School for University Studies

Office: 202 Roosevelt Hall
Telephone: (516) 463-5840
Susan S. Lukesh, Ph.D., MLS, Associate Provost for Planning and Budget; Acting Executive Director, School for University Studies
Angela McAleese, M.S.Ed. Director of Counseling and Administration
Elizabeth Unruh, Ed.D., Director, Freshman and Transfer Programs
Linda De Motta, M.A., Director, Program for Academic Learning Skills (PALS)
Douglas R. Friedlander, Ph.D., Director of the Writing Program
Peggy Figueroa, Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director

Hofstra University has traditionally sought to serve students with different academic needs. In a world increasingly aware of differences in culture, language and learning style, the School for University Studies extends this tradition to students with particular academic challenges. Currently the School for University Studies has three four major programs, the Freshman Program, the Transfer Program and the Program for Academic Learning Skills (PALS).

Liberal Arts Courses and Non-liberal Arts Courses

All courses, workshops and independent projects sponsored by the Freshman and Transfer Programs carry college credit.

Liberal arts courses, workshops and projects are those which emphasize theory, history, methods of inquiry, concepts and underlying assumptions of the traditional and emerging liberal arts disciplines. These traditional and emerging disciplines often are grouped under the general designations of the humanities, natural sciences and mathematics, the social sciences, the performing arts and interdisciplinary studies (when multiple disciplinary perspectives are brought to the study of natural and/or human phenomena). Non-liberal arts courses, workshops and projects take a more pragmatic approach, emphasizing, instead, skills and information of an immediately practical nature.

Freshman Program

The Freshman Program aims to minimize the risk of poor academic performance of students during their initial semesters in college and to prepare these students for full participation in one of the degree-granting undergraduate programs at the University.

Applicants are admitted to the Freshman Program after careful screening and evaluation by the Hofstra University Admissions Office and the faculty of the Freshman Program. After acceptance, an agreement is signed by both the student and the University specifying their respective commitments. The number of students accepted is limited and normally students remain in the Freshman Program for a minimum of one academic year (two semesters).

The Freshman Program seeks to accomplish its goals through a broad assignment of instructional resources designed especially for its students. Full-time members of the University faculty are normally responsible for the academic core programs and for student advisement. Additional members of the University’s faculty also offer courses for the Freshman Program as needed and/or invited. Students can also make full use of all the resources of the University outside the program, including the Library, Physical Fitness Center, Recreation Center, Tutorial Services, health services, professional counseling services and various art, drama and communication workshops. The academic program includes a “Core Course,” two writing courses, seminars, and, with advisement, courses in other units of the University for credit as well as in Individual Projects under the supervision of faculty.

Sample First-Year Program for Freshmen

Fall Semester
Core (6 s.h.)
Core classes are team-taught, interdisciplinary experiences in which faculty from different academic areas use a variety of teaching techniques in order to model the conversation among different perspectives on a course idea or theme.

Written Expression 1 (3 s.h.)
Written Expression I emphasizes the basic communication skills of reading, writing, and listening. It focuses on the development of analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills through the reading and writing of essays related to the theme of Core class. This course also stresses practice in revising and editing to create comprehensive, well-developed essays.

SUS Seminar (4 s.h.)
Open exclusively to University Studies students, the SUS Seminars are small classes that provide a forum in which students can focus and intensify their engagement with the foundational ideas within a specific academic area.

Department Courses Reserved for SUS Students (3 s.h.)
Open exclusively to University Studies students, these courses, offered by other units of the University, are small classes that provide a forum in which students can focus and intensify their engagement with the foundational ideas within a specific academic area.

Spring Semester
Written Expression 2 (3 s.h.)
Written Expression II is designed to enhance the student’s writing skills through an introduction to literature of a variety of genre involving critical and analytical thinking. Students read essays and short stories that are then discussed and become the topics for short essays. A research paper is required at the conclusion of the course.

Distribution Course from Humanities, Social Science, or Creative Participation (3 s.h.)

Distribution Course from Natural Science or Mathematics (3 s.h.)

Introductory or Foundations Major Area Course (3 s.h.)

Additional Distribution, Introductory or Foundations Major Area Course (3 s.h.)

Evaluation and Requirements

All course work taken at the School for University Studies and other academic units is graded according to the grading system used by the academic unit offering the course, and the grades are recorded on the student’s official academic record.

At mid-year (January for students entering in the fall, June for students entering in the spring), the student’s adviser and the Freshman Program’s faculty prepare an academic progress report, a copy of which is forwarded to the student. This mid-year progress report is based on the student’s academic work and faculty evaluations; it includes a statement from the Director of the Freshman Program and the faculty assessing the student’s chances of transitioning into a degree- granting undergraduate program at the University in the following year.

