michael mercer

Overnight Opportunity

   Many high schoolers spent the night Jan. 27 and most of the day Jan. 28 to learn what it’s like to be a University of the Incarnate Word student.

    The overnight program, sponsored by the Office of Admissions, is a win-win situation for the visitors who become collegians for a day and their student hosts who earn 15 community service hours toward 45 required for graduation.

    One of more than 50 guests was Vikki Rojas, a student at Mission High School, who first made the five-hour trip with her parents to check out UIW last fall for an open house. Before leaving campus, she and her folks dropped by Alice McDermott Convocation Center to watch the volleyball team practice.

    Vikki decided about two weeks ago to return for a closer look at UIW through the overnight program, making arrangements with the Office of Admissions to participate.

    Jaclyn Garcia, a member of the Student Ambassadors, helped plan Vikki’s schedule for Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, which included some activities with her host, communication arts major Dennise Gonzales. On Monday, Vikki attended a Theories of Communication class with Garcia, also a communication arts major; two other classes with Gonzales – one in English Composition and the other, Introduction to Mass Communication; and had appointments set up with the volleyball and track-and-field coaches. At Mission, Vikki plays volleyball and runs the 100-meter hurdles – both sports she wants to do at UIW if she decides to attend. Before leaving Monday, she learned she had been admitted to UIW and would receive an academic scholarship. At Mission, Vikki likely will be senior class valedictorian and she’s closing her senior year as editor of the Eagle Eye school newspaper.

    Whether Vikki comes to UIW or not remains to be seen, but for her and many other students participating in the overnight program, at least they’ll know what they’ll be missing if they don’t.

Football fever

  In mid-January, the college football season is over and the National Football League’s Super Bowl waits in February.

    But there is growing excitement at the University of the Incarnate Word as another milestone took place Jan. 17 as UIW prepares to kick off its first football season in fall 2009.

  UIW’s first football tryouts were held in late November and another one aimed at high school students is planned later this semester. Ground was broken Jan. 17 on the Gayle and Tom Benson football stadium. Two young men dressed out in the white and black prototype uniforms the Cardinals will wear for home-and-away games.

   Head Coach Mike Santiago is already becoming a familiar face on campus. He and the three coaches he’s hired already – Offensive Coordinator Jim Marshall, Defensive Coordinator Todd Ivicic and Assistant Coach-Director of Football Operations Kyle Kennan -- are anxiously awaiting Feb. 6 for the first official commitments who will become part of our first football team.

   On Jan. 19, I had the pleasure of talking to a group of students – most of whom were young men checking out the university where they’ll likely play football – attending our monthly Campus Visit program. I was representing the faculty.

   Assistant Admissions Director Heather Rodriguez and Elizabeth “Beth” Levy, an admissions counselor specializing in the processing of international students and freshmen, tossed out miniature footballs and colorful T-shirts to parents and students who answered quick questions about UIW history, academic and athletic programs.

  Then our special guests, guided by student ambassadors, went on a tour and got a free lunch – getting the same treatment everyone gets when they come to the Campus Visit program.

A caring community

  When my father died, I found out personally what I already knew as an employee of the University of the Incarnate Word. I work in a caring community.

   The Office of Human Resources e-mails a bereavement notice within this community immediately upon finding out an employee or an immediate family member of that employee has died.

  I read these all the time. Because death is inevitable, a number of these notices go out, usually telling how long the employee who’s affected has been part of the UIW family and the job he or she does as part of this community.

   I always read the bereavement notices. Many times I don’t know the employee but my heart goes out to them. But still the impact of the bereavement notices doesn’t hit home like it does when the person who’s died is a loved one or someone you really know.

  So when my father died -- James Ira Mercer, 86, on Dec. 6, 2007, in Jackson, Tenn., and the word got out – it was gratifying and encouraging to hear words of sympathy and empathy from many people who never knew my father but knew me. I received phone calls, letters, cards, e-mail and personal words as I ran into people on campus.

