Stephen F. Austin
State University
Counseling and Career Services
Annual Report
Welcome • 1 Mission • 2 Career Services • 3 Counseling Services • 9 Student Employment • 14 Testing Services • 18 Philanthropy • 21
2008
welcome Counseling and Career Services is pleased to present the 2008 Annual Report. This has been a year of growth and change, and our offices have risen to the challenge. One important change occurred late in the year, when Orientation Programs became their own division. With Hollie Smith at the helm, we are confident that Orientation will continue to prosper. We look forward to our continued relationship with Hollie and her staff. In late 2007, we hired two new Counselors so that we could increase our ability to assist students in making healthy and positive changes in their lives. Although they made an immediate impact, this was our first full year to have them on staff, and the data contained in the Counseling Services portion of this report demonstrate what a big difference they are making in meeting the mental health needs of SFA students. In July of this year, we hired a full-time Career Counselor and Research Coordinator. Her duties involve assisting students who have questions or concerns relating to their majors and/or their future careers. She is also responsible for providing Career Inventory interpretations to the SFA 101 classes. This allowed the mental health counselors even more time to provide individual counseling sessions, group sessions, and outreach programs. On the research end, she is responsible for assisting the various divisions within Counseling and Career Services in collecting and analyzing the data related to the services we provide.
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Although we have listed the accomplishments of our staff throughout the report, we couldn’t have achieved nearly as much without the guidance of our Director of Counseling and Career Services, Ralph Busby. On behalf of all of us at Counseling and Career Services, I would like to acknowledge all that Ralph does throughout the year to keep each division, the University, and all of us as professionals, cognizant of our abilities and of our responsibilities to the students we serve. Ralph has worked faithfully at SFA for 38 years. He earned his Master’s Degree here at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. He is a member of the American Counseling Association, American College Counseling Association, the Piney Woods Counseling Association, the Texas University Counseling Center Directors Association, the Texas Association of Collegiate Testing Personnel (a charter member), and the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA). Ralph and Hollie Smith presented their research, Using CAS to Inspire Orientation Program Assessments at the NODA Conference held in Boston, MA, this year in November. He is also a NODA Representative to the CAS (Council for the Advancement of Standards) Board. Kristina Sage is the ultimate “problem solver” in our office. She is usually in the office before 8:00 a.m. as well as after 5:00 p.m. She supervises all of the student workers and stays on top of every detail of the office so that things run as smoothly as possible. Through September of 2008, Kristina served as the Vice President of UPW, a networking organization for professional women on campus. In September, she was elected President of UPW. The officers, over the last year, decided to add to the vision of UPW by engaging in more community work. This year, they collected cell phones to give to soldiers. In November, they organized a canned food drive which provided food for 2 Big Jack families and for HOPE (Helping Other People Eat). Their next project will be collecting mittens, booties, and socks for residents of local nursing homes. Outside her involvement at SFA, Kristina participated as part of the Disaster Relief Team at Sacred Heart Church when our state was hit by Hurricane Ike. We are proud of our accomplishments in 2008 and are eager to improve our services even more in 2009!
Jennifer J. Ewing, Career Counselor and Research Coordinator
mission
Our mission... to help students Stephen F. Austin State University Mission Statement Stephen F. Austin State University is a comprehensive institution dedicated to excellence in teaching, research, scholarship, creative work, and service. Through the personal attention of our faculty and staff, we engage our students in a learner-centered environment and offer opportunities to prepare for the challenges of living in the global community.
University Affairs Mission Statement The Division of University Affairs supports the development of a learner-centered environment for SFA students by providing co-curricular PROGRAMS that create opportunities for students to engage in active learning; by the creation of a friendly and welcoming environment through ACTIVITIES that strengthen students’ connections to the institution and each other; by providing SERVICES to enhance the success of our students as they pursue their academic and personal goals, and by providing the FACILITIES that support these goals.
Student Affairs Mission Statement The Office of the Dean of Student Affairs consists of programs and services dedicated to enhancing the experience of SFA students, to providing resources for students to succeed academically and in our cocurricular programs, to maintaining a nurturing and healthy place for students to learn, and to providing activities and programs that make campus an exciting and lively place to be. We are committed to providing our students the highest level of commitment and service, and for creating a truly personalized learning experience.
Counseling and Career Services Mission Statement The Counseling and Career Services staff assists students to develop a positive self-image, discover career goals, develop a sense of self-direction and prepare for careers in their chosen fields.
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career services Mission Statement The primary purpose of Career Services is to aid students in developing, evaluating, and effectively initiating and implementing career plans which is a process that will be fostered during the entire period of a student’s involvement with SFA.
Staff Sheri Mullican, M.A., LPC Licensed Professional Counselor Associate Director of Counseling and Career Services Jenny Davis Assistant Director of Career Services Jennifer Ewing, M.A., LPC-I Licensed Professional Counselor-Intern Career Counselor and Research Coordinator
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Penny Tousha Interview Coordinator
Staff Awards and Achievements The staff of Career Services strives to do anything possible for students’ growth and development. Not only do the staff perform the daily tasks of their jobs, they also participate in organizations, both on and off campus, in order to grow personally and professionally. This, in turn, benefits the students we serve. We would like to acknowledge the Career Services staff for the hard work and dedication to the students, the University, and the community. • Sheri Mullican works throughout the week fulfilling the many functions of Counseling and Career Services, SFA, and the Nacogdoches Community. She is a member of several professional organizations: Southern Association of Colleges and Employers, National Association of Colleges and Employers, Society for Human Resource Managers, Nacogdoches County Chamber of Commerce, Texas Counseling Association, Piney Woods Counseling Association, University Professional Women (UPW), and the SFA Alumni Association. Sheri is NCC eligible. She also supports the University by serving on many committees and programs. She serves as the Title IX Coordinator for the University, she assisted Orientation with the selection of 2008-2009 Student Coordinators, she is a member of the Student Retention Workgroup, and she represents Counseling and Career Services as a member of the Student Process Implementation Team for the Banner conversion to Axcess. She is an SFA 101 instructor, assisting freshmen students with their transition into college life. Sheri lends her vocal talents to the University by performing the SFA Alma Mater at Spirit Rallies during Summer Orientations. She serves as Cochair of the SFA Chamber Connection Internship Program Committee, and also worked with local agencies to coordinate a community job fair offering both part-time and full-time job opportunities to area residents. She provided staff development for the Campus Recreation staff by facilitating DiSC Profile training. For professional development, Sheri attended 7 conferences throughout the year.
