Diversity Initiatives
Arts and Sciences
www.as.ttu.edu
The College of Arts and Sciences will advance their reputation nationally and internationally for excellence and leadership in all aspects of teaching, research, creative activity, and service.
The College of Arts and Sciences is committed to the core values of:
Respect and Appreciation for
- Diversity
- Needs of Students
- Traditions of Higher Education
- Concerns of Our Larger Community and Society
- Intellectual and Academic Achievement
- Shared Governance
- The Cornerstone Principle of Academic Freedom
The College of Arts and Sciences provides information sessions about tenure and promotion to all first and second year faculty members. The College also provides tenure and promotion information sessions and mentoring programs specifically for women faculty. The College continuously offers to provide additional information sessions or mentoring arrangements for any faculty members who request them.
The College of Arts and Sciences conducts exit interviews and annually prepares a summary for the provost about the reasons faculty leave their positions within the College of Arts and Sciences; proposals, initiatives, and relevant retention discussions with specific chairs and college committees also result form the exit interview process in Arts and Sciences, and those discussions include information pertinent to recruiting and retaining excellent and diverse faculty.
The College of Arts and Sciences has documented its diversity efforts in recruitment and retention. Ads have been placed in journals with a diverse audience, and specific letters have been sent by recruitment committees to schools and individuals listed in the Women and Minorities Directory; to individuals participating in their disciplinary Black Caucuses, Hispanic Caucuses, Women’s Caucuses, and so on; and to historically Black and Hispanic serving institutions.
Departments in the College of Arts and Sciences not only give specific attention to attracting and retaining diverse and excellent faculty but also give specific attention to attracting and retaining diverse and excellent students and staff. The college’s diversity efforts with regard for faculty, staff, and students are ongoing.
The English department is made up ofdiverse, talented faculty including Stephen Jones, a widely published, award-winningNative American novelist. www.english.ttu.edu
Health, Exercise and Sport Sciences’ Fun and Fit program, allows students to createpositive physical activity experiences andpromote healthy lifestyle choices amongoverweight minority children from lowsocioeconomic backgrounds.www.hess.ttu.edu
The Mathematics & Statistics division offers TexPREP, which encourages high school students to entercareers in mathematics, science andengineering and is tuition-free, so peoplefrom all economic groups can attend. Minority students completing Lubbock’s program have high school graduation rates as high as 98 percent. www.math.ttu.edu
CounselingPsychology Doctoral student Amy Hershberger,conducted a dissertation on participationin breast and cervical cancer screenings, generating important implications forpromoting cancer screening in the Latinacommunity. www.psychology.ttu.edu
College of Arts & Science Projects and Event participation
- Chemistry Demo Shows: – Faculty members put on an hour-long show of demonstrations for school groups and members of the community. These shows, recognized by the American Chemical Society, have been ongoing since 1994, and have reached more than 30,000 people in the Texas, New Mexico, and Oklahoma areas.
- American Chemical Society Demo Shows: This award-winning student group, affiliated with the department and the American Chemical Society, does monthly demo shows to school groups around the Lubbock area.
- National Chemistry Week: Each year the department participates in the theme for National Chemistry Week, held the third week in October. This week involves students on Texas Tech’s campus, the Lubbock Community, and, in some cases, nationwide, as we celebrate the impact of Chemistry in our lives.
- American Chemical Society Project SEED: Funded by a grant from the American Chemical Society and supplemental contributions from the department, faculty members serve as research mentors to local high school students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
Annual Classics Day for high school students - Classics Day brings more than 300 high school students to Texas Tech University. Over 10% of these students are black.
Production of annual play in Spanish
Participation in Latino community events such as judging the Miss Lubbock Hispanic Scholarship Pageant
Involved in Hispanic, French, and Native American student associations
Participation in Women’s Studies and Latin-American and Iberian Studies curricula
Many Spanish and Latin courses teach Hispanic culture, Spanish language, origins of Spanish language
Racially diverse and welcoming environment for minority students
French, Latin, and Spanish courses focus on relations between minority Anglo and minority African, trans-Caribbean, and Hispanic populations and their cultures and literatures
Development of a new Spanish for Heritage Speakers series of undergraduate courses
Communication Studies Week is held each spring and all interested students are invited. Through this event, Communication Studies is able to increase awareness of their programs and areas of research, recruit students, and increase contacts with current students. Activities include an open house reception, Bring a Friend to Class, and guest speaker luncheon.
Multiculturalism presentations for Lubbock Independent School District
Host high school speech and debate tournaments - These tournaments bring to the Texas Tech University campus students from across the state.
