America's Best Colleges for B Students. Tamra B. Orr
“Along with ASU’s academic offerings, it also provides a 268-acre campus that features an attractive and safe setting for a college education. ASU’s campus facilities are valued at over $345 million and include the Math-Computer Science Building, which houses one of the most sophisticated computer systems in the state; the Junell Center/Stephens Arena, one of the top facilities in all of NCAA Division II athletics and the Houston-Harte University Center; the center of campus student life. Additionally, the university operates 6,000 additional acres in farm and ranch lands that also serve as home for ASU’s Management, Instruction and Research Center as well as the Food Safety and Product Development Laboratory.
“Thanks to funding by the Robert G. and Nona K. Carr Scholarship Foundation, ASU has scholarships that benefit one in every six students with grants ranging from $2,000 to $6,000. Established in 1978 exclusively to benefit needy and deserving ASU students, the Carr Foundation today holds assets of more than $81 million. For the 2008-09 academic year, more than $3.4 million in Carr Scholarships were awarded to ASU students.”
Campus Setting
Founded in 1928, Angelo State University is the second-largest campus in the Texas Tech University System. ASU’s 268-acre main campus is located in San Angelo, the center of a community of 100,000 where West Texas meets the Hill Country. A comprehensive public university, Angelo State offers programs leading to bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. ASU is recognized for its academic programs in agriculture, educator preparation, nursing, physics, computer science/computer gaming and field biology. A four-year public institution, Angelo State University has an enrollment of 6,387 students. In addition to a large, well-stocked library, the campus also has a planetarium. Angelo State University provides on-campus housing with seven units that can accommodate 1,696 students. Housing options include: coed dorms • single-student apartments • special housing for disabled students. Recreation and sports facilities include: arena • center for human performance • intramural fields • tennis courts • baseball complex • lake facility • lake house.
Student Life and Activities
As a residential campus, Angelo State University is active year-round with events and opportunities for students to enhance their classroom experience with broad social, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The university social network centers around the Houston Harte University Center. With multiple flat screen televisions, Direct TV lounge areas, gaming systems, ping pong, pool, card tables and DVD rentals, the UC is a bee hive of activity. The UC also shows current films during regular movie nights which offer free popcorn and drinks for students. The UC houses the Student Government Association, student organizations, the University Book Store and a branch of the Concho Educators Federal Credit Union. The university’s intramural fields are another hub of campus activities with practice and games going on well into the night. With multiple coed and gender specific sports, the program sees thousands of student participants throughout the year. Popular campus events include Rambunctious Weekend, Homecoming, Ram Jam, West Texas Medical Associate Moon Lectures, football, baseball, Midnight Madness and planetarium shows. Angelo State University has 104 official student organizations. Popular campus groups include Tri Beta Biological Honor Society, Block and Bridle, Intramural and Recreation Program and the Society of Physics Students. For those interested in sports, there are intramural teams such as: basketball • boxing • flag football • gymnastics • handball • indoor soccer • martial arts • racquetball • softball • tennis • Ultimate Frisbee • wrestling • volleyball. Angelo State University is a member of the Lone Star Conference (Division II).
Highlights
Angelo State University
San Angelo, TX (Pop. 100,000)
Location: Medium city
Four-year public
Founded: 1928
Website: http://www.angelo.edu
Students
Total enrollment: 6,387
Undergrads: 5,859
Freshmen: 1,474
Part-time students: 16%
From out-of-state: 2%
From public schools: 96%
Male/Female: 45%/55%
Live on-campus: 36%
In fraternities: 3%
In sororities: 4%
Off-campus employment rating: Good
Caucasian: 64%
African American: 8%
Hispanic: 25%
Asian or Pacific Islander: 2%
Native American: 1%
International: 1%
Academics
Calendar: Semester
Student/faculty ratio: 19:1
Class size 9 or fewer: 8%
Class size 10-29: 57%
Class size 30-49: 26%
Class size 50-99: 8%
Class size 100 or more: 1%
Returning freshmen: 59%
Six-year graduation rate: 33%
Most Popular Majors
Elementary education
Kinesiology
Psychology
Academics and Learning Environment
For the B student, the learning environment of a college is just as important as the quality of its academic program. Angelo State University has 246 full-time and 86 part-time faculty members, offering a student-to-faculty ratio of 19:1. The most common course size is 20 to 29 students. Angelo State University offers 64 majors with the most popular being elementary education, kinesiology and psychology and least popular being drama, German and French. The school has a general core requirement. Cooperative education is not offered. All first-year students must maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher to avoid academic probation, and a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 is required to graduate. Other special academic programs that would appeal to a B student: independent study • double majors • honors program • internships • distance learning.
B Student Support and Success
Angelo State University provides a variety of support programs including dedicated guidance for: academic • career • personal • psychological • veterans. Recognizing that some students may need extra preparation, Angelo State University offers remedial and refresher courses in: reading • writing • math • study skills. Annually, 59 percent of freshmen students return for their sophomore year. Companies that most frequently hire graduates from Angelo State University include: Enterprise Rent-a-Car • Orix • Raytheon • school districts • USAA.
Support for Students with Learning Disabilities
Students with learning disabilities may take advantage of specific support programs offered by Angelo State University. Students with learning disabilities will find the following programs at Angelo State University extremely useful: remedial math • remedial English • remedial reading • learning center • extended time for tests • oral tests