The Texas Rehabilitation Commission offers assistance for tuition and non-refundable fees to students who have certain disabling conditions provided their vocational objectives have been approved by a Commission counselor. Examples of such conditions are: orthopedic deformities, emotional disorders, diabetes, epilepsy, heart conditions, etc. Other services are available to assist the disabled student become employable. Application for these services may be made in Room 106, University Health Center or by writing: Texas Rehabilitation Commission, P.O. Box 1698, Huntsville, Texas 77340.
ALUMNI RELATIONS
The mission of the Office of Alumni Relations is to connect and
reconnect alumni to the institution through the involvement of the
administration, faculty, students and other alumni for the advancement of Sam
Houston State University. The office is responsible for the administration of
the SHSU Alumni Association. The association was organized in the early 1920s
to provide services for Sam Houston's alumni and to involve them with their
alma mater. That purpose holds true today for the 65,000+ alumni residing in
every state in the union and in 50 countries. During the summer of 1995, the
name was changed from the Ex-Students' Association to the Alumni Association.
The association supports the current student body through scholarship funds,
activities that promote fellowship between students and alumni and the
opportunity to network with alumni in the work force. Sam Houston State
University Alumni Association is a membership organization open to anyone
wanting to support its mission.
The Office of Alumni Relations encourages students, parents, alumni and friends
to visit the office, located in Suite 122, Academic Building 2, on the
southeast corner of Sam Houston Avenue and 17th street.
ATHLETICS
The Athletics Department at Sam Houston State University encompasses a
variety of sports, including football, baseball, and golf; women's softball,
tennis, and volleyball; and men's and women's basketball and
track/cross-country. Sam Houston is one of ten schools in the Southland
Conference, including five other Texas schools -- University of North Texas,
Southwest Texas State University, Stephen F. Austin State University,
University of Texas at Arlington, and University of Texas at San Antonio; and
four Louisiana schools -- McNeese State University, Nicholls State University,
Northeast Louisiana University, and Northwestern State University. The
conference conducts championships in 15 sports -- eight for men and seven for
women -- at the NCAA Division I level (I-AA in football).
The Bearkat teams enjoy excellent facilities, including the Bernard G. Johnson
Coliseum and Bowers Stadium. Admission to all athletic events conducted "at
home" is one of the activities covered by the Student Service Fee paid by Sam
Houston State University students upon enrollment, and all students are
cordially invited to attend as many athletic events as they wish. SHSU athletic
fans enjoy a warm camaraderie and an enthusiastic school spirit that add to the
fun and friendly competition with our counterparts in the Southland
Conference.
HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
The Human Resources Department provides services in the areas of:
Employee Benefits, Employee Relations, Staffing, Records, Staff Wage and Salary
Administration, Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action, Civil Rights
Compliance, Risk Management, and Employee Development/Training. These services
are provided without regard for race, color, national origin, religion, sex,
age, disability, or veteran status.
Student Employment Information
Sam Houston State University has a decentralized student employment
process. Therefore, a student must inquire with each individual employing
department about on-campus job opportunities. Many student employment
opportunities are posted on the Employment Bulletin Board which is located
along the corridor adjacent to the Human Resources Department. The job listings
change frequently and provide a variety of employment opportunities. On
occasion, the various departments and some local community employers elect to
list their student jobs and, as this occurs, they are posted as a service to
Sam Houston students. Applications for employment may be obtained from the
Human Resources Department.
The Human Resources Department is located on the third floor of the
Bobby K. Marks Administration Building and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through
Friday; telephone (936) 294-1070.
INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH
The Office of Institutional Research conducts research and analyses to
support administrative decision-making and develops management information
systems to provide information necessary for assessment of education and
noneducation programs at Sam Houston State University. Also, this office
maintains a library of reference materials on planning and institutional
research, designs research methodology to achieve specific goals, coordinates
university-wide institutional research activities for strategic and tactical
plans.
Reconciling the potential conflict between traditional collegiate values and
accountability methods, the Office of Institutional Research monitors
institutional effectiveness activities, determines appropriate types of
assessment, and helps ensure that assessment results are used in program
improvement.
SAM HOUSTON MEMORIAL MUSEUM
The Sam Houston Memorial Museum was established in 1936 as a Texas
centennial project, funded by the Texas legislature. Since that time the museum
has expanded to a complex of fifteen acres situated within a scenic park. On
the site are the main museum composed of a rotunda and three wings, containing
artifacts relating to Sam Houston, his family, and early life in Texas;
Woodland Home, the home that Sam Houston built for his family in Huntsville;
Steamboat House, where General Houston died; the Sam Houston law office; and a
Museum Gift Shop and Exhibit Hall together with a blacksmith shop. The
Houstons' Kitchen, a replica of an 1800's kitchen, was dedicated on June 18,
1994.
Unique among museums in the state of Texas, the Sam Houston Memorial Museum
features extensive collections of artifacts relating to Sam Houston's life in
Texas, plus a growing collection of documents relating to Sam Houston, politics
and government in the area, and pioneer families. The newest addition to the
museum complex, the Katy and E. Don Walker, Sr. Education Center, was dedicated
on March 2, 1995.
NEWS BUREAU
The university provides news about students, employees, and programs
through its News Bureau, which is located in the Office of Public Relations.
Releases are distributed on each student named to the President's Honor Roll or
the Dean's List of Academic Honors and on all persons receiving degrees.
Publicity is also provided regarding other awards, achievements, and
activities. For more information, please call the Public Relations Office,
(936) 294-1836.