career services • Jenny Davis also stays active with campus and professional organizations, and she is no stranger to lending a helping hand in the community. Jenny is a member of Southern Association of Colleges and Employers, National Association of Colleges and Employers, the Society for Human Resource Managers, UPW, and is a Life Member of the SFA Alumni Association. Jenny co-chairs the SFA Chamber Connection Internship Program Committee, and she also worked with local agencies to coordinate a community job fair offering both part-time and full-time job opportunities to area residents. She attended several professional conferences throughout the year. In January, she attended the Houston Area Consortium of Career Centers drive-in conference. In July, Jenny attended Outcome-Based Assessment for Career Services Professionals, where she learned how to write, implement and assess our Learning and Development Outcomes. This conference was held in Memphis, TN. She also attended the Follow-Up to this conference in December via the web, so she was able to stay right here on the 3rd floor of the Rusk Building. Jenny attended the Deep East Texas P-16 Council in December. While not performing duties associated with the University, Jenny participates as a member of Junior Forum. She also put her artistic talents to use serving on the Decorating Committee for Holiday in the Pines. While Jenny had a successful and productive 2008, we know that 2009 will be even better. She and her husband, Jeff, rang in the new year with the birth of their daughter, Campbell Lane! • Jennifer Ewing is new to the bunch this year and spent much of her time learning the aspects of her position. She began work at SFA in July, and immediately went to Memphis with Ralph, Sheri, and Jenny for Outcome-Based Assessment for Career Services Professionals. At the conference, she learned how to write, implement, and assess our Learning and Development Outcomes. She also attended the Follow-Up to Outcome-Based Assessment for Career Services via the web. Also in December, Jennifer attended the Deep East Texas P-16 Council. Jennifer is a member of Texas Counseling Association, Piney Woods Counseling Association, and UPW. She is NCC eligible. Jennifer supports the Nacogdoches community by donating to the Women’s Shelter of East Texas. • Penny Tousha coordinates interviews on campus for our students and making sure that students and prospective employers have all they might need during their time with us. Outside of her duties in Career Services, Penny assists those less fortunate than she is by donating to Godtel. She is also involved in her Church, Bethlehem Mission, and works closely with the youth there. After 12 years of service to the University, 8 of which were spent in Career Services, Penny retired at the beginning of 2009. She will be greatly missed and we wish her well in this new phase of her life.
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career services Ongoing Goals and Objectives Despite an economy that took a turn for the worse this year, Career Services saw an increase over last year in several areas! For the Spring Career Day, 41% more recruiters attended representing 22% more companies. 39% more students attended. For the Spring Teacher Job Fair, which is typically larger than the Fall Teacher Job Fair, 9% more recruiters attended representing 16% more school districts. The number of students attending remained about the same, with only marginal increase. Overall, we did see a small decrease in attendance for our Fall events. It is difficult to determine whether this is due to the economy, the fact that fewer students graduate in the Fall semester, or both. We did see an increase by 34% in students registering with Career Services. We remained busy this year coordinating with companies, recruiters, and students wishing to participate in on-campus interviews. 105 recruiters, representing 67 companies, interviewed 416 students! This number has decreased from last year, but the reason has more to do with employers wishing to attend the Career Fairs more than on-campus interviews. In addition, some local companies conduct interviews at their own offices rather than on the SFA campus.
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Of course, Career Services does more than organize career fairs during the year. We also educate the students about the services available to them and the purpose of these services. Presentations were given to 74 groups detailing the services available through Career Services such as job search strategies, career exploration and career success. Approximately 3,000 students and parents attended these sessions. 2,697 students registered with Career Services’ online system, Jobs 4 Jacks, and 14,347 maintain an active registration status with Jobs 4 Jacks (J4J). The number of students registered with Career Services has grown 34% from last year! In order to get this sort of traffic, we need to advertise our services. We distributed the brochure, A Career Planning Checklist through the Admissions Office at college nights, and special event fliers were posted throughout academic buildings and student services buildings. Posters were placed in the Baker Patillo Student Center and the lobbies of buildings on campus advertising events and highlighting new services. We purchased ad space during Student Activities Association movies and various publications across campus were also utilized. Articles concerning Career Services and coverage of the major events it sponsored were published in the Pine Log and The Daily Sentinel. Programs and informational interviews were produced for both the campus radio station, KSAU, and the campus TV station. Feature stories also ran on the local ABC affiliate and local radio stations. Departmental newsletters are created bi-annually and sent to all students via email and are also available for pick-up in our office. The newsletter features tips on job searching, successful interviewing, navigating a career fair, and reminders of upcoming events. We distributed over 1,500 magazines to students during the year. These included the NACE annual JOB Choices publication, Job Postings Magazine, GradSource, and Career Planning Guide. Part of our responsibility in assisting students to obtain occupational and career information is to maintain a career resource library with up-to-date information regarding career opportunities, employment trends, and job search strategies for students’ review and research. Our career library includes career related magazines, periodicals, and books representing a variety of career topics. An exciting new service we provide to our students is the Vault Online Career Library. This is a comprehensive career resource that is available 24 hours a day for all SFA students and alumni. Vault includes downloadable e-books, career advice articles, industry research, a national internship database, and surveys. It also includes sample resumes and cover letters pertinent to various career fields. We provide internet resources on our webpage www.sfasu.edu/ccs/careerservices covering internships, resume/cover letter writing, job postings, interviewing, graduate schools, career dress, and general information.
