University College

University College

RH 406, 569-3386, 569-8156 (fax)

Associate Professor Charles Donaldson Dean

Thea Hoeft, Division Chief for University College

University College seeks to provide a positive learning experience to entering students that will enhance their ability to complete an associate or baccalaureate degree.

To support the mission of UALR, University College has established the following goals:

To provide a first academic home for all entering and transfer students.

To provide ample opportunity for students to adjust to college life and enhance their personal development.

To provide educational opportunities that will enrich the intellectual lives of students, promote career development, and clarify possible major options.

To offer a consolidated support program to assist in student retention.

To provide an opportunity for all entering students to complete general education requirements.

To provide an opportunity to meet the specialized admission requirements of specific associate or baccalaureate degree programs.

University College also offers a variety of services including: developmental academic advising (pre- and post-admission), career development, educational assessment (placement), personal and social counseling, developmental courses (by referral), and the advisement for the associate of arts in general studies degree. The first year experience and leadership training courses are offered through University College.

Academic Advising

Thea Zidonowitz Hoeft, director.

The primary function of this service is to provide academic advising for new and continuing students who have not declared a major or been admitted to another college. A complete review of the student's academic record is provided each term; required test scores and course placement, transfer work, and the core curriculum requirements are all considered.

During individual and/or group sessions, consultation is focused on students' academic goals and academic progress. Students are offered academic information, referral, and guidance based on University policies, state laws, major program requirements, and individual career aspirations.

E-mail advising is available for continuing students who are eligible. Students should check the departmental web site listed at the end of this section for eligibility requirements.

The office maintains all University College undergraduate student advisement records and processes Academic Major Declaration Forms for undecided undergraduates. The degree plan for the associate of arts in general studies is developed and maintained in this office for students who are seeking this degree.

Additional information is available by calling the department at (501) 569-3386, or online at the UALR Academic Advising web site: http://www.ualr.edu/aadept/.

Cooperative Education

Jesse Mason, director.

Cooperative Education is a structured educational strategy integrating classroom studies with learning through productive work experiences in a field related to a student's academic and career goals. It provides progressive experiences in integrating theory and practice. Co-op is a partnership among students, faculty, and employers, with specific responsibilities for each party.

UALR recognizes that a cooperative education assignment is an integral part of a student's educational experience. The cooperative education plan is designed for students who want to broaden their education and for employers who wish to have a continuous flow of qualified talent. Students entering their junior year may choose from a variety of time frames for scheduling work and class attendance. Choices include alternating (full time) and parallel (part time) and are available during the spring, summer, and fall semesters.

The University is committed to cooperative education as a means of strengthening the educational program, keeping curriculum current, identifying new program areas, and increasing community support.

The Office of Cooperative Education can be reached by telephone at (501) 569-3584. Its web site can be viewed at http://www.ualr.edu/coopeduc/.

Counseling and Career Planning

Mike Wingfield, director.

This service component of University College provides counseling in the areas of personal and social development, career development, and stress management. The placement element helps students find part-time employment while attending UALR and locate appropriate graduate school admission or employment upon graduation. Workshops, seminars, and special programs are offered to help students make progress toward their goals of personal development, education, and career. The staff is available to meet with clients for individual and group counseling. Various media, such as computer-assisted career planning programs, videotapes, cassette tapes, and printed material, are also available for student use. These resources cover topics in several areas of personal development. The internet program, Discover for Adult Learners, is designed to assist individuals in career development. Videotapes and workshops can be used to develop job search skills such as resume writing, interviewing, and networking.

Employment listings, online credentials service, and on-campus interviews are some of the functions of the placement component. In the area of personal development, programs include stress management strategies, assertiveness training, personal and social counseling, and self-esteem development.

The office can be reached by calling (501) 569-3185 or online at http://www.ualr.edu/ccps_dept/.

Testing Services and Student Life Research

Diane Jarrett, director.

The primary function of this service is to provide the structure through which the assessment needs of students as individuals and as members of University-defined groups can be met. A secondary function is to provide comprehensive studies of the characteristics of the University College students.

Supervision is given to a wide variety of institutional testing programs, national programs for graduate and professional school admission, and programs of certification boards and licensing agencies.

The office provides comprehensive information about the University credit by examination program. Additionally, students may be referred for special testing by counselors.

