Faculty Advising of Students
Advising is a form of teaching. Faculty advising of students involves formal matters such as approving course schedules prior to registration, helping students devise plans for their majors and other academic programs, and prompting students to monitor their own academic progress toward the degree. Faculty advising also includes conversation about students’ developing academic life and aspirations for the future. As students move toward graduation, faculty advisors, together with the Career Center staff, can offer guidance about employment and about graduate and professional school. Students should cultivate this advising relationship and draw on it throughout their time at Mount St. Mary’s.
Assignment of Faculty Advisors to Students
During freshman year, Freshman Symposium instructors advise first-year students. This ensures that students will see their advisors regularly and that the advisor will know the academic progress of his or her symposium students. Beginning in the sophomore year, students who have chosen a major are assigned a faculty advisor from their major department(s).
Learning Services
The Department of Learning Services provides academic support to students, focusing on study skills development and peer tutoring services designed to build academic success. Students learn about such topics as time management, organization, note-taking, test-taking, and learning and memory strategies as they meet individually with staff members who assess individual strengths and needs.
College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) Certified Peer Tutoring
As a supplement to regular class work, students may elect to work with trained, faculty- recommended peer tutors. Peer Tutors help students master course content, prepare for exams, and develop more efficient study strategies. Peer Tutors are requested and assigned to students on an individual basis, and this service is offered at no additional cost to the tutees. Please direct all questions regarding the Peer Tutoring Program to the Assistant Director of Learning Services.
Disability Services
Mount St. Mary’s University recognizes that students with documented disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations and appropriate academic adjustments as stated in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Current and valid documentation of disability, including functional limitations and the impact of disability on academic performance, is required. Students with disabilities should contact the Director of Learning Services at 301-447-5006.
Mount St. Mary’s is committed to providing equal educational opportunities and full participation to all qualified students. No qualified student with a disability shall be excluded from participation in any University program or activity, denied the benefits of any University program or activity, or otherwise subjected to discrimination with regard to any University program or activity.
Student-Athlete Academic Support
In compliance with NCAA regulations, the Student-Athlete Academic Coordinator assists student-athletes in balancing their academic and athletic demands. The SAAC provides comprehensive academic support services such as tutoring, studying assistance, study hall, and academic and individual skill development programs.
Writing Center
The University’s award-winning Writing Center, located in Knott Academic Center, assists students in developing their skills in writing analytically and critically. Available to students from all disciplines at all levels of skill, the center offers instruction in a variety of forms: tutorials, short courses, and workshops, to name a few. Through its flexibility, the center can help meet both the immediate and long-term needs of students involved in various writing projects. Appointments are available from 2-5 p.m. weekdays. Call ext. 5367 for an appointment. Tutoring is also offered on a walk-in basis at the Phillips Library several nights each week.
Library
Our aspirations for Monsignor Hugh J. Phillips Library are:
A library that is perceived by students as a welcoming, convenient and comfortable environment that fosters the development of a community of learners.
A library whose information resources adequately support each of the University’s academic divisions and thereby enhance our students’ discovery of truth.
A library that offers students expert assistance and instruction in the discovery, use and documentation of information resources.
The library’s collection of learning resources includes about 147,503 bound volumes and a carefully developed collection of scholarly information sources that provide access to e-books, journal articles and a variety of data sources. Included in our e-resources collection are approximately 15,000 professional and scholarly journal publications and 150,000 eBooks.
The collection includes all the major databases in each academic discipline including the complete JSTOR back files. Content from Sage, EBSCO, ProQuest, ATLA and many others is available from the library’s website.
Phillips Library is a member of OCLC, the world’s largest library non-profit cooperative. OCLC’s WorldCat Discovery service provides access to our books and article databases; it is also a union catalog that lists the collections of 72,000 libraries in 170 countries from which we can borrow through our ILLiad system. Our librarians also create subject guides that help students develop effective research strategies.