career services A wonderful tool we provide to our students is Perfect Interview Software. This software is utilized as an interview simulator, which gives students experience in interviewing prior to interviewing with potential employers. It also allows students to critique their own performance, and if they wish, a staff member from Career Services can also critique the interview for them. 209 students took advantage of this opportunity…a more than 100% increase over last year! This year, Career Services hired a full-time Career Counselor and Research Coordinator, Jennifer Ewing. Having a staff member dedicated to Career Counseling allowed for many more students with major and career concerns to be served than in the previous years. Her job is to assist students in choosing a major, changing a major, or figuring out an appropriate occupation that fits with the major the student has chosen. One of the tools utilized in this process is an occupational inventory. The Strong Interest Inventory matches students with potential occupations based on their interests. The Typefocus matches students with potential occupations based on their personality type. Sigi 3 can match students to an occupation based on several factors: personality type, interests, skills, or values. It can also be utilized to research various occupations without taking an inventory at all. Many SFA 101 classes opted to take either the Strong or the Typefocus. Jennifer provided career interpretations to 49 SFA 101 sections, reaching over 900 students! We also developed a new Career Counseling brochure, intake form, and resource handout for those participating in Career Counseling. We developed a new system for critiquing resumes and cover letters for students. 234 students or alumni sought assistance with critiquing a resume, cover letter, personal statement, or letter of intent. We analyzed students’ improvement in writing their resumes by using a Pre-Test/Post-Test system. We then conducted statistical analysis, utilizing a T-Test. Students had the most difficulty originally with using proper grammatical tense. However, after using our resume critique services, students improved significantly in this area. Students also improved significantly in the area of properly including work history.
Learning and Development Outcomes In addition to our ongoing goals and objectives, Career Services articulated 7 Learning and Development Outcomes (LDOs). These LDOs state what we anticipate the students should know or be able to do as a result of participating in Career Services. All LDOs are assessed by providing students and/or employers/recruiters brief surveys to complete at various times, depending on the event in which they are participating. Next, the results were analyzed to determine if the LDOs were met, thereby allowing us to determine areas of strength as well as areas of relative weakness. Results are analyzed at various points throughout the year in order to understand if and when we need to amend policies and services in order to provide the most beneficial services possible to our clients. Career Services LDOs are as follows: • • • • • • •
Upon completion of the SFA 101 assessment interpretation, a student will be able to list three occupations compatible with their personality or interest. Upon utilizing Career Services resume writing resources, a student will be able to create a resume/cover letter which meets professional standards. As a result of participating in SFA career fair events, a student will be able to demonstrate appropriate professional behavior. After attending a Career Services Resume Presentation, a student will be able to demonstrate an increased knowledge of the objective and framework of a resume. After utilizing Career Services online resources, a student will be able to integrate the provided information into the process of selecting a major and/or career path. After participating in SFA career fair events, a student will be able to distinguish which employers are compatible with their major. After interacting with recruiters at SFA career fair events, a student will feel a greater sense of independence and empowerment in their ability to contact potential employers.
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career services Program Activity and Assessment Findings Through the hiring of a new Career Counselor and Research Coordinator in July of this year, Career Services has increased their ability to counsel students whose needs are more strictly focused on career/major. This has also taken some of the load off of our personal counselors so that they may assist more students with issues unrelated to major or career. Because of the trend to base more services on research and to be able to evaluate objective data, our Career Counselor/Research Coordinator spends much of her time assisting everyone in Counseling and Career Services with creating assessment tools appropriate for this type of evaluation. Between July 21 and December 31, 2008, our Career Counselor saw 97 new clients, spent 171 hours in Career Counseling, and gave 42.5 hours’ worth of SFA 101 presentations.
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Due to the LDOs not being implemented until early August, 2008, some aspects of our data collection are limited. However, the data we have collected and analyzed does give us an idea of what we’re doing well and where we might need to consider making some changes. During our Fall Career Fair, we collected 23 Recruiter Evaluations and 248 Student/Alumni evaluations. In keeping with our LDOs, we asked recruiters their opinion of the professional behavior displayed by our students (i.e., handshake, eye contact, dress/hygiene, and verbal skills). 74% expressed that students’ handshakes were above average to high in quality. 70.5% stated the students’ eye contact was above average to high in quality. 61% stated that the students’ dress/hygiene was above average to high in quality, and 56.5% stated that the students’ verbal skills were above average to high in quality. We have discussed reasons why we may have gotten some of these results, and there certainly seems to be room for improvement. We have discussed ways to improve the rate of return on evaluations from recruiters since 23 evaluations may or may not give us a truly representative opinion. We also encourage students to attend these Career Fairs, whether or not they are ready to pursue a job, so that they can gain experience in talking to potential recruiters. Although we instruct everyone, through mail outs and advertisements, to dress professionally, we have discussed becoming more proactive in getting that message out to all students who attend the Career Fair. For the students and alumni who attended the Fall Career Fair, we found that 74.2% met and interacted with recruiters quite a bit or very much, and 68.9% feel quite a bit or very much more empowered and confident. We had hoped that students would be looking for jobs appropriate for their major, and asked students to list 3 employers and the positions for which they were hiring in order to see if they could do just that. 67.7% didn’t list anything. Several factors could have caused this result: the students just don’t want to answer the question, they had lost track of exactly what jobs and employers they consulted, or possibly they were there just to see what a Career Fair was like and did not really speak to very many recruiters. When we looked at the data, ignoring the corresponding open positions, we saw that people were able to list up to 4 employers with whom they interacted. We saw more success with the Fall Teacher Job Fair. We collected 51 evaluations from recruiters and 167 evaluations from students and alumni. Upon evaluating recruiter responses, we found that 90.2% stated that the Teacher Job Fair was quite a bit or very much helpful in meeting prospective employees, and 92.2% were returning recruiters. We also saw improvement with the rating our recruiters attributed to the students’ professional behavior. 88.3% expressed the students’ handshakes were above average to high in quality. 88.2% expressed the same opinion of their eye contact, 80.4% expressed the students dress and hygiene were of above average or high quality, and 90.2% responded favorably to their verbal skills. From the students’ perspective, we received more good news. 84.4% stated that the Job Fair was very much or quite a bit helpful in meeting recruiters, 90.4% interacted with recruiters quite a bit to very much, and 88% stated that they feel quite a bit or very much more empowered and confident after attending the Job Fair.