At the end of the year (June for students entering in the fall, January for students entering in the spring), the Freshman Program faculty reviews each student’s work, again based on course performances and faculty evaluations. Individual recommendations for transition into a degree-granting program at the start of the next academic year (or the Spring semester for students having entered in the previous Spring) are made to the School’s Dean and the Academic Records Committee of the University. In some cases, a student may be required to remain in the Freshman Program beyond this first year. For these students, a further evaluation of their work is prepared.

Minimum performance necessary to be considered for transition into a degree-granting undergraduate program at Hofstra is:

satisfactory completion of Core;
satisfactory completion (“C” or better, or the equivalent in Pass/Fail) of at least two courses (minimum six credits) in a baccalaureate program at Hofstra during the student’s stay in the Freshman Program;
reasonable progress toward the satisfaction of the Writing Requirement (see next section);
a grade point average (GPA) and completion ratio compatible with minimum University standards;
finally, the faculty of the Freshman Program and the Dean of the School for University Studies must be satisfied with the student’s academic progress.

Writing Requirement

Students in the Freshman Program of the School for University Studies are expected to enroll in Written Expression I concurrent with the Core Course and are expected to complete the course successfully. Upon successful completion of Written Expression 1, in the second semester they enroll in Written Expression II and must complete that course successfully.

Students from the Freshman Program who transition into another school or college within the University must fulfill the following requirements to earn the equivalent of ENGL 1:

successfully complete their Freshman Program Core Course;
successfully complete Written Expression I, or the equivalent, normally taken concurrently with the Core Course;
successfully complete Written Expression II and receive a positive recommendation from the instructor.

These students must still take ENGL 2 and the English and Freshman Composition Department’s Writing Proficiency Examination.   Students who do not complete the Freshman Program’s requirements listed above will, at the recommendation of the faculty, take ENGL 1. These students are then required to take ENGL 2 and the Writing Proficiency Examination. On the recommendation of the Writing Faculty of the Freshman Program, the Written Expression II requirement may be waived. Students for whom this waiver is given will register for ENGL 2 and take the Writing Proficiency Examination.

Transfer Program

Similar to the Freshman Program, the Transfer Program aims to eliminate a previous pattern of poor academic performance by students which may have occurred during their initial semesters in college and to prepare these students for full participation in one of the degree-granting undergraduate programs at the University.

Applicants are admitted to the Transfer Program after careful individual screening and evaluation by the Hofstra University Admissions Office and professional staff of the Transfer Program. After acceptance, an agreement is signed by both the student and University specifying their respective commitments. The number of students accepted is limited, and normally students remain in the Transfer Program for a minimum of one academic year (two semesters).

The Transfer Program seeks to accomplish its goals through a broad assignment of instructional resources designed especially for its students. Full-time members of the University faculty are normally responsible for the academic core program and for student advisement. Additional members of the University’s faculty also offer courses for the Transfer Program as needed and/or invited. Students can also make full use of all the resources of the University outside the program, including the Library, Physical Fitness Center, Recreation Center, Tutorial Services, health services, professional counseling services and various art, drama and communications workshops.

The academic program includes a “Core Course,” an Analytical and Research oriented course, seminars, and, with advisement, courses in other units of the University.

Sample Program for Transfer Students

First Semester
Core (6 s.h.)
Core classes are team-taught, interdisciplinary experiences in which faculty from different academic areas use a variety of teaching techniques in order to model the conversation among different perspectives on a course idea or theme.

Analysis and Research (3 s.h.)
This class places emphasis on analytical reading techniques and their direct bearing upon the understanding of themes and the development of college essays. Students write essays as a means of examining and practicing thesis development, argumentation, textual references, and research methods. A research paper is required at the conclusion of the course.

After a careful analysis of a student’s transcript(s), faculty advise the student into distribution courses and courses directly related to the prospective majors.

Second Semester
Provided students successfully complete the CORE course and Analysis and Research, they take a Transfer seminar, continue to take courses in their possible or chosen major and take courses to meet the University distribution requirements.

Requirements and Evaluation

All student work in the Transfer Program receives a written evaluation by a faculty member. All course work taken at the School for University Studies and other academic units is graded according to the grading system used by the academic unit offering the course, and the grades are recorded on the student’s official academic record. At mid-year (January for students entering in the Fall, June for students entering in the Spring), the Transfer Program’s faculty prepares an academic progress report, a copy of which is forwarded to the student.

This mid-year progress report is based on the student’s academic work and includes a statement from the faculty assessing the student’s chances of transitioning into a degree-granting undergraduate program at the University.

At the end of the year (June for students entering in the fall, January for student’s entering in the spring), the Transfer Program faculty reviews each student’s work, again based on course performances. Individual recommendations for transition into a degree-granting program at the start of the next academic year (or of the Spring Semester for students having entered in the previous Spring) are made to the School’s Dean and the Academic Records Committee of the University. In some cases, a student may need to remain in the Transfer Program beyond the first year. For these students, a further evaluation of the student’s work will be required.

