3.4.2: The institution’s continuing education, outreach and service programs are consistent with the institution’s mission.  Narrative:  An integral part of the mission of the University of Texas (UT) at Arlington is the development of continuing education, outreach and service programs appropriate to and supportive of the surrounding community. To this end, the University offers a wide variety of programs through the: (a) Division of Continuing Education (CE), (b) Center for Community Service Learning, (c) Center for Distance Education, (d) UT Arlington/ Fort Worth Higher Education Center, (e) UT Arlington Library and (f) colleges and schools on campus.  Continuing Education:  CE provides access to the highest quality nontraditional educational initiatives to help individuals and groups meet learning needs that are not addressed by traditional on-campus instruction. Connections between the University and the constituency it serves are vital to the mission of UT Arlington, as UT Arlington is a public service institution. Providing opportunities for lifelong learning to constituencies beyond the campus walls is best accomplished through CE, whose mission supports and extends the University mission. UT Arlington’s mission is:  The University of Texas at Arlington is a comprehensive research, teaching, and public service institution whose mission is the advancement of knowledge and the pursuit of excellence. The University is committed to the promotion of lifelong learning through its academic and continuing education programs and to the formation of good citizenship through its community service learning programs. The diverse student body shares a wide range of cultural values and the University community fosters unity of purpose and cultivates mutual respect.         UT Arlington is committed to the following objectives:   The University is committed to comprehensive programs of academic research. This research effort requires attracting and retaining scholars who promote a culture of intellectual curiosity, rigorous inquiry, and high academic standards among their fellow faculty and the students they teach.  The University prepares students for full, productive lives and informed and active citizenship. To that end, we have developed undergraduate and graduate curricula and classroom practices that engage students actively in the learning process. Outside the classroom a wide range of student organizations and activities contribute to the learning environment. Our service learning program offers students the opportunity to supplement their academic study with internships in a variety of community settings, testing their skills and aptitudes and challenging their values. State-of-the-art teaching technologies, distance education, and off-site instruction afford access to off-campus as well as traditional students. Non-degree certificate and continuing education programs offer practical, aesthetic, and intellectually stimulating opportunities for community learners, for individual courses or a sustained program of study.  The mission of a university can be achieved only when its students, faculty, staff, and administrators value and promote free expression in an atmosphere of tolerance, responsibility, and trust. The University regards these attributes as prerequisites for any community of learners and vigilantly strives to maintain them.  Mindful of its role as a resource to the community, locally, nationally and internationally, the University continually seeks partnerships with public and private concerns in order to advance the economic, social and cultural welfare of its constituencies. We serve the needs of the North Texas community by sponsoring public lectures and academic symposia, as well as artistic, musical and dramatic productions. [1]  CE’s mission is:  To identify, create and support lifelong learning opportunities through quality programs that are timely, capitalize on University expertise and address educational needs that make our constituency more employable, ensure that life enrichment training is accessible and help our employers meet their operational goals. [2]  CE embraces the service, teaching and research missions of the University, with the service mission being its central role. CE focuses on providing programs to the general public by making higher education and college-level instruction and services available to persons inside and outside the University community, thereby facilitating its outreach mission. CE’s most recent Unit Effectiveness Plan provides evidence that CE is regularly evaluated in respect to the Institution’s mission and CE’s program goals. [3] CE’s Strategic Plan [4] speaks to the role and scope of CE in regards to UT Arlington’s mission. Because CE promotes programs directly to prospective participants, CE increases public awareness of the University and its programs.   