Continuous study and evaluation of the health science program is conducted using the previously described evaluation and assessment plan and both formative and summative evaluation strategies. Formative evaluation is conducted among others by encouraging students on an ongoing basis to direct immediate concerns related to classes to the specific faculty member. If this does not result in a satisfactory resolution to the problem, the student is directed to the Academic Department Head. Another mechanism which is formative in nature is the ongoing input received from the Department of Health Science Advisory Committee. The committee is composed of representatives from the community, professionals, program alumni, and current students. Input received from the committee membership is communicated to faculty directly in meetings or indirectly by the Department Head.

Based on the departmental assessment activities, the undergraduate program (BCH) has undergone some changes as reflect better quality and education for students and to respond effectively to community health needs. Further, it has been valuable in maintaining a high level of program effectiveness. This information also served to help in both short-term and long-term planning. In the short-term it helped to maintain and improve faculty teaching and course content, in student learning and skill building, and in preparing students to meet the growing demands of the profession and communities. In the long-term the information will help to maintain SABPAC approval and for the accreditation of our graduate program. Some of these changes include the following:

I .Separation of the program planning and evaluation course (formerly HLS 478) into two courses (HLS 473 and HLS 478) to adequately cover all content areas and provide hands-on experience to students

2.Offering the Health Risk Reduction course (HLS 476) before the HLS 499, the capstone course, so that students are adequately prepared and able to actively participate in the HLS 499 seminar course and HLS 496.

3.Some of the core courses such as HLS 275, HLS 395, and HLS 471 are being offered more frequently to meet student needs.

4.The admission requirements have been streamlined and yet remain stringent to recruit good caliber students into the BCH major.

5.Course offerings and frequency of course offerings have been streamlined so that students can prepare and plan their study and anticipate the time of their graduation accurately

6.The field experience manual has been updated and reformatted and a new brochure developed to provide students with all the necessary (Appendix K). The forms required for enrolling in field experience are also available on the department’s web pages (www.nmsu.edu/~hlthdpt).

7. A number of new field experience sites have been added to existing ones and information about these sites is compiled in a binder that is maintained in the department office and available to students for consultations

8. Hiring of new and highly qualified faculty to fill in the gaps in curriculum coverage (Dr. Dow Velarde and Ms. Cardenas)

9.Improved and expanded web pages containing forms and other relevant and updated information for the undergraduate students including the field experience manual

10.Requirements for the undergraduate field experience have been clarified via a new departmental brochure and on the web pages

11. Students are regularly updated on program-related issues and availability of jobs through the departmental e-mail system and list serve

Instruction is evaluated on a regular basis. Individual faculty members receive feedback from student evaluations at the end of each semester to help improve and modify their instructions and course content. Both quantitative scores and qualitative remarks are solicited in these evaluations. The faculty revamped this evaluation form this year (Appendix C). As stated previously the evaluation results are compiled and made available to the individual faculty and the Department Head. Faculty members are encouraged to use this information as needed for the future. The Department head, other Health Science faculty, and the staff from the Center for Education Development are available to provide feedback to each faculty in the areas of course development and teaching improvements. Campus-wide semester long workshops such as "Peer-coaching" and other seminars and workshops on campus are also available for teaching improvements.

To date, evaluation of instruction by outside groups has been done in one course – HLS 499 (Problems in Health Education, the department’s Capstone course). This is done by using health educators and public health personnel from the community who serve as external evaluators on various student projects and assignments. Additionally, Field Experience Preceptors provide valuable insights into the quality of instructions by observing and documenting student preparation and working in their Field Experience sites.

d. Who reviews the evaluation and how is it used?

Following the conclusion of each semester, individual faculty as well as the Department Head review individual course evaluations. The information contained in the course evaluations is utilized in course modifications or in the development of new courses. This information is also used to direct the professional development activities for each faculty. These evaluations are also compiled annually by the faculty member and included in his/her performance evaluation each December. Evaluations (formal and informal) from advisory committee members, adjunct faculty, and others familiar with the program are shared in faculty meetings and appropriate consideration is given to them.

Evaluation studies of this nature are anticipated for the future. Overall, the departmental faculty considers this a priority because the above factors along with class schedules, frequency of course offerings, and the classrooms selected are all factors that can be related to the efficiency and students’ perception of the quality of instruction.

Faculty instructors may take advantage of a variety of options to improve their teaching effectiveness. A primary source of faculty support is the Center for Educational Development (CED). The Center provides a series of ‘Teaching Improvement Seminars’ that are open to all faculty. The topics range from improving large group lectures to critical questioning techniques. Other programs such as ‘Peer Coaching’ brings experienced and new faculty together in groups of 3-4 to sit in each others classes, provide feedback and ideas for improving/modifying teaching methods are also popular on campus. Drs. Velarde and Krishnan, two departmental faculty are currently participating in the program with Dr. Krishnan serving as one of the head coaches. Discussions in faculty meeting and consultations with individual faculty also help in improving instructions. Asking students in the classrooms or asking for their anonymous input are other methods for improving instructions. The CED is also equipped to videotape an individual faculty member teaching in a classroom and provide the faculty member with feedback. The highly qualified CED staff is able to provide feedback in a supportive and positive manner. The college Associate Dean whose tenure lies in the Department of Health Science has twice offered (through the CED) and conducted seminars for faculty on student centered problem-based learning. The SoAHEC has also offered a 3-day long training workshop on this topic to universities in the southwest.

Each January two days are identified for faculty improvement. These are opportunities for faculty to gain new expertise in teaching, interact with faculty from other departments and exchange ideas. The Department is also engaged in the development/refinement of student-centered and problem-based learning with students from multiple disciplines.

Faculty receives credit on the Department's performance form for attending teaching improvement seminars and conference sessions designed to improve instruction. Similarly faculty is encouraged and credited for incorporating new instructional techniques, community based projects, and collaborative projects into their course content.

h. Is there any planned way of exchanging or putting into practice new ideas? Describe.

