 Program curriculum (Continued)
      3. 4.3 Publication of policies
      4. 4.4 Program length
        1. 4.4 Program length (Continued)
      5. 4.5 Student complaints
      6. 4.6 Recruitment materials
      7. 4.7 Title IV program responsibilities
      8. 4.8 Distance and correspondence education
        1. 4.8.1
        2. 4.8.2
        3. 4.8.3
      9. 4.9 Definition of credit hours
  6. PART 4. Institutional Summary Form Prepared for Commission Reviews
  7. FOCUSED REPORT
  8. QUALITY ENHANCEMENT PLAN (QEP)

3.4.9 (Continued - 2)

Narrative (Continued)

 

The Accounting Den

A social networking site, the Accounting Den is designed exclusively for accounting students, recruiters, alumni, and supporters. It encourages interaction and communication with accounting professionals. The site is also used for delivering important information to students, such as scholarships, internships, and special events [131].

 

The 180 Project

A short (one-and-one-half days) program, the 180 Project is designed for students taking Introductory Biology for Science Majors I (BIOL 1201) a second time. It serves approximately 30 students per session and is offered annually before the spring semester [132].

College of Agriculture

EXST Consulting

The Department of Experimental Statistics provides free, state-of-the-art statistical consulting services to all faculty, staff, and students affiliated with the university and the LSU AgCenter. Consulting sessions usually include an EXST faculty member and one or more EXST graduate students. The first consulting session is usually limited to one hour; follow-up meetings may be scheduled. The spirit of the service is a collegial outreach for cross-fertilization of ideas and the promotion of sound statistical methods. Consulting sessions may lead EXST faculty to create new statistical methodology or generate special problems or theses for EXST students, or lead to a cooperative research arrangement among parties [133].

AGRI 1001

The purpose of this course is to assist students entering the LSU College of Agriculture in becoming successful university students. Although the course is designed primarily for entering first-year students, the content should prove equally beneficial to transfer students [134].

­College of Art and Design

Design Workshop

The LSU College of Art + Design’s large and comprehensive workshop can be used by all students to complete class projects [135].

CxC Art and Design Studio One

The CxC studio contains equipment and software that is available to all Art and Design students.  Comprehensive Standard 3.4.12 contains full details on this facility [136].

College of Science

Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Advising

The counselors in the College of Science are the primary premedical/predental advisors at LSU. They are members of the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions (NAAHP) and attend national and regional conferences on issues related to advising undergraduate students who are interested in careers in the health professions [137].

CHEMIS

Chemis is an intensive one-week program for first-year chemistry majors. It is designed to help chemistry students make the transition to university rigors and expectations and to become successful in their LSU courses [138].

BIOS

BIOS is a one-week intensive program specifically for incoming biological sciences majors.   This program is designed to help these students make the transition to the expectations of college prior to the start of the fall semester [139].

180 Project

The 180 Project is a day-and-a-half program specifically for students who will be taking BIOL 1201 (Introductory Biology for Science Majors I) for a second time [132].    

School of Veterinary Medicine        

The School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) provides specialized medical and imaging technology to support its teaching efforts, as well as surgical and anesthesia facilities in teaching labs. SVM maintains eight of its own multimedia classrooms, eight small group teaching rooms with smartboards, and three computer labs [140].

College of Engineering

LSU’s College of Engineering houses two large teaching labs, one with 48 stations and the other with 56 stations. These are used to teach classes across all disciplines as necessary [141]. The college also has the Engineering Communications Studio (ECS), which has 15 PCs and specialized hardware, including a plotter, 3-D printer, 3-D scanner, presentation room with electronic whiteboard display, and specialized software [142]. The college also has the Chevron Reservoir Characterization Laboratory (CRCL), which has a high resolution video wall, electronic whiteboard, and HD projector [143].

There are a few other engineering college-maintained classrooms that have video projectors. The larger college-level computing lab has dual HD projectors, as well as dual HD LED displays, to increase viewing ease. All college-level computing labs/classrooms have document cameras.  The college is trying to upgrade most of its classroom and lab screens to electric wide format screens [141].

Departments within engineering generally have their own computer labs.  For instance, the Department of Petroleum Engineering’s lab with 21 desktop workstations was updated in the summer of 2012. These computers have an extensive set of software packages specific to their program, most of which are in-kind donations from companies. A second computer laboratory at the Keller Classroom is designed for well-control simulation.  The Keller Classroom also has advanced multimedia, HD projectors, and cameras [143].