UNIVERSITY RELATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT
The Office of University Relations and Development is responsible for
coordinating the institutional advancement efforts for the university. The
office seeks ways to increase the university's capacity to serve its community
and provides opportunities for individuals, corporations, foundations, and
groups to share in educational endeavors. The university's future rests with
the work of this department as it assures resources are available beyond state
and federal appropriated funding.
University Relations and Development's primary goal is to advance the
institution on many levels. Public relations plays an important role in this
effort. University Relations and Development works closely with the Office of
Public Relations and university administration to ensure the institution is
visible, and to present Sam Houston State University's expanded programs and
affirm its dedication to academic excellence.
Development endeavors are a vital link in the efforts to strategically
position the institution to gain wider recognition. Developing and securing
resources from selected philanthropies will broaden the university's support
base and strengthen its commitment to planned growth.
Further information regarding Sam Houston State University's development
efforts may be obtained by calling (936) 294-3625.
VETERANS ASSISTANCE OFFICE
Veterans may request assistance with filing for V.A. benefits, late
payment inquiries, changes in dependency status, address changes or changes of
academic status (course load) by contacting the Veterans Assistance staff of
the Registrar's Office.
HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY
Sam Houston State University, located in Huntsville, Texas, serves one
of the most diverse populations of any educational institution in the state.
The university is committed to the development of its creative resources so
that it can adapt to the changing educational needs of its constituency while
maintaining the highest quality in the traditional curricula. The institution
was created by the Texas legislature in 1879 as Sam Houston Normal Institute to
train teachers for the public schools of Texas. During the following four
decades, instruction was offered in the natural sciences, agriculture, home
economics, manual training, geography, sociology, and foreign languages. The
baccalaureate degree was first awarded in 1919.
The next twenty years witnessed rapid and dramatic changes, including a name
change to Sam Houston State Teachers College in 1923. Two years later, the
college was admitted to membership in the Southern Association of Colleges and
Schools (SACS) as an accredited institution of higher learning. The institution
began to expand its programs, and a graduate degree was authorized in 1936, a
development which expanded the curriculum from its sole emphasis on teacher
training to emphases on preparation in a variety of fields.
Following World War II, an increase in students and faculty as well as a wide
range of faculty-research activities provided impetus for the emergence of a
multi-purpose institution. By 1960, about 25 percent of the graduating seniors
were receiving degrees in fields other than teaching. Degrees were offered in
the social and communication sciences; the biological, physical, and soil
sciences; business administration; the fine arts; the humanities; and
education. A growing emphasis on research allowed faculty to make significant
contributions in their fields beyond the classroom, and these activities were
accompanied by an increasing diversity in the student body as more out-of-state
and foreign students began seeking degrees at Sam Houston. In recognition of
these developments, the institution's name was changed by the Texas legislature
to Sam Houston State College in 1965, and in that year the Texas legislature
established as an integral part of the institution The Institute of
Contemporary Corrections and the Behavioral Sciences.
During the following years, there was a rapid increase in the enrollment of
students with diversified backgrounds, interests, and aspirations, which
necessitated continuous examination of programs, faculty, and facilities. The
number of graduate degrees conferred increased significantly in the late
1960's, and the Texas legislature, recognizing the changes that had taken place
during the course of the institution's history, changed the name of the
institution to Sam Houston State University in 1969.
In the decade of the 1970's, the university continued to expand its offerings
to keep pace with its dynamic environment by adding degree programs in such
fields as computer science and environmental science. New graduate degrees,
such as the Master of Library Science, the Master of Fine Arts, and the Doctor
of Philosophy in Criminal Justice were added. These additions were accompanied
by significant improvement in faculty credentials and growth in faculty
research activities.
Currently Sam Houston State University, a member institution in The Texas State
University System, is organized academically into four colleges: Arts and
Sciences, Education and Applied Science, Business Administration, and Criminal
Justice. Students are offered an extensive range of bachelor's and master's
degrees, as well as the Doctor of Philosophy in Criminal Justice. The faculty
and the university are recognized regionally, nationally, and
internationally.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board approved for Sam Houston
State University a mission (role and scope) statement, consistent with Section
61.051(d) of the Texas Education Code on January 24, 1986.
Sam Houston State University is a multi-purpose state university that exists to
meet the needs of a civilized community by providing to the community
educational opportunities and resources of the highest quality. The university
has evolved into a federation of colleges and programs which provides a climate
of intellectual freedom with academic programs to enable its students to become
informed, thoughtful, and productive citizens with the skills necessary to
evaluate issues critically and to appreciate the cultural and aesthetic values
of life. To fulfill its mission, the university is committed to:
Excellence in instruction is considered foremost in enhancing the
educational process. The university has assembled a community of teaching
scholars whose goal is to give meaning to the separate elements of our
civilization so that students of all disciplines can analyze, study, and
organize the diverse elements of knowledge, thereby giving conscious direction
to the human mind. To fulfill its commitment to excellence in instruction, the
university seeks to:
Creative activity is recognized as an indispensable function of the
institution if its instruction is to have the relevance, freshness, and
effectiveness expected of an institution of higher learning. Knowledge is
indeed an end in itself and one which has value that may properly be called
inestimable since it cannot be expressed in terms of any other value.
The university holds that the term research applies to creativity in all
fields. To encourage the discovery and advancement of human knowledge, the
university seeks to:
The university acknowledges its responsibility to serve as the nucleus
for the cultural and intellectual development of students and members of the
community outside the framework of formal course work. To provide this service,
the university seeks to:
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