The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

A proposal addressed to:

The Dean of Students at the University of New Mexico

3 April 2016

Prepared by: Gabriella M. Dalton

In support of:
The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

Contact Reference:
Gabriella M. Dalton
The University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87131
(555) 555-5555
gdalton@unm.edu

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

A. ORGANIZATIONAL DESCRIPTION
The Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS) is a free-of-charge
academic assistance program available to all undergraduate students
enrolled in undergraduate courses. CAPS is a tutor-based organization and
unique to its organization is the certification by the College Reading and
Learning Association to all student employees. CAPS provides services to
students across campus in an array of formations such as different
locations, learning environments, diverse hours for tutoring, etc..
CAPS was first established in 1979 as the Skills Center known for serving
students enrolled in English, Math, Social Science, and Natural Science 101.
As CAPS continued to expand and develop, in 1986 the Skills Center
became known as the Center for Academic Program Support in order so
they could better illustrate its growing mission. With the further expansion
of their services, CAPS was given a grant from PNM to start building online
services for those who were unable to receive further assistance through a
face-to-face interaction. As of the year 2000, the only location for
assistance remained on the third floor of Zimmerman Library. However,
shortly after in 2003, CAPS opened their first secondary location in the
Student Union Building (SUB), which till this day has served as a CAPS
second busiest location. The SUB location of CAPS was created to better
focus services in Mathematics and Science during the evening. This being
so that students with restraints from prior obligations during the day will
not be affected academically due to the fact that they will still be given the
opportunity to receive assistance. CAPS as a whole is focused on the
success and opportunities of all UNM students. With the opening of a
secondary location, CAPS continues to ally with over eight different
locations throughout the next years of expansion. As of 2016, CAPS offers
tutoring in over fifty course specific courses with the opportunity to receive
help from tutors throughout the day and evening at over eight different
locations on and near campus.
As mentioned before, CAPS has tailored their services to better fit all
unique students by giving students the option of what type of tutoring
interactions they prefer. With appropriate funding, CAPS has managed to
offer seven different styles of learning to all undergraduate students. These
types of interaction include the choice of; classroom setting based tutoring,
one-on-one interactions, online tutoring, learning strategists, supplemental
instruction, peer-learning facilitators, as well as additional faculty office
hours funded through CAPS.
In-depth Information on the Different Forms of Tutoring:
The Drop-In Lab: The drop-in lab is a form of tutoring that is highly valued by
CAPS staff because of the fact that it is an environment where individuals are

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

able to learn by bouncing ideas off of one another. The lab offers individuals the
opportunity to study and do homework in a supportive and collaborative setting.
Individual Appointments: Individual appointments are a form of one on one
tutoring and are great for individuals who feel like they need extra time with a
tutor on a specific subject or topic.
Online Tutoring: Online services are used more for online courses and higherlevel undergraduate courses. This form of tutoring is beneficial because it is
online and is offered at reasonable times in the evening.
Learning Strategies: Learning Strategies is a form of tutoring that is used to
help better your academic life and aids in time management. These tutors are
here to help individuals balance their academic life with their social life, and
play a key role in individuals success.
Supplemental Instruction: Supplemental Instruction (SI) Sessions are geared
directly toward difficult courses at UNM. Tutors who have done partially well
in the class run the SI sessions and help students grasp course concepts in an out
of a class setting. These sessions are extremely popular before tests and are
geared towards helping students study effectively.
Peer Learning Facilitators Program (PLF): PLFs offer academic support
inside and outside of the classroom. This form of tutoring is recommended for
students enrolled in Chemistry, Geography, and Management. Although the
uncertainty of knowing whether or not a professor will allow for a PLF to help
aid in the structure of a course, this form of tutoring is extremely beneficial to
the complete understanding of the material for students due to the fact that their
designated PLF will sit in on their class on a regular basis.

Although there are various forms of different and diverse learning environment listed above,
CAPS enjoys advertising the beneficial aspects of success the drop-in lab and has found
through many studies that this form of learning seems to be the most popular. As a result of the
constant interaction with the students peers and tutors, individuals are able to remain engaged
throughout the duration of their visit and are in time able to reason and develop further
cognitive methods for problem solving.
Since the establishment of CAPS, the organization as a whole has remained
true to the organizations vision and mission statements.
Vision
The Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS), UNM's learning assistance
center, will be a welcoming environment that instills confidence in students to
succeed academically and to grow as lifelong learners. CAPS strives to inspire an
active, student-centered, and diverse learning community.
Mission
The Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS), UNM's learning assistance
center, focuses on undergraduate learning by providing opportunities for academic

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

conversations in which students engage CAPS peer tutors and UNM faculty in
critical thinking throughout their educational careers. Tutoring interactions span a
variety of formats and learning environments to meet individual student needs.
CAPS helps both student users and CAPS student employees develop diverse
strategies and skills to achieve their academic and professional goals.