Students who successfully complete the curriculum of the Transfer Program and who receive a positive recommendation from the Dean and faculty of the School for University Studies are permitted to matriculate in any other school or college within Hofstra University, provided they meet the entrance requirements of that school or college.

Minimum performance necessary to be considered for matriculation into a degree-granting undergraduate program at Hofstra is:

satisfactory completion of Core;
grade of “C” or better in the required writing course;
grades of “C” or better in area courses during the first and second semesters.
satisfactory completion of the Transfer Seminar;
achievement of a grade point average (GPA) and completion ratio compatible with minimum University standards;
satisfactory evaluation of academic progress from the faculty of the Transfer Program and the Dean of the School for University Studies.

Writing Requirement

Students in the Transfer Program who have successfully completed the writing requirement and transition from the Transfer Program into a degree-granting program at the University must fulfill the writing requirements of the school or college in which they enroll.   That may include completing English 2 and taking the English and Freshman Composition Department’s Writing Proficiency Examination.

Program for Academic Learning Skills (PALS)

Over the years, Hofstra University has been proud of its commitment to serve highly qualified students who have not been able to realize their potential. The professional staff of the PALS Program extends this commitment to a specific group of potential college students who have been traditionally identified as learning disabled. Course grades and test results have not always reflected the true potential of many learning disabled students.

The PALS Program provides appropriate accommodations to all students with learning disabilities who provide proper documentation to the director of PALS. These services are provided free of charge.

Additionally, among applicants not acceptable through regular admission, the PALS Program seeks candidates with substantially higher than average intellectual ability, with emotional stability, who are willing to work very hard and who are socially mature, but who have experienced a variety of learning disabilities. These may be demonstrated by problems in oral and written language expression that reflect linguistic and semantic confusions, and problems with organizational skills, which are demonstrated by disorientations in space and time. These problems contribute to deficiencies in listening, reading, writing and problem solving as they relate to academic achievement.

PALS believes that these difficulties do not always stand in the way of academic success, nor should they stand in the way of entrance to a university community. The PALS Program, therefore, concentrates on selecting the best applicants and on enhancing the skills that may help them achieve academic success at Hofstra University. There is an additional charge for this program.

Operation of the Program

Normally candidates are accepted into PALS for a period of one academic year as full-time students of the University. Students in the Program normally enroll for a minimum of 12 credits per semester. Their academic work often allows the same options that students have in the various freshman curricula at the University.

In addition, students normally meet with a skills specialist once a week; they may also participate in specialized small group workshops during the year. These workshops and skills meetings are designed to enhance the students’ strengths and to help them develop requisite skills depending on their special area of need. These workshops receive developmental credit rather than degree credit.

As with all students registered with documented learning disabilities, students enrolled in PALS have access to those accommodations that are appropriate and necessary to help compensate for their learning deficits.

As members of the Hofstra community, PALS students may participate in all activities open to qualified undergraduate students at the University. At the end of their year in the PALS Program, students are able to continue at the University if their academic performance is judged satisfactory by the standards applicable to their specific freshman curricula. (Please note that the curriculum and retention standards for most PALS Special Admit students come from the Freshman Program of the School for University Studies). PALS students who continue at the University after their freshman year are required to meet the graduation standards for the major department into which they matriculate. Please consult the Hofstra University Undergraduate Bulletin and its addenda for these retention and graduation standards.

Staff

PALS is a Program of the School for University Studies and has its own staff of professional educators qualified in the area of learning disabilities.

Admission to the Program

PALS conducts a highly individualized admission process.

Candidates with documented learning disabilities not acceptable to the University through regular admission are offered the opportunity of applying to PALS/SUS. Students with documented learning disabilities who have been accepted through regular admission may request an interview for PALS admission.

In addition to the materials submitted with the original application to the University, PALS candidates are required to submit the following documents.

Required Documentation

all results of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS—III) administered within one year of the application (the Wechsler Abbreviated Intelligence Scale— WASI—is not accepted)
all results of the achievement testing used in the diagnosis of the learning disability and administered within one year of application
the full psycho-educational report with the proper diagnostic statement of the learning disability
Students with accompanying disabilities in attention deficits (i.e., Attention Deficit Disorder; Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) must provide the results of the evaluation tools used to diagnose the condition as well as a report of a childhood history of the condition
complete description from the student’s guidance counselor of the special education services received in high school (e.g., self-contained; inclusion; modified classes; resource room)

Once all these materials are on file, the applicant may be invited for an interview. Shortly after this interview, an admissions decision will be made. Accepted candidates will be notified by the Admissions Office.

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