career services Where we were disappointed with our general Career Fair regarding students’ ability to list 3 employers of high interest, we obtained better results with this question in the Teacher Job Fair. 77.2% of the students listed at least 3 employers of highest interest. Only 9% did not respond to the question. Not surprisingly, we found a significant correlation between the amount students met and interacted with recruiters and the more confident and empowered they felt. It’s findings like these that show us how important these career events are for students, even if they’re not actively pursuing a job at that moment. On the Career Counseling front, we have documented a lot of learning on the students’ part. We created and implemented pre and post surveys, which we analyzed by their respective groups, and then we matched pairs to document the change due to counseling. In every case, regarding every question asked on the survey, students came away with significantly more knowledge (at the .000 level for those of you interested in statistics!) than they had previously. We asked 6 questions related to the client’s ability to distinguish an appropriate major and career based on their personality or interests; where to find, and how to use, resources to investigate various careers and majors offered at SFA; whether or not the student knows where to go for assistance with job search and interviews; and the level of the clients’ confidence that they are on the right path regarding having chosen a satisfying major that will lead to a satisfying career. In a similar vein, we wanted to determine how many students could list 3 occupations that match with their personality and/or interests after listening to their career inventory interpretations in the SFA 101 classes. 862 students participated in this activity, and 96.6% could list at least 3 occupations! Overall, we had a successful year in Career Services. Not only is this good news for us, but it is also good news for the students we serve. We look forward to another year of helping students reach their goals.
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counseling services Mission Statement The mission of Counseling Services is to assist students to clarify and accomplish personal and academic development.
Staff Jill Milem, M.Ed., LPC Licensed Professional Counselor Assistant Director of Counseling Services and Clinical Director Charlotte Jackson, M.A., LPC Licensed Professional Counselor Nicole Preston, M.S., LPC, NCC Licensed Professional Counselor
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Binta Lorde, M.A., LPC, NCC Licensed Professional Counselor National Certified Counselor Ron Smith, M.A., LPC Licensed Professional Counselor
Staff Awards and Achievements Counseling Services staff strives to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to better serve the SFA community, and most importantly, the students pursuing their educations here. 2008 was no exception to the rule. Below, we would like to acknowledge the Counseling staff for the work and dedication to the students, the University, the community, and to the Counseling profession. • Jill Milem was, this year, promoted to Assistant Director of Counseling Services/Clinical Director. She served as the leader of the Suicide Prevention/Mental Health and Wellness Workgroup. Jill is a QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Certified Gatekeeper Instructor. Jill is an SFA 101 Instructor, assisting our freshmen students in their transition into college life. Jill is a member of the Texas Counseling Association, the Piney Woods Counseling Association and the Texas University College Counseling Centers. Jill donated her time during Hurricane Ike by assisting in the phone bank which provided information, as well as comfort, to SFA students and parents. She serves as a Girl Scout leader and is certified in First Aid and CPR. • Charlotte Jackson assisted the Multicultural Center with their Tunnel of Oppression, an experiential program designed to increase students’ sensitivity towards groups different from their own. Charlotte is a QPR Certified Gatekeeper Instructor, certified in First Aid and CPR and NCC eligible. Charlotte updates and organizes the Mental Health Library, which allows students access to material to progress in their treatment in Counseling Services outside of individual sessions. Charlotte is a member of the Piney Woods Counseling Association and Texas University College Counseling Centers. She also donated her time during Hurricane Ike by assisting in the phone bank, providing information and comfort to SFA students and parents. Charlotte is also the advisor for Pride Nac student organization.
