2010 annual report - Texas Southern University

Renaissance AcademicsDepartment of Aviation Science Takes OffBy 2011, Texas Southern’s Department of Aviation Science willbe home to the only university-based virtual airport in the nation.Students will have access to a new research library, as well as severallabs where students can take courses in subjects ranging fromairport management to aerospace engineering. The labs will allowstudents to receive training in the latest techniques in airportmanagement, planning, operations and security. They’ll also beable to design and test “aircrafts” within a simulated wind tunnel.In the summer of 2010, the business community, government,Boy Scouts of America and over five school districts in the greaterHouston area launched a program within the aviation departmentthat will exposed students to careers in airport management/operations, air traffic control, piloting and more. The vision of theprogram is to extend its operations to a year-round, after-schoolaviation enrichment program that supports science, technology,engineering and mathematics (STEM) initiatives.TEXas SOUTHERN UNIVersitY EXCELLENCE PreserVED SACS PROBatiON LIFTEDTexas Southern University has received a clean bill of health from the Southern Association of Colleges andSchools (SACS). Of the great news, Dr. Rudley commented, “This is significant for everyone studying and workingat Texas Southern, for alumni around the world and for potential students contemplating spending their collegedays at Texas Southern. While our accreditation continued throughout the probation, the concern was also thereabout the impact it would have on our programs and our recruitment. Certainly as students make choices aboutwhere they will spend the next few years, this milestone adds perceived value to our programs and our degrees.Law School Library HonoredThe Thurgood Marshall School of Law was named one of thebest law libraries in the nation according to the March 2010 issueof the National Jurist. Ranking 31st out of 198, TMSL also hasthe distinction of being one of only two law schools in the stateof Texas to be recognized. Students of the law school have benefittedgreatly from the library, which has likely played a partin the success of 75 percent of TMSL students who passed the2010 Texas Bar Exam.College of Education Receives High MarksOf the 10-certification fields of study offered in the Departmentof Education, three have been reviewed by the appropriate professionalsocieties and awarded “Recognized” status. These includeEarly Childhood (EC-4 Generalist), 4-8 Social Studies, and 4-8Science. The EC-12 Special Education certification and the 4-8mathematics are recognized with conditions. Future plans are todevelop the Reading Specialization and Early Childhood specializationas online programs beginning Fall 2011.Dr. Lei Yu, Dean of the College of Science and technology recentlyfacilitated the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding(MOU) between Texas Southern University (TSU) and BeijingJiaotong University (BJTU), Beijing. The MOU will bring thesetwo institutions together to jointly establish a Confucius Instituteat TSU. The Institute will provide an opportunity for TSU tooffer Chinese language curriculum and to increase the internationalexperiences of its students. The Confucius Institute willbe housed in the College of Liberal Art and Behavior Science(COLABS), and include certain elements of Science Technology8Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in its curriculum.