3.4.9 Academic Support Services
The institution provides appropriate academic support services.
Judgement of Compliance:
Compliance
Narrative:
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) provides an extensive array of student academic support services designed to provide assistance to all students. As a public institution whose mission focuses on accessibility as well as success, many of these services focus on students with special academic, personal, or physical challenges. The Student Resources link on the main university web page provides information about these wide-ranging services.
Every student at UTC is assigned an academic advisor, and students are required to meet with that individual every semester. Advisors assist students in developing career goals, registering for courses, understanding university policies, and connecting to campus resources.
A number of academic support services are provided through the Center for Advisement and Student Success (CASS). Students who have not yet declared a major are advised through the Center. In addition, the Center provides access to tutoring and supplemental instruction. The Center also hosts a First Year Studies program that offers learning communities, a first-year success course, and special topics courses.
Central to the University’s efforts to improve retention and graduation rates is the Center for Advisement and Student Success. Housed within the Center is the grant-funded Student Success Center, which provides services to disadvantaged students meeting eligibility requirements. These services include a learning laboratory addressing math skills, reading comprehension skills, and study skills; personal and goal-setting counseling; and the TRIO Club designed to develop leadership skills through community service projects.
Available to all students is the Counseling and Career Planning Center staffed by certified professionals providing counseling for personal, vocational, and academic concerns. The Center also provides consultation services, workshops, and programs designed to improve the emotional, social, and personal development of students.
The Office for Students with Disabilities is responsible for providing access for persons with disabilities to all UTC facilities, programs, and services. The Office maintains a broad array of adaptive technology resources and provides proctors, readers, and other support personnel.
Computing Services comprises an important area of student support. Computing Services operates the Student Technology Center, the main computer lab located in the University Center, as well as satellite computer labs in several academic buildings. The Computing Services Help Desk is staffed by individuals trained to answer students' questions on hardware, networking, and software issues.
Available to UTC students is the Math Lab, a major computer facility dedicated to the study of mathematics. Dedicated software operating on Math Lab computers is designed to facilitate mathematics learning from developmental studies through graduate courses.
UTC staffs the Writing Center, a free resource for all students. The center provides style guides and dictionaries, one-on-one consultations, and a staffed facility in which students are invited to write. Staff members are available to help with course assignments, resumes, cover letters, graduate school applications, and other writing activities.
The Testing Center administers tests required for licensure (Praxis and Parapro), graduate school admissions (MAT, GRE, GMAT), and professional school admissions (LSAT, MCAT, and PCAT).
UTC's Cooperative Education Program is an optional academic experience that helps students obtain paid, career/major-related, progressive work assignments with local, regional, national, and international employers. The Co-op Program is open to students from all academic majors at the University meeting the program's eligibility requirements.
UTC offers a variety of exchange opportunities for UTC students. Students can study in another country for two weeks or up to a full year through UTC's International Programs. Through the National Student Exchange Program, undergraduate students have the chance to study at one of nearly 200 universities in the U.S., U.S. territories, and Canada.
The Office of International Student Services (ISS) currently assists international students from over thirty-five countries on the UT Chattanooga campus. The staff of ISS is trained and experienced in cross-cultural counseling and U.S. immigration regulations. The services offered by ISS include advice, counseling, and advocacy on admissions processes; immigration issues; academic issues; and personal issues.
Student resources provided by the UTC Lupton Library are reported in Comprehensive Standards 3.8.1-3.8.3.
Documentation:
- Student Resources
http://www.utc.edu/resources.php - Center for Advisement and Student Success
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/AdvisementAndStudentSuccess/ - First-Year Studies
http://www.utc.edu/Academic/FirstYearStudies/ - Student Success Center
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/StudentSuccessCenter/ - Counseling and Career Planning Center
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/CounselingAndCareerPlanning/ - Office for Students with Disabilities
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/OfficeForStudentsWithDisabilities/ - OSD Adaptive Technology
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/OfficeForStudentsWithDisabilities/ATResources.php - Student Technology Center
http://itd.utc.edu/students/ - Mathematics Lab
http://www.utc.edu/Academic/Mathematics/students/labtime.php - Writing Center
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/WritingCenter/ - Testing Center
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/PlanningEvaluationAndInstitutionalResearch/testing.php - Cooperative Education web page
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/CooperativeEducation/ - Exchange Programs
http://www.utc.edu/Academic/NationalStudentExchange/ise_home.php - Office of International Student Services
http://www.utc.edu/Administration/InternationalStudents/