New ideas are discussed among faculty at departmental meetings whether they be specific to courses, Departmental, College or University wide concerns, research efforts or grant writing issues, and suggestions and input presented by students in the program. Besides, Department head meets with individual faculty to review their performances and provide feedback.

The department head and the faculty are sensitive to situations that might result in conflict. Proactive methods are utilized whenever possible. Active listening, the use of reason, and an appeal to academic collegiality are also used in an effort to shape the potential conflict into a problem-solving situation. Conflict resolution techniques are encouraged and used whether conflict exits between the Department head and faculty, faculty and faculty, faculty and staff, faculty and students or staff and students. Open communication is supported and valued. If these techniques are unsuccessful, other options such as use of the Counseling Center or a conference with the dean are available.

When there is resistance to change, techniques such as those described above are used to overcome this resistance. Additionally, techniques such as open discussions, limited group interactions, and outside assistance are also employed. Further, the concerns of those opposed to change are taken seriously and addressed on an individual basis.

Student success is evaluated by their perceptions of their educational success as well as by the perceptions of the graduate's employers as indicated by the measures listed below:

• Satisfactory ratings from external reviewers who evaluate their work and assignments in HLS 499
• Satisfactory ratings from field experience preceptors at the end of 320 hours of field experience
• Students’ personal perceptions and thoughts about the preparation they received in the department expressed in their exist interviews
• Number of students who take the CHES certification examination and their scores
• Students’ placement in jobs after graduation and admissions into graduate studies
• Students’ grades in individual courses and GPA at graduation
• Pass rates on the CHES exam

Students success is also evaluated using Alumni surveys (Appendix D), job placements of graduates, and enrolling in graduate schools.

Finally, student success is evaluated by the pass rate of our students on the Certified Health Education Specialist Examination as provided by NCHEC (Appendix AD).

One of the program effectiveness measures (Refer to Page 19) relates to student retention and conversely to dropout rates. Since 1995 when specific measures for student learning and program effectiveness were developed and adopted for the BCH program, overall dropout rates have progressively fallen. This drop may be attributed to the various changes (described on pages 23-24 instituted by the department to improve and maintain the quality of the program and institute admissions requirements that help select students who are committed to and interested in community health education and those who have the greatest potential of completing the program. When students have voluntarily dropped out of the program, it is to change their major, move into allied health fields (Respiratory Therapy or Physical Therapy) or into nursing, leave the geographic area, be offered a job, or for a personal reason. When it is because of non-voluntary reasons, it is often because of poor performance in the program and consequently inability to maintain the GPA and academic performance at the required level. The data on the overall dropout rates (voluntary and non-voluntary) of students admitted into the program indicate remarkable decline from a 45% dropout rate during the 1996-1997 academic year to a low of 18% reported in the department’s 1999 Outcomes Assessment Plan and Annual Review of Results. There is no reason for this trend of low dropout rates to continue into the future. This rate has not been stratified into the various levels at which the dropouts have occurred.

Currently students are not dropped from the program though they may be dropped from the University for having a cumulative GPA below 2.0 at the end of their second academic year as described in the NMSU Undergraduate Catalog. The department attempts to work with those students whose academic performance is below par during advising to help raise their GPA and to avoid being dropped. Based on the outcomes of these advising attempts, recommendations may be made to the students to support their educational goals and help them in achieving them (such as limiting courses, utilizing the services of the Learning Center, changing to a major of interest etc.)

m. Describe any studies completed, underway, or planned to evaluate success of graduates in employment.

Informal discussions and formal survey of employers is periodically conducted to evaluate the quality of preparation students receive in the program and how well they meet the needs of employers and the changing demands of the profession. The department plans to conduct employer surveys more often and on a regular basis. Currently we are limited by the lack of a dedicated staff who could collect, compile, and report the effectiveness and success of the undergraduate program on the basis of employment of program graduates and all of the other measures listed previously (Pages 19-20). However, informal discussions clearly suggest that program graduates are well prepared for employment and to meet the new challenges of the profession. The department’s outcomes assessment reports further highlight some of the results that support the success and effectiveness of the program are (Appendix I).

Appendix J includes the matrices documenting the competencies and sub-competencies covered in the core courses that are required to be taken by all students in the program.

The undergraduate program coordinator, department head, and the advising coordinator in the college dean's office are all involved in the process of data compilation to determine the program effectiveness and the level of student learning. The department's advisory committee (composed of people who work in the areas of public health and health education) also provides their input and suggestions for modifications and improvements in the program based on the annual outcomes assessment reports. The committee is also consulted at other times as and when necessary. Students' comments in exit interviews and from alumni surveys, ratings and comments on faculty and course evaluations (completed by students at the end of each semester), and evaluations from field experience preceptors/ supervisors all help to determine the effectiveness of the program. For example, in 1999, this information was used to learn how and what to modify and improve as indicated below.

All students are required to take 6 credit hours (320 hours in total or 20 hours per week for 16 weeks) during the spring or fall semester. No student is exempt from this experience, which the Department considers an essential aspect of the program and of students' learning and understanding of working with diverse communities and in designing public health education and prevention programs that meet the needs of the target audience.

A representative list of field experience sites is included in Appendix L. As is evident from this list, these sites are diverse and include local, state, and national agencies, These agencies work on community, work-site, and environmental health issues to mention a few.

Yes, the field experience is required of all students majoring in community health.

Experiences for field placements include traditional hospital setting and other healthcare facilities, state public health agency, non-profit community agencies, worksite or corporate settings, schools, grant sites and wellness center. As indicated by the list of sites, students have a variety of sites available to them. The department has a list and descriptions of the sites that have been used in the past to help them choose one that meets their interest and goals. Students can also suggest new sites to conduct their field experience. These sites may be located in New Mexico, other states, and occasional in other countries.

