Proyecto de Título V " Center for Academic Support & Development"

 

INSTITUTIONAL NARRATIVE

A.        Mission Statement

The Fajardo Campus mission statement affirms its commitment to provide an education of excellence adapted to the diversity of needs and interests of its Hispanic students and to the present and future demands of Puerto Rico.  It also strives to enhance the educational opportunities of young students as well as the growing adult population of the northeastern area of Puerto Rico, which is mostly socially, economically and culturally disadvantaged.  This translates into a great need to prepare professionals with high level of ethical, social and cultural sensitivity.

FC’s mission focuses on the fields of technology, science and the liberal arts, cultivating those values that give meaning to Puerto Rican culture.  The University promotes learning through programs that reflect the changes of a high-tech society and students’ needs. Actually, the Institution is refocusing its mission and vision and affirms its commitment to Continuous Improvement in order to reflect education paradigm changes that are nationally being experimented.  

B.                 Control and Type of Institution

Fajardo Campus (FC) is part of the Inter American University of Puerto Rico (IAUPR), a private, comprehensive, multi campus, non-profit institution with a Christian heritage and an ecumenical tradition founded in 1912 as the Polytechnic Institute of Puerto Rico.  FC was first established as a regional college in 1960 under the Administration of the Regional Colleges.  In 1988-98 FC’s mission was changed to become a four-year autonomous institution.  FC has its own chancellor who is a member of the Executive Council of IAUPR.  The advisory group consists of vice-presidents, chancellors and the University President.

Actually, Fajardo Campus (FC) is a four year private institution that offers associate and bachelor degrees.  It is located on the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, approximately 34 miles east of San Juan, and the capital of Puerto Rico.  Because of its location, its educational effort is geared towards the fulfillment of the needs of the nearby communities.

In the Fall of 2001, campus total enrollment was 2,060 students, with 40 full time faculty, and 70 adjunct faculty members with an estimated budget of $6,973,036 of which 97% were derived from tuition and fees as shown in Figure 1.

 

                                                                                                                               

C.      Types of Programs Offered

Bachelor’s Degree Business Administration     Management     Marketing     Accounting     Computerized System of Mgmt. Information      Computer Science     Industrial Management     Human Resources     Administration of Small Businesses     Tourism           Hotel Administration           Travel Agency Secretarial Sciences     Information Processing     Executive Secretary

Pre-School Education Elementary Education Secondary Education     Biology     Spanish     Social Studies     English as a Second         Language Special Education Criminal Justice     Criminal Investigation Biology     Pre-Technology     Medical Rep.     Biomedical

Associate Degrees Business Adm. in Tourism     Tourist Adm. Aux.     Touristy Guide Accounting Computer Science Secretarial Sciences   Certificates Pharmacist Tech. Medical Plan Billing Techn.

                    

 The Fajardo Campus offers six (6) associate degrees programs, twenty-one (21) bachelor degrees, and two (2) certificates.  Table 1 presents the academic programs by degree.  At least five of the twenty-one Bachelor Degree like Marketing, Secondary Education, Secondary Education in Social Studies, Secondary Education in Biology, and Secondary Education in Language reflects a lost trend since 1995.  This trend represents a significant problem in terms of academic programs as it relates to poor student achievement, high attrition, as well as a negative impact on the Campus fiscal stability.

D.        Student Body Characteristics

In August 2001 there were 2,060 students enrolled at the FC.  About 99%^[1] come from rural areas and from low-income families below $9,999 a year and whose parents have not attended college.  Ninety-four percent (94%) attended the public school system, and ninety-six percent (96%) receive some type of financial aid.  The educational background of many students further compounds this economic disadvantage.  The Campus serves a large percentage of students in basic skills courses.  These courses attempt to improve deficiencies in reading, writing and mathematics to enable students to be successful.

The student body is 99% Hispanic and low-income. It is mostly composed of female students, single parents, and young students who are working and studying at the same time.  Another significant sector is composed of returning students aiming to complete their degrees, prepare for a second career or to update their knowledge and skills for the changing work environment.  The scores of the students that selects FC to send their College Board Examination Entrance results, reflects a lower level of skills in the areas of Spanish, English and Math when compared with the scores of the Island. (Table 2) 

                                                            Table 2

                                                College Board Examination Scores, Nov 1999

                 College Board Statistics, 1999

 

The majority of the students come from small communities and rural areas, including the islands of Vieques and Culebra.  Forty-five (45.7%)^[2] are commuting students, whom reside within a 25-mile range of Fajardo, and use public transportation. The typical Fajardo Campus student needs remedial work in English, Spanish and/or Math.

