9354156 Compton Texas A&I University seeks planning grant funding to develop a full proposal under the Model Institution of Excellence (MIE) project. Planning activities will explore, evaluate, and develop programs in eight principal areas. The fundamental objective will be to dramatically increase the quantity and quality of the SEM graduates of Texas A&I University, a major national producer of BS degrees to Hispanic Americans. Our institutional mission is to establish within South Texas a large, first generation of college educated Hispanic professionals in those SEM careers vital to bringing our educational economic infrastructure into parity with the rest of Texas and the nation. The planning focus will be on a broad-based institutional program of enhancement of the SEM disciplines at Texas A&I. Texas A&I University President, Dr. Manuel L. Ibanez, named a four member Council of Principal Investigators led by Dr. Phil Compton, Dean of Engineering, and including Dr. Mario Medina, Dr. Mauro Castro, and Dr. John Perez, to develop the Phase I and Phase II MIE activities. Four to seven member Focus Groups were named to fully explore the initial directions in eight principal areas, including: 1) Center for Innovation and Teaching Excellence. The CITE will explore SEM curricula integration; collaborative and team learning; faculty incentives, development and rewards; university teaching and monitoring; and undergraduate research; 2) Human Interface Development. HID will explore programs to bring about fundamental cultural change in the SEM experience and enhance the climate for the successful recruitment and retention of Hispanics, particularly women, to SEM degree programs; 3) SEM Bridges and Orientations. SEMBO will explore the development and programmatic structure of three bridge programs (Jump-Start SEM, SEM and Parent's Bridge) and two orientation programs (community college and second tier); 4) Technology Enabled Learning. TEL will explore MIE needs in laboratory equipment, student computational needs, and telecommunications and electronic networking; 5) Community College Collaboration. CCC will explore faculty exchanges, engineering core curriculum development, transfer and colleges; 6) Industry Participation. Broad-based industry participation in the MIE will be sought; 7) Evaluation, Assessment and Cost Effectiveness. Continuous evaluation, assessment and cost effectiveness analysis will be an integral part of the planning process; and 8) Budget Allocations. The Council of Principal Investigators in consultation with President Ibanez will determine the final budget allocations during the development of the full proposal based on a cost effectiveness model that will maximize the goal attainment o increased quantity and quality of Hispanic SEM graduates.