The total experience is 320 hours for 6 credit hours to be typically completed in the semester prior to graduation. Students are encouraged to enroll in their field experience courses after they have completed their core (required) courses and a large proportion of their electives. This, the department believes helps students to effectively integrate into practice the ideas and concepts they have learned in the classroom and take full advantage of their hands on field experience.

Students spend twenty (20) hours per week for 16 weeks at the field experience site during the academic semester. There is flexibility built into the schedule that allows students to benefit from other educational opportunities that arise during the semester and extend their field experience into two semesters working 10 hours/week over the semesters.

• The agencies are prepared for the student field by the student’s faculty advisor who works with both the student and the agency. There is regular communication between the agencies and the faculty members. Field experience preceptors are encouraged to attend the ‘end-of -the semester’ student presentations.

Students and their faculty advisors, work closely in choosing their field experience site (based on the student's interest, agency needs, and the availability of opportunities) well in advance of the semester they intend to enroll in their field experience. The field experience manual/handbook is available to all enrolled students and also available on the departmental web-site describes the requirements and other details. The manual/handbook also contains all the required forms and time-lines (a copy included with this self-study). Usually, the students attend an orientation session at the start of the semester that explains the field experience requirements and answers any questions that the students may have. The factors considered in the selection of a site include the student’s area of interest, goals and other factors such as transportation, availability of opportunities, needs of the agencies, and the availability of a CHES certified preceptor for supervision. One factor considered in the site selection is the availability of a health educator who could serve as a preceptor.

The field experience is one of the culminating courses of the program. It encompasses and integrates the content taught in previous health science courses as well as other university courses. It is viewed as an opportunity for students to incorporate theory, concepts, and content learned in courses and to understand the application of this knowledge into practice. It is designed to provide students valuable ‘job related’ experience. Hence students are encouraged to enroll in field experience after they have taken the core courses and a variety of electives. Its prerequisite is HLS 475 in which enrollment is restricted to BCH majors only.

Yes, students are required to report on the field experience. Specific requirements for field experience are identified in the course syllabi for HLS 496: Health Science Field Experience and in the field experience manual (Appendix K). Students enrolled in HLS 496 are required to provide an oral report at an event attended by their classmates, field experience preceptors, and faculty. Students also document and compile their goals and objectives, their work, their schedule, and their evaluations and other forms in a folder submitted to the department after their presentation. The department keeps these folders in its library for reference. Students are required to concurrently enroll in HLS 497, a one credit hour senior seminar in Community Health Education. This course meets weekly in the fall and spring semesters and allows students an opportunity to raise professional issues and concerns.

The field experience is evaluated by the student, the agency preceptor, and by the faculty member. The preceptor and faculty evaluate the abilities of students in achieving their stated goals and articulating their experience in their presentations. The students evaluate and rate their experience and the site in providing them a valuable and useful experience. The various evaluation forms and grading criteria are included in Appendix M.

xii. Has a practice teaching and/or field experience manual been prepared? If so, attach a copy of each. How is each used? By whom?

Yes, we have a field experience manual and a new field experience brochure (Appendix K) that document all the requirements and other details of the experience was developed collectively by the departmental faculty, a copy of which is enclosed with the self-study report.

Experiences for field placements include traditional hospital setting and other healthcare facilities, state public health agency, non-profit community agencies, worksite or corporate settings, schools, grant sites and wellness center. As indicated by the list of sites, students have a variety of sites available to them. These sites may be located in New Mexico, other states, and occasional in other countries. A list of these sites is included in Appendix L.

The following section addresses the three items included in the self-study. Course syllabi for all core/required and some elective courses are included in the self-study (Appendix N). These syllabi provide the names of the responsible faculty, course number, title, description, course objectives, assignments and requirements, and classroom policies and procedures.

All course requirements, including pre-requisites, professional education, and internship requirements are included in Appendix O. Students matriculating under the 2000-2001 undergraduate catalog are required to complete 41 credits in general education, 29 credit hours in community health education, 21 credits in the public health core, and 54 credits of electives.

All courses offered by the program are listed in Appendix P.

Binder # 2 submitted with the self-study report includes course syllabi which documents the course numbers, titles, course goals and objectives, description of content, assignments, and deadlines, and the faculty responsible for each course. Readings (required and recommended) and tentative class schedules are also included in the course syllabi.

Refer to Appendix Q for the number of health education majors and other demographic and other data including the variables that contribute most significantly to the success of the program. The distribution of majors based on their class standing is also included in this Appendix Q.

The goal of the department includes being successful in recruiting majors into its Bachelor of Community Health (BCH) degree program. Recruitment is done through the efforts of the college advising coordinator, department head, and other faculty at events organized around the state for recruitment efforts, and through the department's participation at conferences and meetings. Besides these recruitment efforts, the department follows all inquiries by potential students with a letter and informational brochures and details. The AHCOP and Southern AHEC programs assist in the recruitment efforts by visiting high schools, encouraging students to consider careers in community health, and conduct campus tours for student groups. The local community college has been extremely helpful in providing a pool of potential students. The departmental web site contains information about the program and faculty and also includes the application forms. The departmental mission and a list of the various courses required and offered are listed in the university undergraduate catalog (Appendix R). The departmental course offerings during each semester of 1999 are included in Appendix S.

Specifically, student recruitment takes place in a variety of ways. High school students are invited to attend university orientation days at which the department is represented by Health Science faculty. Junior college students from the branch campuses are also invited to attend specific orientation days. Both of these opportunities are utilized to answer student questions and provide relevant literature. Faculty also participates in community education programs to present information about the educational options available to them. Potential students receive an informational letter, college brochure, departmental brochure, and degree plans. In addition, each year hundreds of students seek additional information about the program through the NMSU Admissions Office. The Department is prompt in responding to such requests by mailing out the Department brochure and degree information.