   I thank them all.

Where are you going to college?

  For many high school seniors certain they’re going to college, where to go is still an unanswered question.

  It’s a question the University of the Incarnate Word is determined to help answer through the occasional offering of overnight visits each semester. The latest was Nov. 11-12.

Students register in advance for the overnighter through the Office of Admissions. Then they check in on a Sunday afternoon, learn about the school that evening through a series of informal presentations, eat dinner, spend the night with a host student and attend college classes Monday morning and Monday afternoon.

  One of my communication arts advisees, Jaclyn Garcia, plays a major role in helping to coordinate the overnight visits this year under the guidance of another former advisee, Assistant Admissions Director Heather Rodriguez.

Both women were instrumental in helping me spend some quality time with one of our special guests on Nov. 12. Rodriguez had informed me earlier that April Downing, a senior from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, was recently accepted. Downing let me know she was planning to come to the most recent overnighter. Then I asked Garcia to make sure Downing and I met because Downing plans to major in communication arts at UIW with a concentration in journalism.   

   Downing’s already pretty active in journalism at Flour Bluff as news/copy/design editor for the Waldron Street Journal. You can see some of her work and that of her high school journalist classmates at http://my.highschooljournalism.org/tx/corpuschristi/fbhs/archives.cfm?eid=8239.

  Because I was able to meet Downing outside the classroom where visitors hear a lecture but rarely stay around for questions, we were able to discuss her concerns much more in-depth about what coming to Incarnate Word could mean to her future. With her considerable writing, editing and design talents, I’m anxious to add her to the Logos staff next fall.

   Downing was able to learn more about the Logos -- the student newspaper which she’s checked out on the web at http://www.uiw.edu/logos/ -- and get a head start on those who may be interested in UIW but do not take advantage of coming to an overnighter.

Still growing

  I’m in my seventh fall at the University of the Incarnate Word. And I’m seeing more people than ever.

   Increasing enrollment is a continuing story at The Word. Thanks to the fine work of the Office of Admissions, we’ve got more freshmen than ever and more students than ever this fall -- topping the 6,000 mark.

   Breaking records is almost becoming a broken record. And the prospects for more students on campus and online – as Tony the Tiger would say -- are grea-t-t-t-t-t-t-t!!!!

   The main campus used to be confined to land slightly west of U.S. 281 to Broadway on the east. Now there’s a spanking-new John and Rita Feik School of Pharmacy further west off Hildebrand that was blessed and formally opened Oct. 17. The Class of 2010 and Class of 2011 already occupy the school and nearly 100 might constitute the Class of 2012. I attended special ceremonies where each class member received white coats – the same ones they wore at the blessing and opening.

    During class breaks, I’m seeing more students than ever walking the concourse and hanging out around a humongous, stately tree near Marian Hall Student Center.

    And just when I thought there was no more room in the inn so to speak on the campus, a new Hillside dormitory and parking garage opened just this fall. And lo and behold, construction on another dormitory has begun. A football field and fieldhouse for the first team will be under construction soon with the kickoff of the first season set for 2009.

Freshmen: Have no fear, you have a peer (mentor, that is)

   If you’re a freshman craving special attention, you’ll get it at the University of the Incarnate Word.

   There’s a special First Year Engagement Office whose mission is to ensure freshmen success.

   Three full-time people – a director and two student engagement specialists – man the office. Former director Sandy McMakin still has responsibility for the office in her new job as dean of Student Success. Student engagement specialists Raúl Zendejas, now the office coordinator, and Rochelle Ramirez will be joined by a third colleague soon.

   Helping the First Year Engagement Office reach freshmen are 30 upperclassmen, ranging from sophomores to seniors, who have signed on as peer-mentors. These peer-mentors, under the management of Ramirez, themselves are successful students and they earn a $2,000 scholarship for their time and trouble.

