THINGS HAPPENING ON CAMPUS
President’s
Message
A
s I start my seventh year as President
of Texas Southern University I want to
touch on a very few of the most recent
changes that are helping Texas Southern
University become a leader among urban
universities across the country. The start of
this semester saw the first students enrolled
in the recently approved civil engineering
program, one of two new engineering
programs being launched this year. The
electrical and computer engineering
program will begin in fall 2015.
• TSU students are also enrolling in the
expanded Aviation Sciences program,
which has added a flight school option
for students wishing to achieve pilot’s
license along with their degree. Students
in Administration of Justice will soon
study forensics in our recently upgraded
Crime Lab, which is as extensive as the
one in Police Departments across the
country. We also are now preparing
students to be first responders to local,
state and national emergencies with a
new degree in Homeland Security and
Emergency Management.
• We have expanded our internships and
international exchange programs with
students studying Mandarin in Beijing,
and Public Affairs and Business in Brazil.
We have had student interns in federal
offices in Washington, D.C., and Senator
Rodney Ellis’ Texas Legislative Internship
Program that we oversee has brought
hundreds of students from TSU and
universities across the country and world
to serve in offices during legislative
sessions in Austin.
• The law school was inducted into the
prestigious American Association of Law
Schools. Students in pharmacy continue
to top 95% passage on licensing exams
each year, and the respiratory therapy
has been recognized as one of the top
programs in the country.
The Urban Academic Village was
developed four years ago to test the impact
of increased academic support on the
retention of a small group of freshmen.
Next fall, the program will expand to
become the University College to strengthen
support for their first, most critical year
before students begin their major classes.
Houston Endowment, which was the
primary support of the original program, is
helping to transform the support services
to all of our freshmen. AT&T and the
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo have
also contributed to these efforts. When we
open the new 800-bed residence hall next
year, we will have facilities to support all
freshmen with these expanded academic
services. Our graduation rate has already
moved up more than 5 percentage points,
and we will continue to see increases as
these freshmen progress in their journey
toward graduation.
• Our student athletes, are excelling both
on and off the field. TSU’s athletics
program has increased its six-year
graduation rate to better than 54%. All
16 sports at TSU are above the NCAA
mandated APR (Academic Progress
Rate).
If you haven’t visited Texas Southern
University’s campus in a while, I can
promise that you will be amazed. Our 150
acres encompass a breadth of landscaped
green space, new entrances, expanded
walkways, renovated facilities and a special
student and alumni area for Homecoming
and other activities.
We appreciate your support and hope you
will join us in celebrating Texas Southern
University’s achievements and help us attain
our goal of ensuring our students’ success
and our graduates’ contributions to the
growth of Houston, the state of Texas, and
the world.
Sincerely,
John M. Rudley
TSU Seven S
AMENITIES INCLUDE:
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800 beds
Social and study areas
Laundry on all residential floors
Convenience store
Roof terrace
Locker storage
Gaming area
Founders
8 Day FROM P. 24
Locke pointed out. “He had
a certain way about himself
and was the type of person
everyone loved. If he were
here today he could not resist
the temptation of talking to
the students about making a
difference. He would stand
here and challenge you to
change this world, to be a
part of making a difference in
somebody’s life. But he would
also say “Make a difference in
your own life.”
In 1989, Leland died in a
plane crash during a mission
trip to Ethiopia leaving behind
a legacy of international service.
Following the Founders Day
celebration, officials moved to
the School of Public Affairs for
the unveiling of the Mickey
Leland Center Archives
Collection. The exhibition has
over 4,000 individual digital
files and covers Leland’s views
on apartheid and hunger as
well as his legislative and
international initiatives. A yearlong service project is dedicated
in Leland’s name.
30 | SPRING 2015
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