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Show Social sciences are a major emphasis of Southern Utah several goals to help students, he says. "Our faculty are qualified and "Our students are successful in the job market- in counseling, teaching, concerned about students. Even with th e growth at SUU we' re working to government employment opportunities, and also in the law.profession," says Wayne Hinton, SUU's h ead of the department of social sciences. keep the student-to-teacher ratio low to have good interpersonal relationships with students. We're concerned about being available for counseling and " Our students also report that they're well-prepared for graduate school. We advisemen t; and, we've limited the size of some upper division courses by have one of the highest success ratios in the country for getting our pre-law adding more class sections to the schedule. 11 students admitted into law school. In general, we have a high success rate for Hinton says SUU's social science department has well-qualified professors. all of our students who apply to graduate school," says Dr. Hinton. About 2.0 "Our faculty stay abreast by percent of the department's researching and writing in their graduates choose to pursue a fields. Four have authored master's degree. books, and all have published SUU offers a major and minor articles in professional journals, in history; a geograph y minor; a which is a good indication that major and minor in political our teachers know th eir stuff science with a pre-law emphasis; because those articles are majors and minors in sociology; adjudicated by peer professors a social science composite major from across the coun try. And all for secondary education majors of our faculty members have and a social science composite presented papers at professional emphasis for elementary conferences. " education majors. The social sciences Most recently, the department department acts as an umbrella has added a certificate of over four subject areas, the international relations through diversity has been a plus, he the political science department. says. "We've supported one The n ew degree requires courses another and drawn from the in international relations and strengths of expertise in the government. Students interested different sections of the in this area must also complete department. I think it's good for 2.5 hours of a foreign.language. to experience the students Hinton says he's not the only diversity within our one impressed with the quality department. " of student teach ers produced by In additic.n to previously listed Southern Utah University. "Our services, the SUU social student teachers are said to be ~±£122:L:2liiili:J sciences department operates a among the best they [cooperating Wayne Hinton, head of the department of social sciences, is a firm believer in the SUU statistics and computer lab for teachers] ever see. 11 concept of personal attention for students. all students. SUU faculty members have Student Support Services helps in a variety of ways Student Support Services (SSS) at SUU is dedicated to helping students and will identify 150 participants for its program early in fall quarter. Located in South Hall, SSS is the place to go on campus when you need extra academic help. There are three types of students eligible for admission to SSS: those who meet certain income requirem ent s and/or first-generation college students (meaning that neither parent has a college degree), and disabled students (this includes physical and learning disabilities ). What does SSS offer? It assists students in planning a successful program for achieving educational goals. Toward this, SSS offers several classes in basic English and math, study skills and career decisions. T hey also offer tutorial support. T h e English classes are for those who want to refresh or relearn basic skills as they enter or reenter college. Three separate courses cover basic vocabulary, improving reading skills and writing fundamentals. Along with these classes comes tutorial support, where the staff gives individual assistance to students needing help revising and organizing their English coursework. Basic math classes assist those who have not had algebra in high school or who have been away from mathematics long enough to want a refresher course or encouragement. The I courses include pre-algebra, beginning algebra, and math anxiety reduction. Again, tutors are available daily to give personal help for these classes and regular college-level math classes. The Student Support Services math lab also offers three Macintosh computers with math software to give students computer experiences while learning math skills. SSS doesn't stop there; it also establishes a relationship with the student to offer encouragement, support and academic advisement for creatively solving life problems. The staff wants to see students su cceed academically, which often means lending that personal touch to ensure that students can emotionally weather their college career. Why is Student Support Services doing this? SSS h as found that students attending their tutoring and classes gain stability in educational pursuits and stay in the program through a two- or four-year degree. That would be purpose enough, but SSS is also noted for working successfully with reentry and non-traditional students. Director Lynne Brown said, "These students often feel out of place on campus-it's hard to re-enter school- but our program is very successful in helping non-traditionals attain their goals. This place m eets their needs. We often see social Pamela France is a integral cog in the Student Support bonding among participants and staff in the Services machine. program." |