Bulletins of information, including test descriptions, registration procedures, and costs, are available for these examinations: ACT Program, Arkansas Assessment of General Education Program, Basic Skills Assessment, College Level Examination Program, Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency, Departmental Examination Program, Graduate Management Admission Test, Graduate Record Examinations, Law School Admission Test, Medical College Admission Test, Miller Analogies Test, Praxis Examinations, Pre-Professional Skills Test, Excelsior College Examinations, Test of English as a Foreign Language, and UALR Placement Examinations.

Additional information may be obtained from Testing Services by calling (501) 569-3198 or at the web site: http://www.ualr.edu/testing/.

Courses in Personal Awareness (PEAW)

PEAW 1190 Career Planning and Life Options

A systematic approach to developing decision-making skills and an orientation to the world of work. The focal point of the course is the student and his or her goals. Emphasis is on clarifying and formulating realistic career goals and an appropriate career plan and strategy to achieve these goals. Credit/no credit. One credit hour.

PEAW 1300 The First Year Experience

Helps students reach their educational objectives. Interactive instructional methods promote the development of critical thinking skills and positive educational values. Students 1) complete a personal assessment to enhance their understanding of communication and learning styles, lifestyle risks, and loci of control; 2) learn to identify and use appropriate resources both on campus and within the community; 3) acquire skills needed to promote study, personal wellness, goal setting and achievement; 4) develop strategies to manage money, time and stress wisely; and 5) participate in a service learning experience outside the classroom in a setting designed to foster community service. Final course grades are A, B, C, and NC. Three credit hours.

PEAW 1310 Library Research and Resources

Basic techniques for using the library effectively. Use of information resources, including on-line catalog, computerized databases, bibliographies, and indexes. Attention to students' individual subject needs. Three credit hours.

PEAW 1124, 2124, 3124, 4124 Practicum: Leadership Training

Designed to recognize and enhance the development of student leaders through an orientation to campus and community resources and through participation in service projects and social activities. Enrollment is restricted to students participating in official university leadership groups. Final course grades are A, B, C, and NC. One credit hour.

Associate of Arts in General Studies

Thea Zidonowitz Hoeft, coordinator.

UALR confers a two-year associate of arts in general studies subject to these provisions:

Students who graduate under this and subsequent catalogs must successfully complete at least 64 credit hours including the required 44 hour core curriculum.¹

Students must attain a C average (2.00 cumulative grade point average) on all work attempted at the University.

A maximum of 2 credit hours in leisure science courses may be applied toward the degree.

The final 15 hours of work toward the degree (excluding credit by examination) must be completed in residence.

A maximum of six credit hours by correspondence study may be applied toward the degree.

Students may elect to graduate under the provisions of the UALR Undergraduate Catalog in effect during any semester they are in residence at UALR before they qualify for a degree. Students who interrupt their enrollment at UALR for more than five consecutive calendar years may not follow the provisions of any Undergraduate Catalog before the one in effect at the time they re-enroll.

Students transferring to UALR from regionally accredited four-year institutions, community or junior colleges with 13 or more hours accepted credit may elect to graduate under the provisions of a UALR Undergraduate Catalog in effect during any semester within the last five years they are enrolled in the aforementioned institutions. In no case may such a student follow the provisions of a UALR Undergraduate Catalog more than five years old at the time of his or her entry into UALR. A college or school may, with approval through the usual curriculum process, institute a more restrictive requirement.

Transient, correspondence, and concurrent registration at UALR and another institution must be approved in writing by the Director of Records and Registration; otherwise, courses completed elsewhere will not be accepted for credit.

The UALR core curriculum may vary by academic program requirements. Students are responsible for reading the current UALR Undergraduate Catalog to ensure that all core course work taken for this degree will satisfy subsequent baccalaureate degree requirements.

Students need to request and sign an official degree plan after completing approximately 30 hours.

A formal application for graduation must be filed at the Office of Records and Registration according to the published deadline. Students who do not graduate after applying must reapply.

Associate of Arts in General Studies - Early Childhood Education Emphasis

Thea Zidonowitz Hoeft, coordinator.

An emphasis in early childhood education within the associate of arts in general studies has been approved in concept, however the curriculum was not established at the time this catalog went to press.

For more information on this new program, please contact the Office of Academic Advising in University College at (501) 569-3386, or online at the UALR Academic Advising web site: http://www.ualr.edu/aadept/.

¹See "Core Requirements for Bachelor Degrees" on page 20.