CE offers more than 600 courses per year in 7 major areas: (a) business professional development, (b) computer user training, (c) information technology production and inventory management, (d) integrated resource management, (e) six sigma and lean manufacturing, (f) youth programs and (g) community development. While the majority of CE offerings are designed for working adults or job seekers, programs are also available that serve the younger members of our community from children (toddlers) to college students, including: (a) art, (b) computer usage, (c) languages, (d) music, (e) school skills, (f) science and (g) sports. UT Arlington CE has a clear and published policy for evaluating classes and instructors, and professional certifications are consistent with its mission and ensure students’ learning outcomes are comparable to the Institution’s own degree programs. [5] Outreach:  Several of UT Arlington’s individual colleges and support services also offer CE and outreach programs. Some of the programs are offered for college credit, continuing education units (CEUs) or for personal/professional development. [6]  Center for Community Service Learning:  The Center for Community Service Learning provides students and faculty with service learning opportunities. The Center’s mission statement is “…to enhance learning and civic responsibility through community engagement” and is directly linked to UT Arlington’s mission of  “…formation of good citizenship through its community service learning programs.” UT Arlington’s service learning programs are based on four components: (a) preparation, (b) performance, (c) reflection and (d) recognition. The Center has a variety of different service learning opportunities at any given time. [7]  Center for Distance Education:  The Center for Distance Education develops and delivers Internet-based courses in order to further UT Arlington’s mission. The Center’s mission is “to retool undergraduate and graduate courses for more flexible delivery to learners…” The Center offers several bachelor and master’s level degrees to the community. [8]  UT Arlington/ Fort Worth Higher Education Center:  The UT Arlington/ Fort Worth Higher Education Center campus is located 10 minutes from downtown Fort Worth and is committed to meeting the needs of working professionals. For this reason, the campus offers: (a) several graduate degrees, (b) junior and senior level undergraduate courses, (c) distinguished faculty lectures and (d) professional development courses. [9]  UT Arlington Library: The mission of the Library is to “foster and promote quality learning, teaching and research for the university and its communities.” Therefore, the UT Arlington Library is open to all visitors. The following library services are available to the Arlington community: (a) remote access to the Online Catalog; (b) on-site access to books; (c) borrowing privileges with a guest borrower card; (d) on-site access to print and electronic magazines, newspapers and journals; (e) staff assistance in using the library resources and (f) use of the libraries’ special collections. [10] UT Arlington Colleges and Schools:  Outreach services located in colleges/schools include, but are not limited to, the: (a) Center for Continuing Nursing Education, (b) Rural Health Outreach Program, (c) Center for Hispanic Studies in Nursing and Health, (d) Center for Leadership in Nursing and Health Care, (e) Social Work Professional Development Program, (f) Institute for Urban Studies, (g) English Language Institute, (h) Energy Systems Research Center, (i) Automation and Robotics Research Institute, (j) Arlington Technology Incubator, (k) Air Pollution Training Academy, (l) Center for Mexican American Studies and (m) College of Education K-16 Council.   The Center for Continuing Nursing Education [11] provides ongoing education to enhance nursing practice and health care. The Rural Health Outreach Program [12] helps students to understand and appreciate rural health care needs. The Center for Hispanic Studies in Nursing and Health [13] helps foster understanding between health care professionals and people of Hispanic origin through educational programs and services. The goal of the Center for Leadership in Nursing and Health Care [14] is to increase leadership knowledge, skills and research expertise through collaboration with a variety of community resources by offering lectureships, institutes, conferences, workshops and seminars. The Social Work Professional Development Program [15] provides continuing professional education for social work practitioners and other human service professionals. The Institute for Urban Studies [16] provides research, including survey research, data analysis, technical assistance and practical training to state and local officials, community leaders and members of the general public. The English Language Institute [17] provides English as a Second Language programs for international students. The Energy Systems Research Center [18] participates in research programs through UT Arlington's Office of Research and Administration. The Automation and Robotics Research Institute [19] works to improve the competitiveness of manufacturing and related enterprises through excellence in research and the sharing and deployment of knowledge. The Arlington Technology Incubator [20] provides the services, resources and facilities for UT Arlington faculty and area research professionals to move their products from the laboratory to the marketplace. The Air Pollution Training Academy [21] offers on- and off-campus training for environmental professionals on a wide spectrum of air pollution issues. The Center for Mexican American Studies [22] educates students and the public about Mexican Americans and other U.S. Latinos. The College of Education’s K-16 Council [23] advocates for K-16 statewide initiatives.