counseling services • Nicole Preston is the leader of the Alcohol Prevention/Harm Reduction team. She is also a QPR Certified Gatekeeper Instructor, in addition to being certified in First Aid and CPR. Nicole coordinates Coffee/Cookies with the Counselors, a monthly reception for SFA faculty and staff designed to be a campus-wide networking system in order to allow everyone at SFA an opportunity to work together in order to better serve our students. She is an NCC counselor as well as an SFA 101 instructor, assisting freshmen students in their transition into college life. This year, Nicole participated in Housing Interviews for Area Coordinator. She is a member of the Piney Woods Counseling Association, Texas University College Counseling Centers and University Professional Women (UPW). During Hurricane Ike, Nicole coordinated coverage for the phone bank; and for this service, she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by Dr. Patillo at a board meeting. Nicole also organized Penny Wars, which sparked our competition and philanthropy. Through Penny Wars, Counseling and Career Services, in addition to the Judicial Office, raised over $400 to donate to United Way. Nicole is also the advisor for Big Jacks, a student organization, since 2004 and has served as parade coordinator. She also serves as the Community Service coordinator for a Girl Scout troop. • Binta Lorde completed her 3,000 hour internship to become fully licensed as a Professional Counselor. In addition, she also earned her status as a National Certified Counselor. Binta is a QPR Certified Gatekeeper Instructor and is certified in First Aid and CPR. She spent much of her time working closely with the Multicultural Center by assisting in the Tunnel of Oppression and assisting in support groups coordinated by the Multicultural Center. Binta taught the graduate level Group Counseling Class in the Fall of 2008 as a member of the Adjunct Faculty, and she also assisted in Housing Interviews for Area Coordinator. She is a member of the Piney Woods Counseling Association, Texas University College Counseling Centers and UPW. During Hurricane Ike, Binta donated her time in assisting the phone bank, providing information and comfort to the SFA students and parents. • Ron Smith completed his 3,000 hour internship to become fully licensed as a Professional Counselor and is also NCC eligible. Ron is a QPR Certified Gatekeeper Instructor. Ron also works for the University in the capacity of an Educational Psychology Instructor. He is a member of the American Counseling Association, Texas Counseling Association, Texas University College Counseling Centers as well as the Piney Woods Counseling Association. Ron donated his time during Hurricane Ike by assisting in the phone bank, providing information and comfort to SFA students and parents.
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counseling services Ongoing Goals and Objectives Counseling Services monitors services and data continually in order to maintain the high standards at which we operate. Not only do we provide individual and group counseling, we also make ourselves available to academic classes, campus organizations, and other departments on the SFA campus to provide outreach programs on a variety of mental health topics to address the developmental concerns of students. We maintain a Referral Guide on our website at www.sfasu.edu/ccs so that all students, faculty, and staff can access the information 24 hours a day. This year, the Counseling Services website was completely reconstructed and includes a campus/community and national referral guide for students and visitors to the site. This includes a self-help resource page as well as a confidential e-mail address that can be accessed by faculty, staff, students, families, and the community. We revised our intake forms, provided at each first-time interview, so that clients have more information to take home with them. We also revised our brochure indicating emergency information, the services we provide, the various issues students face where counseling would be beneficial and contact information of the counselors. The brochure also provides University Police and the MHMR Crisis Hotline phone numbers. The counselors worked with Sally Ann Swearingen and her Interior Design class to redesign the waiting area to make it more comfortable.
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Suicide is a concern for all of us, whether it be personally, campus wide, community wide, or nationwide. Counseling Services continues to provide Crisis Intervention in cooperation with other university services. Counseling Services spent 86 hours with the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Adam Peck, coordinating on a campus wide suicide framework. We constructed an informational letter to provide students who require a hospital/counselor visit as well as an incident report. 44.25 hours of counseling sessions were completed with clients indicating some level of suicidal ideation. We realize that not all students experiencing suicidal ideation will seek help from a counselor; therefore, we dedicated 86.5 hours training and preparing to present QPR, a Suicide Intervention and Training Program. The counselors facilitated 14 trainings for 314 faculty, staff, and students.
Learning and Development Outcomes In addition to our ongoing goals and objectives, Counseling Services articulated 5 Learning and Development Outcomes (LDOs). These LDOs state what we anticipate the clients should know or be able to do as a result of participating in counseling. All LDOs are assessed by providing students with brief surveys to complete throughout the semester. Next, the results are analyzed to determine if the LDOs were met, thereby allowing us to determine areas of strength as well as areas of relative weakness. Results are analyzed at various points throughout the year in order to understand if and when we need to amend policies and services in order to provide the most beneficial services possible to our clients. Counseling Services LDOs are as follows: • • • • •
As a result of counseling, the student will express a greater ability to communicate thoughts and feelings effectively. As a result of counseling, the student will demonstrate change in behavior making them more productive and proficient to reach their personal and life goals. As a result of counseling, the student will demonstrate the ability to achieve their educational goals. As a result of counseling, the student will express improved self-esteem. As a result of counseling, the student will take steps to make healthy and more balanced choices regarding emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health.
counseling services Program Activity and Assessment Findings Counseling Services, through the hiring of 2 new full-time Counselors in the latter part of 2007, increased their ability to provide individual counseling on various issues by approximately 35% this year. This allowed Counseling Services access to more students seeking assistance with personal issues. The counselors also assisted students with a wider variety of personal issues than was possible just a year ago. Adding to the ability to provide more personal counseling, counselors also increased the number of outreach programs provided to students, faculty, and staff by 84%. One extremely important service provided to SFA faculty, staff, and students is the QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Training. Counselors provided approximately 87 hours of training designed to provide appropriate tools to participants to aid students and colleagues suffering from depression who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts so that these students and/or colleagues can access the help and support necessary to save their lives. This training is a first for this department, and the response to the training has been extremely positive. Not only did participants comment on the amount of knowledge gained through the training, many stated that they would like to see the training reach more people on the SFA campus, which most certainly is our goal. Some participants also believed the training to be so helpful that they suggested the training be provided to teachers at the High School and Junior High levels. The counselors hosted approximately 24 hours’ worth of Coffee With the Counselors/Cookies With the Counselors. The purpose of this reception, held monthly, is to invite all SFA faculty and staff to our conference room on the 3rd floor of the Rusk Building to enjoy either morning or afternoon snacks and to give us all an opportunity to meet our colleagues, learn about each others’ job functions and programs, network with each other, and discover ways that we can all help the students of SFA by working together. During the course of the year, Counseling Services assisted the University by providing individual counseling, facilitating support groups, and providing education and training to students, faculty, and staff. These topics included Suicide Prevention and Intervention, Alcohol and Drug Awareness and Abuse, Stress Management, and Sexual Attitudes. Data were collected for these endeavors. Upon reviewing data from presentations, virtually 100% of participants stated that they would recommend the presentation to other groups. The only exception here is in connection with Alcohol and Drug Abuse/Awareness presentations given to students. Based on reviewing the comments, this appears to be the case due to the fact that students are required to complete Alcohol.edu and feel the information is redundant. Upon evaluating the data from individual counseling sessions and presentations, we discovered many significant relationships, confirming the outstanding services our counselors provide to the SFA community. While not every relationship studied is significant, most, if not all relationships are interrelated. For example, students who said that they have a greater ability to express their thoughts and feelings as a result of counseling did not significantly feel that they were better able to manage their emotions; however, students who stated that they have a greater ability to express their thoughts and feelings as a result of counseling did report having an improved self-concept. Those who stated they had an improved selfconcept were significantly better able to manage their emotions. The items that appeared to have the greatest number of significant relationships, as indicated by a correlation, were students who stated that they have a greater ability to express their thoughts and feelings more effectively as a result of counseling, and students who stated that they have made changes that will allow them to achieve their personal goals as a result of counseling.