Table 3 REMEDIAL COURSES, FALL 2001
Area	Failure/Withdrawal Rates
Mathematics	46%
Spanish	41%
English	43.6%
Source: Grade List Report, Register Office and Planning and Development Office.

Most students enter FC with limited academic skills with an 88.4% requiring remedial education in one or more basic skill courses.  As of fall of 2001, 42% of our freshmen were placed in all three remedial courses (Math, English and Spanish), 36.99% in two, and 21% in at least one course.  Students have a 48% failure rate in remedial courses and 46% in basic skill courses for the 1990-2000 cohorts in Mathematics.  This high failure rate of freshman students, especially in Mathematics is hindering student’s advancement to upper level courses and increasing attrition between freshman and sophomores.  50% of these students have an academic goal to achieve bachelor’s degree and continue graduate studies.

                                                                                                                                Table 4

                                                                                                                 Retention, Graduation and Attrition Rate

                                                                                                 By Cohort as of August 1991 vs. the terms 1992-1996, Fall Semester

Fajardo Campus	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
Retention	66.2	48.8	37.0	27.4	17.0
Graduation			3.2	8.8	6.3
Attrition	33.8	51.2	59.9	63.7	76.6

                Over a five-year period, the attrition rate of students entering the 1991 cohort, increased from 33.8% during their freshman year to 76.6% in their sophomore year.  The attrition rate reflects a 42.8% loss.  Only 6.3% of students entering in 1991 graduated in five years.  These variables (Table 4) are further analyzed in the Comprehensive Development Plan as it relates to the weaknesses and significant problems of academic programs, institutional management and fiscal stability of the Fajardo Campus.

Fajardo Campus (FC) provides non-traditional learning alternatives to adults (21 years or more) who want to obtain a degree.  These non-traditional alternatives are grouped under a Program named AVANCE (Adult Program).  Thirty-one point eight percent (31.8%)^[3] of students are enrolled in the AVANCE program while sixty-eight point two percent (68.2%) are in the Regular Program.  Eighty-one percent (81%) of the campus students are full time, 68% are female, and 32% are enrolled in Evening and Saturday sessions.  Most of the student body is in the age group of 18-24.

Table 4

FC’s Student Body Characteristics 2001-02

	Enrollment 01-02	2,060
	Financial Aid	96%
	Average Age	18-24 (70.5)
	Low Income	98%

 

		Female	66.3%		33.7%			Male
		Single	63%	37%				Married
Public Schools			94%			6%		Private Schools
	Rural		95%				5%	Urban

First Generation in College

65%

45%

 

 

Work while attend school

80%

20%

                                                               

 

Source: FC Statistical Report 2001-02

 

 

E.         Faculty Characteristics

           In the Fall 2001 academic year, FC has 40 full time faculty members. Tenured positions have been increasing throughout the last five years.  Most of the full time faculty are on the tenure track (33%) or have tenure appointment (44%).  Seventy nine percent (79%) of the full time faculty members possess masters’ degree and the other twenty one percent (21%) has doctoral degrees.  Student-faculty ratio is 26:1

.                                                                                               Table 5

FC’s Faculty Characteristics

Assist. Professor	75%					15%			Assoc. Professor
Instructor	8%						3%		Professor
Master	79%				21%				Doctorate
Full Time	44%		56%						Part Time
Hispanics	99 %							1%	Other countries
Female	70%			30%					Male

                   Source: FC Statistical Report 2000-01

F.         Economic and geographic information

The geographic area that FC serves is the Eastern Region of Puerto Rico.  It includes 11 municipalities: Fajardo, Luquillo, Canóvanas, Humacao, Ceiba, Yabucoa, Naguabo, Loíza, Río Grande, and the Islands of Vieques and Culebra.  The total population serviced by FC is 993,065. This represents 26.6% of the total population of the Island.  The Campus impacts approximately 30% of this largely rural, low income, socially and culturally disadvantaged population directly.  It is one of the poorest of Puerto Rico’s seven educational regions.

The service area shows high unemployment (officially 21.13% with estimates of 23.7% for some areas), high percent of families below poverty level, low educational levels, high student dropout rates, and low post-secondary enrollment (Source: Puerto Rico Fact Sheet 2000).  Information from the Puerto Rico Planning Board an 54% estimated of area families are low income.

            Fajardo’s population has an 85.84% living in rural areas and 14.16% live in the city.  Fajardo is called the “City of Tourism”, but many disadvantaged persons work in the lowest paid jobs (hotel maids, cooks, laborers, etc.) while the image of our city is projected like a place of fun and good life, neighborhoods served by the Fajardo Campus have little in common with this image.  Behind, are the people who experience the same problems that plague any low-income population.