Our library staff includes two faculty librarians who provide research assistance and information literacy instruction to individuals and groups. Our main desk services, acquisitions, cataloging and interlibrary loans are provided by five highly competent, student-focused employees, with the help of several dedicated student assistants.
Phillips Library is a member of the Catholic Research Resources Alliance, whose purpose is “to provide enduring global access to Catholic research resources in the Americas”. Phillips Library’s Catholic Studies Collection brings together about 4,000 of our most prized theological volumes in a scholarly yet very visible study area. The library also includes the University archives that contain many historic documents and rare books relating to Catholic history in the United States. Many of these resources are available through our digital archives collection.
The Phillips Library is a member of the Maryland Independent College and University Association. Our students and faculty have direct access to the collections of each MICUA member library.
Phillips Library offers students a variety of comfortable spaces in which to study in isolation or together with peers. Each floor of the building offers many seating options that accommodate students’ needs.
These services are also available to our students at the Mount Frederick campus.
Information Technology
Today’s campus communications rely on technology that is continually changing. We are very proud to offer some of the finest systems, allowing students and faculty to interact and be part of a sophisticated online community. We enjoy the advantages of wireless access, high-speed connections to the Internet and innovative technology like our tele-classroom.
Services
Free access to electronic mail and the Internet is provided campus-wide via high-speed wired and wireless access.
The Mount’s website (www.msmary.edu) provides access to the University’s campus-wide information system. Our portal provides an interactive environment for teaching and learning for students and faculty. Many services, such as registration, billing account review and payment, official and unofficial transcripts, are available online.
Standard software used on campus includes Windows and the Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel and PowerPoint). The Center for Instructional Technology offers assistance with software and hardware-related issues and is located on the ground floor of the Knott Academic Center. If you have questions or need audio visual support, please contact them by e-mail at cit@msmary.edu or by phone at 301-447-5805. A local computer firm is available for more complex hardware or software issues should the student wish to engage their services.
The Mount highly recommends Windows-based laptops for all on-campus students. Please check with your school for any specific requirements.
Career Services
Career Services and Graduate/Professional School Preparation
The University offers various programs of study in the liberal arts and sciences leading to the degree of Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science. These courses have been designed to offer an excellent liberal education, to prepare students for careers in the professional or business worlds, and to enable them to gain admission to professional or graduate schools.
Pre-Law Program
A liberal arts education that develops strong analytical, reasoning and verbal skills is the best preparation for law school. Although law schools do not specify any particular undergraduate major, they recommend that students take upper-level courses emphasizing analytical thinking and verbal proficiency. Students contemplating careers in law should realize that admission to law school is selective and that a strong academic and extracurricular record is necessary.
The Mount’s Pre-Law Program is designed to help students discover if the law is their calling and, if it is, to prepare them for success in that pursuit. As part of the discernment process, the Pre-Law Program provides students the chance to meet with law school admission officials, current law students, practicing attorneys, judges, and legislators. Our students visit law schools, sit in on trials and attend talks by nationally known speakers. They attend dinners and other programs sponsored by various law related groups that provide exceptional networking opportunities.
The Pre-Law Program offers a free LSAT prep course every semester and full-length practice tests several times a year. Our approach to Pre-Law also involves a strong dose of hands-on advising, from help in selecting schools and navigating the law school admission process to review of law school scholarship offers.
The Mount also offers a legal studies minor, which is open to students in any major and whether or not they are considering law school. Legal studies minors complete courses in philosophy, history, psychology, logic and argumentative writing, as well as such courses as business law, criminal law, the Constitution and the Supreme Court, international law and organization, or American government.
Students interested in a career in law should contact the director of the Pre-Law Program, Professor Edward T. Egan, J.D. at egan@msmary.edu.
Health Professions Advising
A special health professions advisor is available to all students interested in careers in medicine, dentistry, nursing and related fields. A member of the science department, serves as a valuable resource regarding graduate programs and professional opportunities. Further information can be found on p.XX.