Yes, an introduction that includes details of the Department as well as its degree plans are presented in the section about the CHCS. A description of all current health science (HLS) courses is contained in the course description section of the undergraduate catalog (Appendix R).

This policy is clearly stated in the New Mexico State University Undergraduate Catalog, p. 1(Appendix R).

The policy was determined as an outcome of a university-wide ‘student retention’ study. The study demonstrated that students who could meet the required GPA and accepted scores on tests for admission, were more likely of being successful in the University.

Yes, this policy is adequate.

At this time, no changes are identified in this policy.

N/A.

Students may change their major within the CHCS by indicating their decision by the second Friday in each semester. If the student is changing from another College into the CHCS this must be done at the time of registration for the upcoming semester.

Students transferring into NMSU have previously earned course work evaluated during the initial application process. Courses that are evaluated as accepted at the university, are honored as accepted in the Department. However, it is possible that not all transfer credits may be used in a specific degree plan.

The requirements for admittance into the BCH degree program have been streamlined and made more stringent as reported in the 1997 outcomes assessment report. These requirements are clearly included in the undergraduate catalog and in all the brochures and printed materials about the program. Since 1997, to be admitted into the BCH program a student needs to meet the following requirements.

• A GPA of at least 2.50 after completion of 23 credits of general education course work

• A grade of S in HLS 100 and a C or better grade in HLS 150

• A percentile score of 37% or more on the departmental writing assessment/assignment

Exceptions are made for those students who work as health educators or in public health, or have met all other requirements except one, or have a GPA or writing assessment slightly lower than that required.

Yes, students enrolled at NMSU may participate in the Credit by College Level Examination (CLEP) program through which a student may earn as many as 30 semester credits. An enrolled student who has a

cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, and is currently attending courses, may, with the permission of the appropriate department, challenge by examination, any undergraduate course in which credit has not been

previously earned except as an independent study, research or reading course, or any foreign language course that precedes the final course in the lower-division sequence (NMSU Undergraduate Catalog 1991-1992, p. 12).

Yes, both former and current students are active in the recruitment of new students. They are invited to attend recruitment/advising sessions with potential students and actively participate by representing the Department on panels. However, they are not directly involved in the selection of students.

During the initial years of the program, this data was not maintained due to a variety of reasons (lack of resources and staff). However some of this data has been collected since 1996-1997 academic year and is detailed below:

The average GPA of students entering the BCH program in 1998-99 was 3.069 as compared to 3.00 in 1997-98 and 2.872 in 1996-1997 and to an average GPA of 2.8 for the years between 1994-1996. These changes in admission requirements have helped us to recruit well-qualified students. Consequently the retention rates have been high. Graduation rates have consistently been high. A number of the graduates have found employment and/or moved on to graduate school here at the department and at other graduate schools. In 1997-1998 academic year the program had over a hundred students (Pre and Community Health majors). Of the 25 students applying to the BCH program during this period, 20 were admitted into the program. These students were recruited with the potential of completing the BCH degree, had a GPA of 2.5 or greater, had an average percentile score of 51 on the writing assessment, and had met the other admissions criteria (listed previously). Five students could not admitted because they did not meet the minimum requirements. Students are able to transfer some credits from other institutions by submitting formal requests which are reviewed by the college dean's office on a case by case basis. No substitutions are allowed for the core/required courses and need to be completed in the department. While in the program, students can petition for substituting one course with another one by providing reasons for such a substitution and after approval by the undergraduate program coordinator and the department head. Students in the program represent a large number of women and minorities (including Hispanics and Native Americans). The program also includes a number of non-traditional students who are older than the average undergraduate student and who work and attend classes at the university. Finally the student body is also diverse in age, socioeconomic status, and personal goals.

The Department of Health Science has a faculty and classified personnel budget and receives an operating budget from the Dean's Office, College of Health and Social Services. The faculty salary funds come from state appropriations to the University's Instructional and General (I&G) funds, and from other salary sources such as grants and special projects. Adjunct faculty is also used for teaching, with funding provided either by "Weekend College" or through grant-related funds for the principal investigator's teaching buy-out. A separate budget category for "Classified Employees" covers the Department's one administrative secretary. Another budget category represents "Operating" funds for the Department. These funds cover student personnel, equipment, staff travel, supplies, phone, postage, and services.

The purposes of the New Mexico BHETC are: (1) to develop existing human resources in rural and border health, (2) to train health professional students in rural and border health, (3) to train health professionals (new and established) and the public in health promotional and health education appropriate to border and rural communities, and (4) to create opportunities for minority students to learn about and, ultimately enter health professions.

The primary purpose of the New Mexico SoAHEC is to recruit, assist in training, and retain health professionals in health manpower shortage areas. It assists with the recruitment of students for health careers and education of health professional students in rural areas of southern New Mexico by completing the Bachelor of Science in Nursing, through first and fourth year rural rotations for medical and allied health students, and through the development of a family practice residence program in Las Cruces. It also assists in the retention of health professionals by providing continuing education conferences and workshops.

The Academic Department Head keeps the CHSS Dean informed of the programmatic needs on a regular basis. The Department Head outlines the need for additional faculty based on student credit hour production and program offerings. The CHSS Dean then takes the recommendation forward to the Executive Vice President.

Concerning the Departmental operative budget, the Department Head determines program priorities with faculty input and allocates anticipated expenditures by category. The major departmental operating budget categories are: equipment, student personnel, phone, postage, printing, registration, repair, office supplies, and travel.

All program-related expenditures are established and controlled by the Department Head. An annual determination is made as to the assignment of funds to each of the budget categories listed under Section E, item 3. Expenditures and current encumbrances are tracked on a monthly basis.

Based upon faculty input, the Academic Department Head is responsible for purchasing equipment and supplies to maintain inventory control.