   If the peer-mentors have a gripe, it’s with never getting to meet all of the 20 or so freshmen who’ve been assigned to them. It’s not the peer-mentor’s fault. They go out of their way to call and/or e-mail their mentees. As part of Welcome Week, there was even a special “Meet Your Mentor” program where some peer-mentors got to meet most or all of their mentees. However, in some cases no mentees showed up to meet their peer-mentors.

   The peer-mentors help freshmen understand and navigate the system at Incarnate Word. They offer great advice – “Go to class” – and direction when a freshman has a concern or question. A freshman could easily get lost in the system and the likelihood that a freshman will not be retained, drop out or not persist toward graduation is higher the first year of a college student’s life than at any other time.

   When I noticed a freshman was starting to miss several classes, I contacted the First Year Engagement Office when my attempts to call and/or e-mail her went unanswered. The office stepped in and – let’s just say – she’s back in class now.

   If the peer-mentors need any more help reaching their mentees, they can call on a group of faculty volunteers. These faculty members were honored at a Sept. 21 luncheon.

   So if you’re a freshman or contemplating becoming one at Incarnate Word, you can be assured you’ll get some special attention thanks to the First Year Engagment Office and its peer-mentors.

Logos goes Back-to-School

  For the first time ever -- this 21^st century anyway -- the Logos, the student newspaper at the University of the Incarnate Word, has published a special back-to-school special edition.

   Since fall 2001, the newspaper has been published a few times in the fall and the spring, but never before the first day of classes and usually in or around Aug. 31 after classes have started.

   Plans for this special edition first were born in mid-May when Dr. Renee Moore, dean of Campus Life and chair of the Student Publications Advisory Board, brought up the wishful idea at a board meeting.

The purpose of that meeting was to interview six candidates for paid Logos editorial positions but the special-edition idea also got launched.

   The three editors, who began their jobs Aug. 1, all had some involvement with the special section. Veteran Editor Elva Garza did nearly all the layout, training new Associate Editor Erin O’Brien in the process. Another associate editor, Melissa Hernandez, who served as Elva’s assistant editor this spring, even came over on one of her few off days from Schlitterbahn Waterpark to lend a hand.

   The special edition looks at this fall’s record freshmen class enrollment, UIW’s first football coach, a new Value Menu offered by Sodexho food service, Welcome Week and intramural sports plans and student leaders including the Student Government Association’s Executive Council, Campus Activities Board and peer mentors with the First Year Engagement Program.

    You can see this special edition online at http://www.uiw.edu/logos/

Target core courses

   Nearly a third of the courses any University of the Incarnate Word student will take before they graduate – regardless of major -- will come from what’s called the core curriculum.

   To help first-year students get started in the core, advisers have adopted a T42 (think T-4-2) strategy to help freshmen get registered in some target courses their very first semester and ideally to take at least four of them in their first year.

    These three-hour target courses include math and English classes designed to help students who don’t do as well on college entrance exams “bridge” the transition from high school to college courses.

    Other three-hour courses in T42 include introductory English composition, philosophy, religion and math (College Algebra in most cases but in some majors a geometry course is an option). Also in the mix is the two-hour Dimensions of Wellness course.

    These T42 courses are offered each semester so first-year students don’t have to worry about whether or not they’ll be offered. The decisions they’ll have to make are what days and times they’ll take these courses. Some are offered as early as 7:30 a.m. up through 6 p.m. The three-hour courses usually meet 75 minutes on Mondays and Wednesdays or Tuesdays and Thursdays.

    As faculty advisers have been meeting freshmen at orientation, the juggling of classes requires a laptop computer to get the latest availability of these courses as these classes go fast.

    At freshmen orientation, faculty advisers have needed their laptop computers to help schedule freshmen in these courses because the classes fill up quickly. In some cases, extra sections have been opened up as other sections close.

    Later this fall, these same freshmen -- after consulting with major advisers -- will be savvy enough to register online for their own courses.

    Now and then, one decision affects another. So students must be flexible in preparing their schedules based on the classes available. When conflicts arise, for instance, between work and school, hopefully school will win.

