from President Killebrew

A new facet of SACS reaffirmation is the requirement that institutions create a quality enhancement plan (QEP). The plan is reviewed and approved by the SACS review committee that visits the campus. The QEP is an opportunity to reinvest in our core mission, ameliorate our weaknesses, and build on our strengths.

At A&M-Corpus Christi, we have focused on serving first-year students since 1994, when the learning communities program was initiated. Excellence based on continuous reflection and revision led to the Texas STAR Award in 2003 and being named a Foundation of Excellence for students in the first year of college in 2004. 

In spite of these recognitions, those who work with and teach first-year students are not satisfied with their level of success, and feel that our efforts need continuous refinement if we are to continue to be a leader in learning communities and the first-year experience. Data have been examined and are continuing to be examined to identify challenges that students face that seem particularly troubling. Success in math, facility in reading, and academic expectations and motivation have been identified as areas needing attention.

After a year and a half of campus conversations and committee work, faculty have chosen the First Year Islander (FYI) experience as our quality enhancement plan focus. It allows us to build on our strengths and address our weaknesses; it is broad-based and will impact large numbers of students; it will engage faculty, staff, librarians, and advisors in all the colleges and many programs, including those providing bridge, tutoring, and honors’ experiences for first-year students.

This year, a broad-based steering committee is deciding the most effective areas of focus, methods, and resources needed to make significant improvements to existing programs and for new programs. Our goal is to remake the First Year Islander (FYI) experience into something supportive, engaging, and challenging for all students.