Summary Reports

The Memorial Student Center (MSC) Student Programs Office has 16 MSC Program Council committees who provide programs and speakers for campus events throughout the year. Three Program Assemblies, made up of groups of student leaders and advisors, meet to approve programs and speakers for upcoming events put on by the MSC committees. The MSC Program Council leaders wanted feedback from its committees’ student leaders at various levels of leadership regarding their experiences with the program planning process and Program Assemblies (PAs) to find out how to improve its effectiveness and committee support. The survey developed was sent to MSC Program Council leaders, Vice Presidents, Committee Chairs and Directors (student leaders who are members of committees and present program proposals and speaker approvals at Program Assemblies). The attached report summarizes the results of the survey and provides recommendations stemming from those results.

The purpose of this assessment was to understand the experiences of students who participated in Howdy Camp, sponsored by Aggie Transition Camps (ATC). Howdy Camp is an optional extended orientation camp for students transferring to Texas A&M University and first-time in college students starting in the spring semester. This year, camp was held in College Station in early January 2026, however, in 2025 there was also a session at Lakeview. A few weeks into the semester, one survey evaluation was sent to co-chairs, counselors, and teamers, and another survey was sent to participants (campers) to assess their camp experiences and whether the participant (camper) learning outcomes were met. In addition, the counselors’, co-chairs’, and teamers’ assessment intended to ascertain if they felt equipped through their training to confidently lead small groups and assist new students in their transition to Texas A&M during and after camp.

Each spring, the MSC Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA) hosts a conference to provide “programs for students across Texas, the nation, and the world to exchange ideas and discuss the role of the United States in the global community.” The theme for SCONA 71 was “Instruments of Power: American Influence on the Global Stage,” and it was held on February 10-14, 2026. SCONA 71 utilized speakers and team facilitators with first-hand experiences in the topics to guide delegates in the creation of a policy paper. MSC SCONA has worked with Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research to assess various aspects of the conference most years since 2008.

Student Organization Leadership and Development (SOLAD) is a unit in the Department of Student Activities. SOLAD held the fifth annual Advisor Summit on March 26, 2026, at the Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center. The Summit is an optional training intended as a time for advisors to network with one another, share ideas, and receive training for their advising role(s). It is also a moment for the SOLAD team to appreciate all that advisors do. SOLAD staff will be using the results from this survey to better understand what advisors gained from attending the Advisor Summit and enhance the training for future years. SAPAR has worked with SOLAD to assess the attendees’ experiences since 2024.

The MSC Programs Conway-Fitzhugh coordinates a winter study abroad trip to Italy for freshmen who are high achieving students. This year, the trip happened from December 26, 2025-January 9, 2026. Trip participants were assessed through an electronic survey after returning from the trip to gauge how well the outcomes were met and the overall impact of this experience on these students. Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research (SAPAR) has worked with MSC programs to assess the Conway-Fitzhugh Italian study abroad experience intermittently since 2010.

The Substance Misuse and Violence Prevention (SMVP) office within Student Life held an Aggies Choose event on March 26, 2026. This event educated students about alcohol consumption, social norms surrounding alcohol use, and how to stay safe when consuming alcohol. SMVP has worked with Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research to gather data through focus groups and surveys surrounding their Aggies Choose social campaign on norms surrounding alcohol use, but this is the first event tied to the campaign that SAPAR has helped assess.

Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) sought to understand what types of funding and living expenses graduate and professional students had, and to what extent those costs of living affected them. GPSG will use this data to share graduate and professional students' experiences regarding their cost of living with stakeholders. While GPSG has done this assessment before on their own, this is the first year that
Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research (SAPAR) worked with GPSG on this project.

Disability Resources is a department within the division of Student Affairs that supports students with disabilities. Disability Resources administered over 4,200 final exams during finals in the fall 2025 semester. Disability Resources staff members wanted to gather feedback from staff and faculty who volunteered during finals to better understand their experience, improve communication about proctoring roles and expectations, and enhance the overall volunteer experience in future exam periods. This was the first time Student Affairs Planning, Assessment & Research (SAPAR) helped assess volunteers who helped administer finals through Disability Resources.