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counseling services Interestingly, the only significant item that correlated with clients who stated that they would return to Counseling Services in the future if they needed more assistance or information was with students who felt the counselor understood their concerns and provided useful information or assistance. Whether a student would return to Counseling Services seems to be unrelated to any changes the client made personally. This may indicate the importance of the counseling relationship as a process of understanding and self-discovery rather than a means to achieve any specific goal. Our Learning and Development Outcomes Assessment is embedded in the survey provided to students receiving counseling. All LDOs were met. Students’ responses ranged from 91%-95.5% indicating that the LDOs were met by 91%-95.5% of the students.
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student employment Mission Statement Student Employment Center (SEC) assists students currently enrolled at Stephen F. Austin State University in securing part-time employment opportunities either on or off campus; the SEC also makes the process of hiring students for on-campus employers as efficient as possible.
Staff Jenny Davis Assistant Director of Career Services Tonna Davis Student Employment Coordinator
Staff Awards and Achievements The staff members of Student Employment are generous with their time and talents, both on and off campus. They each add something special to make our University, and the communities in which the staff members live, a better place. We would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the Student Employment staff for their work and dedication. • Jenny Davis, as Assistant Director of Career Services, is in charge of running both Student Employment and Career Services. Please see her achievement information on the Career Services Section of the Annual Report, page 4. • Tonna Davis has an active life both on and off the SFA Campus. Her days are filled assisting students obtain part-time jobs, which requires a significant amount of planning and organization. When Tonna isn’t helping others on campus, she dedicates her life to helping others off campus. Her Church, First Baptist Church in Huntington, was a Red Cross Shelter during Hurricane Ike. While her Church served as a shelter, she provided food for the guests there. She volunteered her home for a program called Disciple Now, which consisted of young people coming into her home for a weekend. The purpose of this outreach program is to give young people a place to go and have small-group Bible studies. It is also intended to get more young people involved in their Church. Tonna visits the elderly in nursing homes and sings in her Church choir. She participated in her Church musical and lent her baking talents by preparing goodies for the Dinner Theater, which took place around Christmas. One interesting talent that Tonna possesses is her knowledge of puppets. She shares this knowledge with the youth at her Church as part of a Puppet Ministry. They also entertain the residents of nursing homes with the puppet shows that the youth have learned.
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student employment Ongoing Goals and Objectives Before any student can obtain part-time employment, one must understand the services available at the Student Employment Center (SEC). We provided this information to students during all 5 summer orientation programs, and approximately 4,051 parents and students attended these sessions. We provided this audience with additional printed information. We also provided handouts to the Office of Financial Aid for distribution to students that frequent their office. Student Employment representatives attended both fall and spring Showcase Saturday events, sponsored by the Office of Admissions, where we distributed material and answered questions. We also presented information about our services at the New Faculty Orientation on August 20.
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Students have access to job postings through the Jobs 4 Jacks internet site. Registration is always free and allows them access to view job postings 24 hours a day. SEC also maintains a Job Vacancy board, located on the 3rd floor of the Rusk Building, which displays current positions available on and off campus. Job postings, for both on-campus and off-campus positions, increased by 96% this year. SEC provided consultation to every student who came to our office. We showed students which jobs were open, which jobs they were eligible to apply for, and where to go in order to apply for those jobs. To help facilitate this process, we created handouts answering the most frequently asked questions about the SEC, and distributed them to students. SEC created 1,161 new Student Employment files, and overall, we maintained 5,137 files. We provided orientation to all students as they completed their forms. We maintain relationships between employing departments partly by assisting them in filling vacant work-study and student assistant positions. SEC conforms to all government regulations regarding I-9 laws and W-4 forms. We also comply with the rules governing on-campus student employment. SEC conducted audits to ensure students were enrolled in at least 6 credit hours and were working no more than 20 hours per week. We notified and advised students and departments when not in compliance with requirements. Several Oracle trainings for online student cards were conducted for both new users and as a refresher course for departmental staff needing to improve their skills. Another way in which we assist students in gaining employment is by sponsoring a Summer Camp Fair. We held this fair on February 12. 18 camps from Texas, Louisiana, and Colorado registered for the event, and 14 camps attended. We advertised the Camp Fair by posting fliers in each residence hall, the Campus Recreation Center, on bulletin boards throughout campus, and by placing handbills in students’ mailboxes. We placed posters in the Campus Recreation Center and in the BPSC. We plan on changing the location of the Camp Fair in 2009 to attract more student traffic.