There is a written "Program Funding Request" used by the department's faculty, staff, and students to request monies (over $25.00) from the departmental operating budget (Refer to Appendix H for a copy of this form). This form is submitted to the Academic Department Head, well in advance (one month) of any anticipated fiscal need. In addition, faculty may also send a written request to the college Dean and the Department Head for additional funds by providing detailed justification for the funding. The Academic Department Head reviews the latest budget report and confers with the individual making the request if necessary prior to approving/disapproving the request.

The department’s budget includes spending for both the undergraduate and graduate programs. The budget for the past four years is included on the following page (page 36).

Based upon the faculty's area of teaching expertise, prior teaching experience, and departmental needs, the Academic Department Head makes the final decisions about teaching assignments. Next, a draft version is circulated requesting faculty’s input regarding possible conflicts with research, committee, and service work. Whenever feasible, changes are made in the schedule to address these concerns.

Committee work and other assignments are discussed at departmental faculty meetings in which faculty express their interest and volunteer to be involved in committee work, service projects, and other assignments. Should an emergency require an immediate appointment of a faculty, the Department Head confers with the faculty who has the most relevant expertise and requests them to accept the assignment.

Faculty plays an active and integral role in the departmental activities. All members of the faculty (including the Department Head) participate in making decisions regarding the department, the programs, student-related issues, curriculum and policy changes. With respect to program policies and procedures, all faculty have an opportunity to provide input regarding them and making decisions that are beneficial for the department.

Schedules are developed based on student, professional, and educational needs. The Department head requests input from all faculty and integrates their ideas and input into the teaching schedule. The tentative schedule is reviewed by faculty prior to being listed in the university schedule and before letting students know about the course offering. A number of core course are offered on a regular basis to help students plan their study in a timely manner.

Please refer to Appendix T for a chart that documents the qualifications, work and teaching experience, specialized training, length of service in the department, research, service and professional activities of the full-time departmental faculty.

Please refer to Appendix U for a chart that compiles the teaching, research, service, and administrative responsibilities of the full-time departmental faculty.

At the present time, there are no health science faculty pursuing continued graduate study. All full-time faculty members and a number of the part-time and adjunct faculty have a doctoral degree in their field of specialization. If a faculty member indicated a desire to pursue graduate education, this person could discuss with the Academic Department Head how she/he may achieve this goal within the needs of and commitment to the department. One of the employee benefits available for NMSU employees, is the opportunity to take 4 credit hours free of charge each semester. Faculty and staff may use this as an opportunity to continue their education or expand their qualifications. Consultation is defined for NMSU faculty as "services for compensation, not disbursed by the university, in an employee's area of specialization" (AP&P, p. 103). The policies and procedures require written notification for consulting and written permission from the Department Head. Departmental faculty has been involved in a number of consulting efforts.

Tenured and tenure track faculty is expected to have an ongoing research agenda. Faculty may request funds from the College Research Council for Research Projects. They may also request a single semester course reduction of 3 credits to allow greater time for work on a large-scale project. Those who meet eligibility requirements may also request a sabbatical of a semester's length with full pay, or a year's length with half-pay. Faculty can also apply and receive external funding from local, state, Federal sources for research and special projects.

Faculty memberships in professional organizations, professional meetings and in-service training attended are included in Appendix V. Please also refer to individual faculty c.v.'s for all of the faculty memberships and training workshops attended by each of the departmental faculty.

Please refer to Appendix W for a list of faculty (fulltime, part-time, and adjunct) ranks and salaries in comparison to others in the college and the university.

Refer to Appendix X.

The leading full-time support person in the department is the Administrative Secretary. The Administrative Secretary has, as a primary responsibility, the provision of direct administrative support to the Department Head. Other responsibilities include the daily managing of the departmental office and the supervision of one or more work-study students who work part-time (10-20 hours). Their primary responsibilities include answering the telephone, typing, assisting students and graduate/teaching assistants, and other responsibilities as assigned by the Administrative Secretary. The Department also has funding for hiring a Crimson Scholar to work directly with the Department Head for twenty hours per week.

Other sources of support comes from one College Assistant Professor (full-time and non-tenure track) who teaches four courses per semester, from part-time adjunct faculty who teach ‘viewing of the wider world’ courses that are open to students all across the campus and who may also be involved in providing administrative support, and two part-time college faculty, both physicians, who teach a couple of courses on Epidemiology, and Infectious and non infectious diseases.

Other support comes from advising coordinators in the dean’s office, from personnel at CED (on audio-visual equipment), from the ‘Computing and Networking’ group, from the library, especially from the assigned library liaison, and from the graduate and teaching assistants working in the department. The departmental personnel, their positions, and the nature of their work in the department are compiled and included in Appendix Y.

Criteria for faculty evaluation are identified in the included evaluation forms (Appendix Z).

The Promotion and Tenure requirements can be found in Appendix AA. To retain faculty, the department and college provides them with the necessary equipment and help in the form of a graduate assistants and administrative and support staff help when requested and when available.

Decisions of retention, promotion, and tenure have impact on faculty in terms of a salary increase determined each year. In the situation of promotion, there is a 6% salary increase from the average base rate of the higher rank.

Meritorious performance is recognized by way of a salary increase through its ‘performance evaluation system.’ The University structure is such that 70% of "Base 10" calculation is identified for merit and with the remaining 30% being "cost of living". Such service is also recognized through awards granted on a yearly basis for teaching excellence, for research efforts, and community service on the university and college level and by the community at large. The awards handed out by the university and college include a citation and cash rewards up to $1500.00

The Department is able to benefit from outside expertise. This includes the following:

Physicians who are invited to teach relevant courses by integrating their practice expertise

Qualified community members who are available to serve as adjunct/part-time faculty

Team-teaching opportunities among faculty in the college

Consultations with statistics faculty on analysis of data and other research related issues

Computer and technology help from the computing and networking group

Library personnel’s assistance with searches, ordering of relevant journals and books

Staff of health and social agencies who provide majors with opportunities for field experience, internships, and employment

Consulting and collaborative relationships with community agencies and foundations in the region

New Mexico State University is a Carnegie Research I University; it is also an authorized minority institution under Title III of the Higher Education Act. It coordinates its research functions through several entities: the Council of Research Centers, the University Research Council, the Committee for Human Subjects in Research, and each College's Research Unit. The specific functions of each of these entities are outlined in the University's Administrative Policies and Procedures Manual.