Post-Graduate Fellowships
The University’s top-ranking students apply for a range of graduate fellowships including the Rhodes, Fulbright, and Truman scholarships. Students interested in applying for these scholarships should contact the Mount Office for National Fellowships.
Post-Graduate Social Service
The University provides information about and encourages students to participate in various social service programs including the Peace Corps and the Jesuit Volunteer Program. Students interested in service programs should contact the Career Center and the Office of Social Justice.
Outside the Classroom
The Mount is dedicated to providing an environment outside of the classroom that fosters learning and personal growth in preparing women and men for a role of leadership and responsible citizenship in society. The Mount offers comprehensive services and programs designed to provide an exceptional and diverse student experience at the University.
Athletics plays an important part of the University’s culture of healthy lifestyles and competitive excellence. A member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) and a Division I member of the NCAA, the Mount fields seventeen teams with approximately 350 participating athletes.
The Bookstore’s mission is to serve the University community by supplying textbooks and related educational materials, while providing a premier retail environment to ensure quality and contribute to the good health of auxiliary enterprises of the University. Web address: http://msmc.bncollege.com
The Office of Campus Activities encourages healthy lifestyles, student involvement, and an engaged campus community by offering weekend programs on and off campus that enhance students’ social, cultural, and developmental needs.
The Office of Campus Ministry contributes to the mission of the University to enable students to cultivate a mature spiritual life through liturgical, faith formation and community service ministry.
The Career Center works to inspire, educate and motivate students and alumni to take an active role in their career development and in discerning their vocation by providing them with necessary guidance, support, programs and services.
The Conference and Special Programs Office is designed to utilize the campus facilities and resources in order to contribute to the financial good health of the University’s auxiliary services.
The Office of Counseling Services provides short-term, time-limited counseling and crisis intervention. Students meet with a licensed mental health professional in a confidential setting. Services are available to full-time undergraduates during the academic calendar year.
The Office of the Dean of Students advances the educational purposes of Mount St. Mary’s University by providing a student-centered, co-curricular environment that enhances the academic mission of the University.
The Department of Dining Services provides satisfying meals to a diverse University community. The department supplies essential services of dining, vending, catering and concessions to the entire community.
The Outdoor Adventures Office at the Mount is an adventure-based experiential education program.
The Office of Social Justice, grounded in Catholic social teaching and utilizing a service-learning approach, strives to compassionately engage and educate students in the needs of the marginalized, the underlying issues of social justice, and responsibility within our global society.
The Office for Student Health Services provides health education, prevention and treatment services to students as they learn to manage the healthcare needs and challenges associated with the demands of college life and the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The Catholic mission and values of the University serve as a guiding principle for educational and treatment services available to students of the University and seminary.
The Center for Student Diversity fosters inclusion, collaboration, and relationship building. The center provides academic, social and transition support in addition to programming, leadership training and inclusive workshops for underserved students; and it promotes exchange and dialogue between individuals of diverse backgrounds.
The Post Office is a full-service mailroom serving as the central distribution center for all interoffice and U.S. Postal Service mail and is responsible for the management of all student mailboxes and other student mail services.
The Department of Public Safety at Mount St. Mary’s University is a service-oriented, law enforcement, problem-solving and crisis response organization. Its primary purpose is to provide a safe, secure and orderly environment in which teaching, learning and administration operations of the University have an opportunity to excel.
Campus Recreation fosters individual and community growth by enhancing and encouraging the participant’s physical, intellectual and social development through diverse programming in aquatics, club sports, fitness and health, and intramural sports. The department provides operational support and coordination for the Knott Athletic Recreation and Convocation Complex and its programs.
The Office of Residence Life fosters the holistic development of students by providing a living-learning environment consistent with the Catholic mission of the University. Mount students are supported by Residence Assistants living within their community and a team of committed professional staff members.
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