student employment Learning and Development Outcomes In addition to our ongoing goals and objectives, Student Employment articulated 6 Learning and Development Outcomes (LDOs). These LDOs state what we anticipate the clients should know or be able to do as a result of participating in Student Employment Services. All LDOs are assessed by providing students and on-campus employers brief surveys to complete. Students complete these surveys when they bring in their permit to work another semester. On-campus employers complete their survey at the end of the semester, when they can most accurately evaluate the performance of the student worker. The results are analyzed to determine if the LDOs were met, thereby allowing us to determine areas of strength as well as areas of relative weakness. This allows us to amend policies and services in order to provide the most beneficial services possible to our clients. Student Employment LDOs are as follows: • • • • • •
As a result of participating in student employment at the University, the student will express an increased ability to communicate professionally in a workplace setting. As a result of participating in student employment at the University, the student will express an improved ability to work with those who are different from themselves. As a result of participating in student employment at the University, the student will demonstrate ethical behavior through the accurate reporting of time worked. As a result of working on campus at the University, the student will demonstrate appropriate work behavior at their place of employment. As a result of participating in student employment at the University, the student will express having learned something that was relevant to their field of study. As a result of participating in student employment at the University, the student will express an improved understanding of their skills and abilities.
Program Activity and Assessment Findings Student Employment created 2 surveys this year in order to assess our LDOs. The SEC Semester FollowUp Survey asks students about their experience working on campus, while the Work Habit Evaluation asks the employers about their experience with the student workers. We collected 86 Semester Follow Up surveys and 79 Work Habit Evaluations. We found some promising data when analyzing the Semester Follow Up survey. 86% of students stated that they “quite a bit” or “very much” gained a better understanding of themselves, their skills, and their abilities. 94.2% stated that they “quite a bit” or “very much” developed the ability to get along with different types of people. 93% stated that they “quite a bit” or “very much” acquired the knowledge and skills applicable to a specific job or type of work. Upon deeper analysis, we found that the more students gained a better understanding of themselves, their skills, and their abilities, the more they seemed to also acquire knowledge and skills applicable to a specific job or type of work. They also developed a greater ability to get along with people different from themselves. These findings are the result of a correlation performed on these items.
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student employment The good news continued with the Work Habit Evaluation. 94.2% of SFA office staff stated that the student workers usually or always reported to work in a timely manner. 87% stated that the student workers usually or always gave appropriate and timely notice of absences. 91.3% stated that the student workers usually or always prioritized work tasks and personal matters. 90% stated that the student workers usually or always used computer resources in a professional manner. 95.7% stated that the student workers usually or always answered telephones with professionalism. 94.2% stated that the student workers usually or always took effective and professional messages from phone calls and office visits. 97.1% stated that they never or only sometimes encountered problems with student employees inaccurately reporting hours worked. Upon further analysis, we found that the most significant personal qualities that our student workers possess are reporting to work in a timely manner and giving appropriate and timely notice of absences. These characteristics corresponded significantly with every other question asked of employers. Students who prioritized their work tasks and personal matters, in addition to corresponding with the above characteristics, were also more likely to use computer resources professionally and to take professional messages from phone calls and office visits. Again, we determined these findings as a result of a correlation performed on these items.
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This shows that all LDOs were met ranging from 87%-97% on the Work Habit Evaluation, and all LDOs were met ranging from 86% to 94% on the Semester Follow Up survey. We are delighted that we are able to provide our students with such valuable opportunities for learning and growth. We are also delighted that the various departments on the SFA campus seem to be very satisfied with the quality of the SFA student workers.
testing services Mission Statement Testing Services provides testing for national, state, and local undergraduate and graduate requirements. This includes distance learning, correspondence, admissions, placement, and high school equivalence testing via computer based testing and/or the more traditional paper and pencil method. Testing Services promotes and follows the Code for Fair Testing Practices in Education and the National College Testing Association (NCTA) Professional Standards and Guidelines for Post Secondary Test Centers.
Staff Cathy Simkunas, M.A. Assistant Director of Testing Services Vernon Holman Coordinator of Testing and Technology Alana Culpepper Testing Assistant I
Staff Awards and Achievements The staff of Testing Services maintains flexibility in their schedules and attitudes in the spirit of offering convenient testing dates and times for our clients. It is not unusual to see them in the office at 6:00 a.m. on Saturdays! They often work late hours as well. With all of this dedication to customer service, they still find time to accomplish goals, which not only add to their own personal growth, but to the growth of others. We would like to acknowledge the great job and achievements of the Testing Services Staff. • Cathy Simkunas works tirelessly to ensure that those utilizing Testing Services come away from their experience as satisfied customers. She works closely with her team and others to maintain professional standards. Cathy participates in 2 professional organizations – TACTP (Texas Association of College Testing Personnel) and NCTA (National College Testing Association). • Vernon Holman was re-classified this year to better match his educational credentials. He also received a new title as part of the re-classification process. This occurred as a result of Testing Services’ goal to re-classify one position to reward reliable full-time staff capable of working flexible hours in an ever-changing environment. Vernon is also a member of TACTP. • Alana Culpepper completed her Associates Degree in Business Management. She earned this degree from the University of Phoenix and continues to take classes towards her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management. Professionally, she is a member of TACTP. On a personal level, Alana donates her time as an Advisor for Soul to Soul Gospel Ministries, a Christian-based Choir on the SFA Campus. She also helped organize the All-Faith Barbeque on the SFA Campus during the Fall 2008 semester.
