Dec 07, 2024  
2014-2015 Undergraduate Bulletin 
    
2014-2015 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

8. Academic Resources


8.1 Student Success Center

The goal of the Student Success Center is to facilitate the academic progress of all students. Students who need academic assistance are aided through a variety of services designed to increase their chances for success. Advanced students have the opportunity to develop mentoring and teaching skills and to enhance their study techniques prior to entering either graduate/professional school or the job market.

The Student Success Center offers peer tutoring, academic advising for undeclared students, guided study sessions, and individual academic counseling. Group workshops are scheduled on a variety of topics, such as test taking, note taking, and time management. The Student Success Center maintains a library of study guides, study skills books, computer tutorials, video tutorials, and handouts that offer instruction in effective learning and study strategies. Students receive individualized instruction in the utilization of computer tutorials and the implementation of newly-acquired study techniques.

8.2 First-Year Program

The First-Year Program is designed to acquaint new students with college life and to assist them in clarifying and planning academic and career goals. The one credit course, UN 101 - Introduction to College Life , is required of all students with fewer than 12 hours earned, excluding AP and CLEP credit, college credit earned while in high school, and college credit earned during the summer between high school graduation and fall enrollment. Special emphasis is placed on monitoring the academic progress of students during their first semester of enrollment.

8.3 Summer Developmental Program

The summer developmental program is an option for students who do not meet admission criteria of the University for fall term enrollment but wish to demonstrate basic academic competencies requisite to entry in the fall term. The program consists of developmental courses in reading, English, and mathematics, as well as a learning skills lab, totaling twelve (12) credit hours for the nine week term. Students must enroll for the entire 12-hour program. The credits earned in the summer developmental program do not count toward graduation, but do carry institutional credt. Consult the Office of Admissions, the Student Success Center, or the Office of Academic Affairs about program dates and other requirements.

Students who successfully complete the program and enter in the fall term will be required to complete a year-long academic support program (see Section 8.4 below). Students who fail to complete the program are not eligible for enrollment in the regular academic year and will be counseled to explore other pos-secondary opportunities, including those offered by community colleges.

8.4 Intermediate Courses

ED 100 - Reading For College , EN 100 - Basic Writing , and MA 100 - Intermediate Algebra  are considered intermediate-level courses. All entering students enrolled with an ACT Mathematics subtest score of 18 or below will be required to take MA 100  during their first semester of enrollment; all entering freshmen enrolled with an ACT English subtest score of 16 or below will be required to take EN 100   during their first semester of enrollment; all entering freshmen enrolled with an ACT Reading subtest score of 18 or below will be required to take ED 100  during their first semester of enrollment.  If multiple ACT scores are submitted by the student to the University, the submission with the highest composite score will be used to determine intermediate course requirements. If multiple scores with the same composite are submitted, the most recent scores will be used to determine intermediate course requirements. Students enrolled in intermediate courses (ED 100 , EN 100 , or MA 100 ) are required to continue enrolling in the intermediate course until a grade of C or higher is earned.

While each intermediate course carries 3 hours of enrollment credit for that term, no academic credit is earned toward graduation. These courses cannot be used to satisfy any graduation requirements, including total hours required for the degree.  

8.5 Year-Long Academic Support Program

Students who are required to enroll in two or more intermediate courses, including those previously enrolled in the Summer Development Program, are also required to enroll in LS 101  and LS 102 , the Year-Long Academic Support Program. These students may not be enrolled in more than 15 semester hours and must continue to enroll in the required intermediate course(s) until a passing grade is earned.

8.6 Disabilities Services

The Student Success Center ensures that students with disabilities have an equal opportunity to learn and to express their knowledge. MUW students with disabilities who are requesting accommodations should contact the Student Success Center at (662) 329-7138.

8.7 Career Services

The Student Success Center houses Career Services to provide career planning and development assistance responsive to the unique needs of students. Career Services offers job search assistance to aid students in seeking part-time and full-time employment and internships as well as career management advice for graduating seniors and recent graduates. Career-related services are provided to help students explore and identify suitable academic majors/minors and/or career action plans. In partnership with academic departments, Career Services promotes a greater awareness of the world of work and the need to view career development as a lifelong process.

The Career Resource Library, the largest campus source of career-related resources, has available, various career-related references, books and videos to enhance the classroom experiences, and to assist with educational and career goal setting. Resources address topics ranging from resume writing to interviewing to searching for internships, along with information about majors/minors of interest, and the job search process.

Contact (662) 241-7619 or via email at career@muw.edu for additional information.

8.8 Writing Center

The Writing Center offers tutors and interns dedicated to helping improve the writing skills of the MUW writing community. Students may bring essays or other written assignments from any class to the center, which is located in Painter Hall, Room 106. Students on campus should come by with their essays and assignments; distance learning students may also exchange documents with the center by email, Google, or Skype. Off-campus students who want a one-on-one tutorial with the Writing Center may also set-up an online video tutorial appointment. See http://web3.muw.edu/centers/writing for the current semester schedule and contact information.

8.9 Fant Memorial Library

Students have access to a wide range of print and electronic information resources in the John Clayton Fant Memorial Library. The Fant Library Web Page provides links to the online catalog, electronic databases, and many relevant Internet resources. The library collection includes books, periodicals, newspapers, reference sources, microforms, government documents, manuscripts, and curriculum materials. Additionally, over thirty-three online databases are available many containing full-text articles. For books and articles difficult to locate, Fant Library offers Interlibrary Loan Services. To check out materials, students will need to have their current semester sticker on their MUW I.D. and no outstanding fines. This I.D. card provides check-out at all of the library systems in our consortium. Students are responsible for returning the books to the library from which they checked them out. All items checked out on the I.D. card are the responsibility of the person to whom the card is issued and makes the person liable for fines and replacement cost of any lost materials. The checkout period for books is 14 days for undergraduate students and 28 days for graduate students with overdue fines of $.25 per book per day. The Library sends overdue notices and flags student records when materials are not returned by the due date. Failure to be notified does not remove the user’s obligation to pay fines or replacement cost of lost books. Photocopy machines, microfilm reader/printers, and computer stations are available for student use with current MUW I.D.

For more information about library hours, etc.  see the Fant Library website http://www.muw.edu/library or call (662) 329-7332.

8.10 International Education and Study Abroad

MUW facilitates international experiences through the recruitment of international students, the arrangement of study abroad experiences, the promotion of international events on campus, and the inclusion of global perspectives in the curriculum.

The Office of Admissions actively recruits students throughout the world. The Coordinator of International Student Services helps international students adjust to life on campus, encourages their involvement in campus activities, and coordinates several events each year to heighten multicultural awareness. The International Student Association, composed of international as well as domestic students, facilitates unique social and educational opportunities.

Students interested in study abroad opportunities should contact the Coordinator of Study Abroad Programs. Arrangements can be made to study abroad at institutions in England, France, Japan, and Mexico as well as other countries.

Every year MUW sponsors an International Series on the culture and politics of a specific country or region.