Forensic program recruiting and tournament hosting - The Tech Forensics Union hosts a number of different events each year, including the Red Raider Invitational TFA Qualifying Tournament, Region 1 5A UIL tournament, Lubbock or Leave it Swing, and a one day workshop for high school students. The forensics team volunteers to judge at tournaments in Lubbock, Amarillo, and Canyon. These tournaments provide an opportunity to recruit undergraduate students.
Award undergraduate scholarships in a race neutral manner
Undergraduate and graduate majors of all races serve as ambassadors
Recruiting materials are sent to different TTU locations in Texas
Freshman Seminar courses - Interdisciplinary Studies 1100, or Freshman Seminar, is a one-hour credit course that introduces freshmen to the complex and challenging world of university life. Topics include study, test taking, critical thinking skills, time management, report writing, oral presentations, health and safety, financial management, and goal setting. Data shows that students who complete the course have a higher sophomore retention, greater graduation rates, and higher GPAs than those not completing the course.
Multiculturalism and diversity courses
McNair Scholars attend yearly New Arts and Sciences Teaching Assistant Workshop
National Communication Honor Society chapter
Job search information advertised in multicultural publications and sent to minority faculty and institutions, as well as national association minority interest groups
Economics and Geography
Geographic Information Science tours for students - K-12 students from public schools in Lubbock and contiguous districts have been invited to visit campus and tour Geographic Information Science computer labs
English
- Juneteenth Day Celebration - A booth was set up at Estacado High School with four laptop computers and staffed by one faculty member, two graduate students, and one undergraduate student. Students, primarily those in elementary and middle school, are invited to add a paragraph to a continuing story.
- Raiders Rojos Back to School Fiesta - Two faculty members and one graduate student distributed books and t-shirts from the English marathon reading program to elementary, middle, and high school students.
- Wiley’s Way/El Camino de Wiley promotion - English made this book its monthly recommendation for October, 2004, conducted a public discussion of the book, and participated in the citywide promotion by sending nine undergraduate students to McWhorter Elementary and Tubbs Elementary to discuss the book with students and encourage them to attend college.
Health, Exercise, and Sport Sciences
- Teach ESS 3335 Health and Physical Education for children in the Parkway Academy - faculty and student colleagues, teaches this class.
- Facilitate physical education, nutrition education, lifestyle management, and health education in public schools - Faculty and Lubbock Independent School District colleagues have this large grant.
- Health promotion programs - Several faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students collaborate in these efforts.
- Merit-based undergraduate scholarships awarded - This department awards merit-based, race neutral scholarships to undergraduates. In Spring 2005, three of 40 scholarships were awarded to minority students.
History
- Work with African American History Month celebration and Lubbock area schools - One faculty member has targeted elementary, middle, and high school African American students in his work with African American History Month.
- Outreach to Hispanics in area high schools - Faculty visitation to approximately 20 area high schools. In addition, the faculty member regularly contacts social studies teachers throughout the area, offering to visit their classrooms to discuss topics relating to Mexican American history.
Mathematics and Statistics
- Texas Pre-Freshman Engineering Program (TexPREP)-Lubbock - This is a summer program for 7th through 11th grade students from the Lubbock area. The primary focus of the program is to increase awareness of career opportunities in engineering, mathematics, and science among minorities and women. The GTE Scholarship is awarded to graduates of the program who later enroll at Texas Tech University. Of those students participating, 51% are female and 47% come from minority groups.
- The Joy of Thinking - The primary focus of this program is the implementation of girls’ math clubs in local area middle schools, with the goal of attracting these students to Texas Tech University as mathematics majors. It is estimated that approximately one-half of the 150 girls that have participated from 2003 to 2005 are from underrepresented populations.
- Emmy Noether High School Mathematics Day - Approximately 20 area high schools participate in this event each year. The program is designed to increase interest and enthusiasm for scientific reasoning and mathematical activities among female students. Approximately 37% of those students participating are minorities.
Physics
- Kids in Physics - Kids in Physics is a program for kindergarten through third grade children and has been performed almost monthly for six years. Anywhere from 50 to 200 children attend the program for three hours on Saturday mornings.
- Physics Circus - The Physics Circus is a show of demonstrations and is held on the Texas Tech University campus or in local schools one to three times each semester.
Political Science
Center for Public Service - Service learning activities in undergraduate courses
Psychology
- Participation in recruiting fairs at South Plains College
- Developed new undergraduate course – Ethnic Minority Psychology
- This course examines prejudices and various cultures. Students taking the course should make Texas Tech University a friendlier place for minority students.
- Visit minority institutions to recruit graduate students
- Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work
Social work outdoor exhibit/open house
In March, 2005, social work faculty and students sponsored an outdoor exhibit/open house in connection with the celebration of National Professional Social Work Month. Information was provided to prospective students about the social work program and potential careers.
Mentor to neighborhood Hispanic youth
Participation in programs through the Honors College, etc.