The policy of the University/College is to encourage and support faculty research efforts by encouraging them to apply for external funding and for small research grants from their college. Each department supports faculty research efforts by providing some student and staff time. Research efforts and publications are acknowledged and recognized in faculty annual evaluations.

The normal faculty workload per semester is twelve (12) hours. Faculty engaged in research may request a 3-hour reduction in teaching workload. The decisions about teaching load reductions are made by the Academic Department Head. According to the departmental guidelines regarding performance evaluation, the typical recommended research-load for tenured and tenure-track faculty is 34%, or approximately 14 hours per week.

Yes. Research is one of the three areas evaluated when a faculty member pursues promotion and tenure. The research completed or that in progress by the faculty member is reviewed by a departmental promotion and tenure committee followed by a recommendation of the Department Head and by the College promotion and tenure committee. The recommendation of each committee is forwarded to the Dean of the CHCS. It is the policy of the college to keep the promotion or tenure candidate informed about each step of the way at regular intervals. A faculty member may withdraw his/her packet from consideration at any time.

Faculty success in research and scholarly activities are evaluated both in terms of quantity and quality on an annual basis as part of their annual performance evaluation. These scholarly activities, in addition to adding to the content of a professor’s teaching, are evaluated by presentation and publication.

A number of students (undergraduate and graduate) have also been involved with the Southern Area Health Education Center (SoAHEC) which also includes the Border Health Education Training Center (BHETC), and a W.K. Kellogg grant for Graduate Medical and Nursing Education (GMNE) entitled "Community Partnerships in Graduate Medical and Nursing Education."

Based upon the recommendations of the College's Research Council, which reviews the faculty -generated research proposals (submitted each fall), the Dean of CHCS makes mini-grants available to the faculty of the College on a yearly basis. Other funding comes from external sources and individual faculty generated funding. The purpose of the Health and Social Services Research Center is to provide assistance to the faculty of the College in the conduct of scientific research and professional training. The research center is administered under the Office of the Dean of the College of Health and Social Services, and includes a College of Health and Social Services Research Council composed of faculty representing the academic divisions within this college. Research mini-grants are funded, through recommendations from the research council, by the dean’s office. The research center provides information and support to faculty in the development of grant proposals. Faculty members who present research at meetings are usually funded for most travel expenses by the department and/or by the college.

The bulk of the department’s community research and service is coordinated through the Southern Area Education Center (SoAHEC) which also includes the Border Health Education Training center (BHETC), and a W.K. Kellogg grant for graduate medical and Nursing Education (GMNE) entitled "Community Partnerships in Graduate Medical and Nursing Education." The mission of the Southern Area Health Education Center (SoAHEC)/Border Health Education Training Center (BHETC) is to improve health care in all of the southern counties of New Mexico. As a regional resource center SoAHEC/BHETC provides the following services: a) provides learning opportunities for health care providers, b) assists in the development of placement sites for health professionals and students in training, c) links local educational and clinical resources with the educational resources of medical and health professional schools, and d) contributes funding, offers consultations, and assists in meeting educational and training needs of health care professionals, agencies, and organizations.

AHEC's 1999-2002 objectives are:

1. Maintain and strengthen clinical training in New Mexico's Health Professional Shortage Areas for medical, nursing, public health, pharmacy, physician assistant, allied health, family practice, pediatrics, psychiatry, and strengthen and support interdisciplinary training in NM Health Professional Areas for dental hygiene, medical laboratory science, medicine, nursing, pharmacy physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, social work, speech therapy students and other health professionals.
2. Continue AHEC's community-based health career awareness programs which promote health and increase the applicant pool from under-represented ethnic minorities and Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA's) into the health professions.
3. Expand, support, and conduct continuing education and training programs as appropriate, to promote the retention of health professionals in the AHEC counties in collaboration with the Continuing Medical Education Office at UNM and community organizations.
4. Continue the AHEC strategic planning process for building regional primary care capacity.
5. Strengthen and maintain the statewide AHEC system.

All full-time departmental faculty have their own personal computers (all Pentium or higher) and printers. Faculty may also avail themselves of the University Computer Center and its services. Costs are borne by the department/college/ university. There are also other campus-centers that house personal computers that can be used by both faculty and students.

Refer to Appendix AB for information regarding items from a-f as well as a list of faculty’s scholarly activity since fall of 1996.

3. Describe any activities designed to develop research skills in students.

Students at the undergraduate level are invited and encouraged to participate in ongoing research being conducted by departmental faculty. Students also receive an introduction to research and research methods in HLS 472: Biometrics and Health Research. Students may also opt to do an independent research study, under faculty supervision, through HLS 490: Independent Study. In addition students are required to complete research and analyses based projects, write grant proposals submitted for funding, and conduct literature searches on specific topics in upper division courses. Undergraduate students get a chance to participate in university and college wide research symposiums. Students compete for participation by submitting an abstract under the guidance of their faculty sponsor and then prepare an oral or poster presentation of their research interest, if selected. Students can also choose to take additional courses in research methodology and statistics that are offered by other departments (Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology-CEP). Additionally, the Department has taken a lead in participating and promoting the ‘Student/Collegiate Health Promotion Project Assistance Grant’ from the Paso Del Norte Health Foundation to fund student initiated research and projects beginning in the fall of 2000.

A general purpose of the library is to support instruction and research in the health sciences, primarily at the undergraduate level. Materials (books, journals, etc.) are primarily in English but can be obtained in other languages when requested. The Library holds relevant monographs, journals and other serials, indexes and abstracts, standard reference works, and selected proceedings of major national and international conferences. A comprehensive list of available journals (Public Health and Medical) is included below in Table A.