Manship School of Mass Communication

The Manship School of Mass Communication relies heavily on digital technology in order to meet its program goals. Everything students learn and create has the end goal of communicating to a mass audience through technology. Mass Communication students create multiplatform (TV, radio, online, social media, mobile media, print) content that cannot be executed without access to necessary equipment and software. From the beginning of the program, students are exposed to computers and the software that is indispensable to success in this industry. As of the beginning of the fall semester 2013, The Manship School of Mass Communication has a laptop requirement for all incoming students [144].

The Manship School currently has five computer labs that are used for teaching. Three of these are located in the Journalism building where advertising, public relations, and journalism writing courses are taught. Each of these has 20 seats. Two labs, one with 20 seats and another with 13, and five video editing bays are located in Hodges Hall, where faculty primarily teach video editing/broadcast production courses. In addition, there is one open lab in the Journalism building.  Edius video editing software is on all computers in the video editing lab, along with five edit bay computers. Additionally, the edit bay computers have Adobe Audition audio editing software.  The Manship’s Media Effects Lab (MEL) has 16 Mac workstations for conducting experiments with access to Perception Analyzer, BioPac Physiological measuring software, and Tobii Eyetracking and MediaLab response-measuring software. The lab has a living room environment conducive to measuring participants’ physiological responses and a split screen for recording them while they play video games or watch TV [145].

The Holliday Forum is located at the entrance to the Journalism building. The Manship School and the Reilly Center regularly host guest speakers, panels, and symposia in this area. The facility has a podium with a computer, document camera and projector, along with  the ability to record all events with three robotic cameras [145].

Summer Academic Success Program

The Summer Academic Success Program offered by the Academic Center for Student Athletes assists new student athletes in making the transition to Louisiana State University by supporting their intellectual, social, cultural, and emotional development [146].

Experiential Learning    

LSU has several service and experiential learning opportunities.

Service-Learning/CCELL

The Center for Community Engagement Learning and Leadership (CCELL) strives to develop and promote mutually beneficial campus community partnerships built on integrity, respect, and equity. CCELL works with more than 90 faculty each year to develop approximately 170 classes in 40 different LSU departments. In these classes, more than 3,500 students partner with 100 community non-profit organizations to provide community service that enhances their learning. Students gain a deeper understanding of course content and civic responsibility, while community non-profits receive free, specialized services.  Further details are included in Comprehensive Standard 2.10 [147] [148] [149].

International Student Programs /Development & Outreach

Aware that such learning experiences constitute only one part of acquiring global competency, Development & Outreach within the Office of International Student Programs also develops agreements with international educational institutions, companies, and governments through which LSU faculty can engage in research, teaching, and other collaborations on an international level. The faculty’s global experiences are translated into curricula that reflect the interconnectedness and realities of the global community and lead students to approach problem solving and application of their majors in a global context [150].

Distance Learning Resources and Academic Support

LSU offers many resources to aid distance learning students.  Several online services, such as online tutoring and academic support workshops, are provided through the Center for Academic Success. Virtual academic and career counseling is also available.

SMARTHINKING Online Tutoring

SMARTHINKING Online Tutoring offers students 900 minutes of free online tutoring.   The areas of tutoring include writing, math (basic math through Calculus II), business (statistics, finance, economics, accounting), science (general biology, anatomy and physiology, genetics, physics, chemistry), and foreign language (Spanish). It is sponsored by the LSU Student Technology Fee Program and the Center for Academic Success  [151].

Learning Strategies Online

Learning Strategies Online offers students learning-style self-tests and online workshops for test preparation, time management, note taking, comprehension, and overcoming anxiety.   The site has over 18,000 visits annually [152] [153].  

Virtual Academic Counselor (VAC)

The University College Center for Freshman Year (UCFY) is the academic unit for most new first-year students and some transfer and re-entry students. LSU students may connect with a University College academic counselor by utilizing the virtual academic counselor (VAC) system/link on the college website [154]. The virtual academic counselor service is typically offered from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This service offers a live chat session with one of the staff. During peak advising periods, the virtual counselor may not be readily available. However, any message left on the virtual counselor system will be answered within one business day [155].

Virtual Career Counselor

Students can receive career-planning assistance online through our Virtual Career Consultant.  The Virtual Career Consultant is typically online 8:00am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday [156].

Libraries

The institution, through ownership or formal arrangements or agreements, provides and supports student and faculty access and user privileges to adequate library collections and services and to other learning/information resources consistent with the degrees offered. Collections, resources, and services are sufficient to support all its educational, research, and public service programs. More information can be found in Core Requirement 2.9 [157] [158].

NOTE: A full list of attachments is available in the first half of the narrative.

Author: Stephenie Franks
Last modified: 7/1/2015 7:33 AM (EST)