Mission, Values and Commitment

The College of Health Sciences

Innovation, Dedication, and Service

OUR MISSION

The College of Health Sciences endorses the mission of the University of Texas at El Paso.  The College is dedicated to excellent evidence-based teaching; the advancement of knowledge through research; the preparation of quality professionals who serve the community; and the provision of administrative support for those activities. The College is unique in its focus on the prevention of illness and the promotion and restoration of health.

OUR CORE VALUES
As a College, we believe….

  • In critical and innovative thinking
  • In creating knowledge through research
  • In collaboration, teamwork, and community
  • In integrity, respect for each other, the value of diversity (both people and approaches); maintaining fairness; honesty; and openness.
  • In providing access and excellence for our students;
  • In empowering students to think and prepare for life-long learning and to succeed in the classroom and in their profession.
  • That commitment and dedication to our mission from all faculty and staff is key to our success

OUR COMMITMENTS
We will:
  • Take responsibility to meet our goals and initiatives and fulfill our obligations
  • Build a systematic approach to planning and evaluation that uses performance metrics to assess our successes at all levels
  • Align our initiatives with available funding and maintain fiscal and programmatic accountability
  • Deliver quality value and services to all customers and stakeholders
  • Build strong connections with the El Paso community and our partners to gain their active involvement in our efforts
  • Adhere to our beliefs and guiding principles
  • Foster a great working environment and celebrate our successes

We plan to accomplish our mission by:
I. Being attuned and responsive to health issues of importance to the El Paso – Juarez border community in our teaching, research, and service.

II. Collaborating with other in the college and university, and with private and public organizations in the community

1. Building an influential and participatory faculty organization and a shared governance structure focused on strategic goal achievement
  • Develop effective communication avenues within the college
  • Develop an effective structure that facilitates faculty participation in college governance and goal achievement
2. Create effective, long-term inter-disciplinary and inter-organizational cooperative/collaborative programs in teaching, service, and research (examples: engineering, psychology, business; local hospitals, medical school, local clinics, and healthcare agencies; the school districts; and private businesses)
3. Engage in alternative and innovative resource acquisition
III. Engaging in teaching that is relevant, focused on student learning, meets national standards of competency, and is continuously assessed for its effectiveness. This involves:

1. Faculty and student attending development workshops
2. Effective mentoring programs for faculty and staff
3. Creating new academic programs attuned to educational needs in the community
4. Developing distance learning and alternative degree programs
5. Developing a health sciences “pipeline” to graduate programs and medical schools
6. Developing a state of the art teaching facility.
IV. Being dedicated to preparing competent practitioners who can become leaders committed to serving the local Hispanic and underserved communities
1. Sustain and develop the Student Support Center
  • Recruit students from the community and outside the El Paso region
  • Engage with the school districts and health magnet schools on multiple levels and actively recruit their top students
  • Explore need-based support programs for underserved students
2. Establish formal, bi-national faculty and student exchange teaching, research and service programs
V. Advancing knowledge and understanding through innovative and relevant research:
  • Develop a well-planned systematic approach to enhance research productivity
    • Develop an educational and guidance program on grant development with ORSP for faculty and students
    • Create a senior research mentoring program for faculty engaged in research and grant writing
  • Recruit and retain quality research-oriented faculty
  • Increase faculty participation in doctoral education and mentoring
    • Engage all departments and faculty in graduate student recruitment
    • Increase PhD program enrollment
    • Explore and develop graduate student funding sources
    • Develop an research-focused apprenticeship/mentoring program involving top undergraduate, masters, and PhD students and faculty
  • Develop a state of the art research facility