Advising freshmen

It’s always refreshing to meet freshmen. They’re “fresh” out of high school – in some cases only a few days or weeks removed from their commencement when they arrive for summer orientation.

To ensure first-year students get off to a good start, every one of them at some point gets person-to-person advising to help them determine their classes for their first semester at the University of the Incarnate Word.

The full-time Academic Advising Center, First Year Engagement office and a number of deans with some of their faculty members pool their resources to offer this every important advice during summer orientation.

Nearly 200 freshmen got such advice June 11 and others coming to orientations scheduled through August can expect to get the same. Some of the advisers’ faces might change due to summer schedules and vacations but no freshmen need worry about not being served.

Academic adviser Roland Sul helped smooth the road for freshmen planning to major in fields in the School of Interactive Media and Design. He’s developed a computer program for degree plans that list the courses they’ll need to take and the hours of credit – mostly three – for each course.

Students can quickly see the road they’ll need to take toward their degree. Depending on how many hours they plan to take each semester, it’s even possible to project how long they’ll be traveling that road.

Faculty advisers have their laptops tuned to the latest online stats on class enrollment to ensure a class is open a student wishes to take. Advisers also suggest other possible classes depending on their availability and the student’s wishes. Some students will be staying on campus. Most will be commuters. Some will have part-time jobs to work around. Others don’t want morning classes. Or Friday classes. Some prefer evening classes. Some want as many as 18 hours. Others as few as 12. Both are considered full-time students and the cost for 12-18 hours is the same.

Where possible, advisers try to navigate around these many issues and help develop a solid schedule for the student to complete their registration.

Why go to all this trouble? Research shows students who don’t get a good start in college tend to drop out eventually.

We want to retain every student we can, hoping he or she will persist toward graduation.

Orientation leaders

  Orientation for new students – freshmen and transfers – is under way this summer at the University of the Incarnate Word. 

   As a member of the university’s Orientation Committee, I’ve had an opportunity to help plan the series of activities for Phase I where students visit the university; get acquainted with the rules, regulations, traditions and climate; get advised; and ultimately register for fall classes. Phase II covers the first week or so of school where a variety of other activities are planned including “Welcome Week” and a “Cardinal Camp.”

   The Office of Admissions, Academic Advising Center and deans of our various schools and Campus Life are very involved in the orientation process, enlisting the help of faculty as well.

  This summer, Admissions hired several students to serve as orientation leaders to help guide newcomers through the process and ensure they don’t get lost in the maze.

  These orientation leaders are rising sophomores, juniors and seniors who have spent at least two semesters at the university and remain in good academic standing.

   Besides that, the job description calls for orientation leaders to be “well-acquainted with the mission of the university, its facilities, its history, its culture, demographics, major personnel and policies related to tuition, campus life, advising, counseling, parking and graduation…They should be articulate, flexible, and able to think well on their feet. The students must commit to participation in this project, and should be involved in student organizations, the peer mentor program, or other significant activity on campus that demonstrates their ability to understand the UIW engagement process. They should be excited about the opportunity to participate, and they should have a good attitude.”

   I met nearly 20 of these students during their intensive training for orientation. To acquaint them further with the School of Interactive Media and Design, I met them outside our dean’s office (Room 112 in the Administration Building) on Thursday, May 24.

  First, I handed them copies of a contest-winning poster -- you can see this poster at http://www.uiw.edu/simd/index.htm -- designed by one of our computer graphics art students.

   Then I took them on a brief tour of the Joyce Building where four departments in our school operate: Computer Graphics; Fashion Merchandising and Design; Interior Environmental Design; and Computer Information Systems. Then we returned to the Administration Buildingand went to the second floor where the Department of Communication Arts is. We have the makings of a TV studio there. In another part of the building on the second floor is the Logos student newspaper office. Spring editions can be seen at http://www.uiw.edu/logos/

   And back near the TV studio is where you’ll find KUIW, the Internet radio station you can hear during the school year at http://www.kuiw.org