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testing services Ongoing Goals and Objectives It takes a lot of work to provide the number of tests we offer to our students. This year saw an increase in the number of negotiations reached between SFA Testing Services and the various testing companies. In fact, negotiations increased 60% this year! The negotiating power of our Assistant Director of Testing Services, Cathy Simkunas, allowed us to increase the number of computer-based tests we offer by 29% and the number of paper and pencil tests we offer by 11%. Overall, tests administered increased by 8%. Due to an ever-changing testing environment, Testing Services increased the number of available computers to students to 39. This allows for more efficient use of time and resources in addition to serving clients who might not have been able to test on their preferred day due to a lack of resources. We also offered approximately 13 more tests than we did in 2007. One of the new tests, the ETS Pilot Test, was administered 283 times. We are also happy with the number of TeXES (Teacher Certification Testing) examinations administered. TeXES computer-based testing increased by 38.5%. In addition, testing policies change. Testing Services strives to stay abreast of all policy changes and updates and communicates these changes to the locations that advertise our services, so people will know what to expect when they test here at SFA. We also monitor our website to make certain that the most accurate and up-to-date information is posted. Please visit our website at www.sfasu.edu/ccs/testing. Administering so many tests on so many dates could easily cause scheduling conflicts; however, we did not encounter a single scheduling glitch in 2008! BRAVO!!
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Advertising services is important for us all, and Testing Services reaches clients both on and off the SFA Campus. One goal is to advertise specifically for the GED and the CLEP tests. We advertised the GED this year by sending out 3 flyer mailings to 8 organizations, including Adult Learning Centers and School Districts. We also sent flyers outlining updates and changes to the GED. We advertised the CLEP by placing 50 posters throughout the SFA campus. Testing Services maintains cordial relationships, not only with the various testing companies whose tests we administer, but also with many campus departments, in an effort to make sure that we offer the tests necessary for our students to gain admittance into those departments and pertinent graduate and professional schools. We also work closely with Disability Services so that accommodations can be provided for those who meet the established guidelines.
Learning and Development Outcomes In addition to our ongoing goals and objectives, Testing Services articulated 2 Learning and Development Outcomes (LDOs). These LDOs state what we anticipate the students should know or be able to do as a result of participating in Testing Services. All LDOs are assessed by providing students with brief surveys to complete after they finish their test. Next, the results are analyzed to determine if the LDOs were met, thereby allowing us to determine areas of strength as well as areas of relative weakness. Results are analyzed at various points throughout the year in order to understand if and when we need to amend policies and services in order to provide the most beneficial services possible to our clients. Testing Services LDOs are as follows: • As a result of Testing Services, the student will feel better able to assess and evaluate the career path they have chosen. • As a result of Testing Services, the student will feel better prepared for academic advising and course selection.
testing services Program Activity and Assessment Findings Testing services offers clients the opportunity to provide feedback on their experience here in order to consistently provide the best quality of service possible. Many questions on the survey relate to “customer satisfaction;” however, 2 questions relate directly to the newly-developed LDOs. Testing Services did an outstanding job of collecting data for evaluation. Between March and December alone, we collected 777 evaluations completed by our clients! We found some very promising results. Of those who answered the questions pertaining to the professional behavior of the staff, 100% of our clients stated that the staff behaved in a professional manner. The lowest rating received in the customer satisfaction portion of the survey was still 94.5%, and this question pertained to the speed in which the clients’ tests could be scheduled. Testing Services aims for tests to be scheduled within a 2-week period of the request. This can be a difficult goal to attain, but we continue to try. Still, this rating is very high, indeed. 100% of participants stated they understood the verbal instructions, which is essential due to the importance to our clients of the tests being taken. Although people don’t typically leave comments on evaluation forms, we received comments from 8% of participants. Of the 8% who commented, 6.2% had positive things to say. Upon evaluating our LDOs, 90% stated that they were better able to assess their career path, and approximately 86% stated that they were better prepared for advising and course selection. These are impressive numbers, particularly in light of the fact that 23% of the clients are not SFA students. Another impressive finding is that 51.8% are either seniors or college graduates. In fact, we found a significant negative correlation relating to student classification and their sense of feeling better prepared for advising and course selection. This means that the lower the classification, (i.e., Freshmen are of lower classification than Seniors) the better prepared the client believed they were for advising and course selection. This is certainly an intuitive finding, but it is always nice to have objective data indicating our positive impact on students.
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philanthropy Counseling and Career Services demonstrated its philanthropy this year through several projects. We all donated our time at the beginning of the fall semester passing out cold bottles of water to students moving into their residence halls and to the parents and/or friends who assisted them. The smiles on their faces expressed their degree of appreciation, and it warmed our hearts that we could help them. August in East Texas certainly isn’t for lightweights, and our students and parents, motivated by their eagerness to start a new and exciting year at SFA, braved the heat and got settled in nicely. When we heard about ZTA’s Pink Out Competition, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we went right to work decorating our office in as much pink as we could find. We chose the theme “Waddle for the Cure.” We cut out pink duck footprints and laid them on the floor throughout the 3rd floor of the Rusk Building. We ordered 750 pink rubber duckies and dedicated them to our friends and family who have suffered from breast cancer. It was a touching way to honor those who were either killed by breast cancer or were fortunate enough to survive. We posted facts about breast cancer, “Wise Quacks,” throughout our office as well. Pink was everywhere! Sheri and Jenny created pink shirts with duck prints on the front and “Waddle for the Cure” on the back. We raised $65 to donate to the Susan G. Komen Foundation, and we also donated 15 pink Yoplait Yogurt lids. We had fun with this worthwhile cause and earned 2nd Place in the competition. We look forward to participating again next year!
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We had another opportunity to show our support to a worthy cause, the United Way, in November. We split up into teams for Penny Wars. The goal is to raise as many pennies as possible. We put silver coins in the buckets of the competing teams because this “subtracted” from the total earned. We also auctioned items, meals, and services. In total, we raised over $400 to donate to the United Way.
Stephen F. Austin
State University
Counseling and Career Services Visit us on the Web at: www.sfasu.edu/ccs Counseling and Career Services Rusk Building, 3rd Floor P.O. Box 13032, SFA Station Nacogdoches, Texas 75962 Tel: (936) 468-2401 Fax: (936) 468-6638
Haley Hoskins Design Hardy Meredith Photographs Printed by SFA Printing Services