The University conducts an orientation program for new students which provides the student with an overview of the University, informs them of their rights and responsibilities as a student, of available student services, and introduces them to the mechanics of planning a course schedule and registering. The department offers an introductory course, HLS 100: Orientation to Health Science for the purpose of familiarizing students of the major and its applications and scope. The purpose of this required course is to introduce students to the field of community health and health education, professional roles and responsibilities of community health educators, and the utility of the program and job opportunities. The students are also assigned a faculty advisor as soon as they are admitted into the major and encouraged to meet with the advisor to seek advice and plan their course of study.

Yes, such materials are readily available to students. These include the following:

• The university undergraduate catalog for general requirements, policies, and procedures

• The semester schedule that provides all the health science courses being offered and a list of important dates such as spring break and final exam week

• During the university-wide orientation, students receive detailed information about the City, renting and other details of living in Las Cruces, public transportation and campus travel, the various services (Student Health Center, the Counseling Center, the Activities Center etc.) dedicated to students, and special services dedicated to students with disabilities (sign interpreters, tutors etc.)

• The department has a home page that lists courses, rotation of these courses, field experience requirements and sites, and other relevant information to pursue a degree in Community Health. In addition students can pick up brochures about the program from the departmental office

• Written information on campus events, social life, elections of student body and senators, and other information that enhances student life are also available at the Corbett Center. In addition, students are informed through newsletters and the campus newspaper titled

• Students in the program are also informed through e-mail and a department list-serve

Current majors in CHE are invited to meet with potential students throughout the summer and in the beginning of spring when there is orientation.

The University Counseling Center in Garcia Annex provides a variety of counseling services to students, including personal counseling, group counseling, outreach programming and consultation. Services are free to students. The Career lab provides career guidance and testing. Certified counselors and doctoral students in training from the CEP department are available to meet students. A Psychiatrist is also available for medications at the Student Health Center.

Students can be referred to the University Counseling Center for counseling or the Career Lab for career guidance by advisors in the Dean's office, by their faculty, or they may self-refer themselves.

Students may participate in the activities of the Career Center or the Self-Development Lab to become appraised of their career potential, or for assistance in identifying learning needs. Pre-major advisors in the Dean's office also assist in this effort. Following this process, students may utilize the educational services of the Center for Learning Assistance, seek tutors, and mentors.

Students may complete such inventories as the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory, the MMPI2, the Myers/Briggs Temperament Inventory or the Kuder.

These instruments are used by students followed by interpretation being done by a member of the staff at the Counseling Center.

This decision is made upon the student's request at the Counseling or Career Center.

Information about social gathering, on campus events, social life, elections of student body and senators, and other information that enhances student life are also available at the Corbett Center. In addition, students are informed through newsletters and the campus newspaper titled ‘Round Up.’ Honor societies such as Eta Sigma Gamma and other organizations also include group interactions and social activities for students. Eta Sigma Gamma helps students develop leadership skills, work with communities on a variety of health and social issues, build synergistic and supportive relationships with their peers and faculty members, and put their classroom knowledge and understanding into practice by getting involved in community-wide public health and community health education projects. In addition, the department hosts a social at the end of each semester in honor of the graduating seniors.

The Department keeps students aware of career opportunities and organizations via the HLS list-serve, the Web Bulletin board, and the department bulletin board with available positions posted. Students are also kept informed of pertinent professional organizations via HLS classes, the department newsletter, the HLS list-serve, and faculty announcements. Individual faculty helps students with their resumes, serve as references, and inform them on job opportunities, as they become available. The campus based career and placement center also assists students in writing cover letters and resumes and provides list of appropriate job openings. Field experience preceptors and the members on the department advisory committee also help students in their search.

The NMSU Placement and Career Services assist students in filing resumes and locating possible jobs. The department also makes graduating students aware of potential positions and many times serves as a reference for the student. A departmental "Job Book" is also available to students and faculty alike, as are copies of NMSU career listings. Currently the department does not offer its own placement service.

There are a limited number of scholarships available for those majoring in departments within CHSS such as the Lowery Davis scholarship, which rotates between the departments (every three years) and the branch campuses (every four years). The Department has a new scholarship titled ‘the Virginia and E.R. (Dutch) Roahe Memorial Scholarship Fund. The income from this fund will be used to award annual scholarships to students pursuing the BCH degree (three students were selected as the first recipients of this scholarship beginning in the fall of 2000). Minority fellowships, the McNair fellowships, and other merit based financial aid is also available. Students may also apply for need based federal and/or state financial aid.

As indicated above (in item #1), a new Departmental scholarship titled ‘the Virginia and E.R. (Dutch) Roahe Memorial Scholarship Fund is available to qualified students. The income from this fund will be used to award annual scholarships to students pursuing the BCH degree (three students were selected as the first recipients of this scholarship beginning in the fall of 2000). Further, college scholarships are administrated through the Dean's Office of the CHCS. All other scholarships and financial aid are administered by the NMSU Financial Aid Office.

The University administers an extensive program of grants, scholarships and loans. The awarding of grants and loans is based on need, while the awarding of scholarships is based mainly on academic ability and, in some cases, need. Assistance in the form of work is available through the College Work-Study program and the New Mexico Work-Study Program, and is based on financial need. All students who are eligible can be considered for these forms of assistance. Minority fellowships as scholarships to Hispanic and Native American students are also available

The University maintains a well-equipped and easily accessible student health clinic on campus. General outpatient healthcare is provided on a first-come-first-served, walk-in basis. The center is staffed by qualified physicians, nurse practitioners, and other health-care professionals. The Center is accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and is a member of the American College Health Association. All patient information is confidential and is maintained as such, in accordance with the law. Preventive services, health-related informational pamphlets and brochures, and testing such as HIV antibody testing are also available to students.

The Department is active in supporting the activities of Eta Sigma Gamma and sponsors a reception at the induction meeting and other gatherings (to honor the graduating seniors every semester).

Students are eligible to participate in all the social activities made available through the Office of Student Organizations and Programs. Such social events are well publicized in the tri-weekly student paper, "The Roundup".

In the past these activities have not taken place. However, in the future it is anticipated that there will indeed be an activity for the alumni.

At this time no continuing formal written contact is maintained with alumni except through occasional surveys which are part of the Department's evaluation system. However a number of students work in the southwest and keep in touch with one or more faculty while others are pursuing graduate school and keep the department posted on their progress. Contact with program alumni is also maintained through conferences and seminars. Some of the BCH graduates have come back to attend the MPH degree program offered by the department..

The Department is a Multiple-Event Provider with the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. In this capacity, the department provides CEUs for CHES as well as to alumni.

In the spring of 1992 the Department completed an alumni survey which is presented under the section on student success. These data have been compiled and various recommendations discussed by the faculty, with some recommendations being implemented.

The Department faculty and support staff is housed at the Academic Research Center C and Genesis A. These two facilities are adequate in ventilation and sound. The Academic Research Center C houses the Health Science Department, faculty offices, and conference rooms. Genesis A houses the Graduate Assistants offices as well as one of the health science classroom (beginning in May 2000).

The health science classroom in Genesis A room 106D will comfortably hold 40 students with state of the art facilities that include an In Focus Power Point projector unit and Internet connection. Larger Department classes (over 40) are regularly held in other classrooms on campus, such as in Hardman Hall and Milton Hall. The classrooms in these buildings are large lecture rooms.

Efforts are currently underway for a building for the College of Health and Social Services, so that all the college, departments, and classrooms can be housed in one place. Through legislative appropriations and through a bond issue, the college hopes to add equal amount of funding to the $5-million dollars it will raise for the construction of the new building.

Genesis A room 106D storage space is connected to the classroom. The storage space (room 106E) is carpeted and adequately lit and can be accessed with a key from the department. Additional storage space exists in the Departmental offices in Academic Research Center, Building C.

The Department of Health Science will move its main classroom from the Physical Education Activity Center to Genesis A in May 2000. This new classroom with feature "smart" computing equipment to greatly assist classroom learning activities. Seating capacity is for 40 students, with movable seating equipment. The Academic Research Center, Building C, includes two conference/seminar rooms. The larger conference room is routinely used for seminars and student presentations and is equipped with all the necessary presentation equipment. The smaller room is often used for faculty meetings. Both rooms are well furnished, carpeted, and are easily accessible to faculty and support staff.

Currently all full-time faculty members have individual offices. Two part time faculty members share another office. The Administrative Secretary and the work-study have their own offices. One office is dedicated to the copier, mail boxes and provides space for commonly used equipment.

The faculty offices and classrooms are easily accessible to students, faculty and support staff. Common workspace, conference rooms are accessible to faculty and support staff between 8:00 am - 5:00 pm.

If additional space were available, it would be used for classrooms, as a computer room and as a student study area.

All faculty members and support staff members have personal computers and printers in their offices. All faculty members also have access to laptop computers, while some have their personal laptop computers used for teaching and instruction. Besides these computers, Table C (below) lists the other equipment available to faculty and students for class presentations and seminars. The equipment is housed in a locked storage area in the department and classroom and readily accessible to faculty and students on request.

The Department also maintains (in conjunction with the Nursing Department), a computer lab with 19 computers on the Computing and Networking Network. These computers are hooked to a large capacity laser printer. This lab is principally used for HLS 471(the department’s computer technology course) and in general by students from both departments. During other times of the day, all college students can use the computers to complete various assignments.

Some of the equipment is dated but still functional. However, a large portion of the equipment has been acquired in the last few years to meet growing needs of faculty and students.

The Department has made significant recent upgrades in computers and AV equipment for use by all faculty and students under faculty supervision. Faculty office computers have all been recently upgraded for RAM and ROM memory and computing capacities. Several laptop computers have been purchased for use by faculty for researching and teaching and are all Pentium or higher versions.

Overall, the equipment is accessible to faculty and to students with faculty supervision.

The computers are maintained and updated periodically by Computing & Networking Services. Equipment in need of repair is returned to the manufacturer or replaced if necessary. The copier is serviced regularly under a service maintenance agreement. However, as the departmental operating budget is small, the department does not have service maintenance agreements for all equipment.

The above items are readily available to all faculty members. Faculty and students can request specific equipment from CED through a phone-call and by filling the necessary forms at least a week before its anticipated use. Equipment in the Department, can be accessed/checked out by contacting the Departmental Secretary ahead of time.

There is a need for more computers for HLS 471: Resources for Computer Applications in Health Education. Consequently, at times there are not enough computers for 18 students’ use. However the department has been fortunate to buy several laptop computers and is currently negotiating for more computers for the HLS 471 course.

Faculty and students alike are required to secure an appropriate parking sticker to allow parking on campus. Parking stickers may be obtained at the NMSU Parking Department located in the Genesis Center on Research Drive. Faculty has two price options for parking stickers, $60 or $30. The $60 sticker allows for intercampus parking while the $30 sticker is appropriate for outer lots. Students may purchase $20 parking stickers. There are parking lots allocated specifically for faculty and students. Overall, the campus provides 1,639 lots for faculty and staff. Directly outside of the Health Science Department is lot 77B. Lot 77B provides 62 spaces designated for faculty/staff. NMSU campus has an estimated minimum 6,000 parking spaces provided for students. On the side of the Health Science Department is lot 76 that has 62 spaces for student use, 3 disabled spaces, and 4 visitor spaces. Behind the Health Science Department is another parking lot – lot 97. Lot 97is unpaved and open to parking with all permits. There are an estimated 300 parking spaces in lot 97.