As CAPS continues to expand and further tailor their services to meet the expectations of all
users, employees and staff members CAPS will need further funding for more space. With
more space, CAPS will be able to offer additional assistance to students in a variety of subjects
and will be able to hire and certify more students employees better aiding in the educational
support of all student users.
And so, CAPS respectfully requests funding in the amount of $60,000 from the University of
New Mexico to support the further expansion of CAPS in order to support additional student
users.
B. PROBLEM DESCRIPTION
The Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS) is a growing organization
with advanced aspiration for their future as the leading academic support
program for students attending the University of New Mexico. With growing
numbers of student users, CAPS usage has drastically increased over the
past few years. Although the number of students enrolling at the University
has deceased, the amount of unique student users has increased.

Increased Usage

Undergraduate Enrollment
Visits
Contact Hours
Unique Students

Source: ORD Enrollment Management Files, CAPS usage data

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

CAPS student users come from a variety of academic backgrounds. The

table below shows the percent of students from declared majors whose
data has been gathered from the 2014-2015 fall and spring semesters.
Major

%Who uses CAPS

Health, Medicine &

Human Values
Physician Assistant
Studies
Nutrition/Dietetics
Biochemistry
General Engineering
Biology
Environmental Science
Undecided
Speech & Hearing
Sciences
Chemistry

Major

%Who uses CAPS

76.5%

Athletic Training

32.6%

48.6%

Languages

30.8%

41.7%
41.6%
37.6%
37.5%
34.5%
34.1%
33.1%

Chemical Engineering
Women Studies
International Studies
Astrophysics
French
English Studies
Exercise Science

29.2%
28.6%
27.9%
27.8%
26.9%
26.9%
25.8%

33.1%

Criminology

25.6%

Source: ORD Enrollment Management Files, CAPS usage data

CAPS users come from a diverse background as well. Below is a chart that reflects UNMs
student users from their gender, ethnic, and class-level breakdowns. Again, this specific data
has been gathered from the 2014-2015 fall and spring semesters.

UNM's Diversity Within and Outside of

CAPS

Source: ORD Enrollment Management Files, CAPS usage data

CLASS LEVEL

Non-Users

CAPS Users

% who use

% of CAPS

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Graduate
Professional
Non-Degree,
UG
Non-Degree, HS
Total

Count
1820
2850
3705
7823
5174
1403
466

Count
1010
1423
1244
1577
108
23
87

585
25,081

7
5,576

CAPS
Count
35.7%
33.3%
25.1%
16.8%
2.0%
1.6%
15.7%

users
Count
18.1%
25.5%
22.3%
28.3%
1.9%
0.4%
1.6%

1.2%

0.1%

Source: ORD Enrollment Management Files, CAPS usage data

The reason for the staggering increase in the student users at CAPS is in regards to CAPS
outstanding academic assistance services. With these increasing amounts, CAPS is having to
deny students of their services in order so that they do not surpass the student capacity set by
city standards in each location, especially at their main location on the third floor of
Zimmerman Library. Denying students of their services due to the lack of space goes against
everything CAPS believes in and as a result this needs to be amended immediately. CAPS
predicts that the number of student users is going to continue increasing at a steady rate, which
translates to their need of expansion. Statistics show that if their numbers continue increasing,
the program itself will need to oscillate and stop all further progress as an organization.
And so, CAPS respectfully requests funding in the amount of $60,000 from the University of
New Mexico to support the further expansion of CAPS in order to support additional student
users.
C. PROJECT GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Specific goals and objectives of the Center for Academic Program Support
Renovation Proposal include:
Offer additional locations for academic support for all undergraduate
and graduate
students. With more space, CAPS will be able to expand
their services to graduate
students and in doing so, will be able to hire
more tutors. As of now, due to the lack of space and funding, CAPS has
been unable to hire more tutors and as a result,
there is not enough
tutors who are qualified to tutor upper-level mathematic and
science
courses.
o Hiring more student tutors will in turn create additional hours
for student users to receive help
o More student users will help CAPS qualify for more grants
o Specific facilitators and locations of each destination are to be
determined after needs and interests of the student users and
student employees are addressed

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

o Have more funding and space in short, one year after request
and submission
Provide additional courses for undergraduate and graduate users,
while simultaneously expanding the role of diversity within CAPS. Hopefully
in time CAPS
will be able to create additional forms of learning
methods that further aid in their
success as an organization.
Including:
o One-on-one interactions for all courses offered
o More than one drop-in setting for Mathematics and Science
o

Develop an updated marketing strategy to reach students who do not use CAPS
during their first year; use survey results from freshmen to identify key areas
for focusing efforts

Implement a suite of targeted summer programming to help students make

progress in their paths to timely graduation

In collaboration with advisors across campus, offer targeted (and required)

Learning Strategies workshops and appointments for students on probation

o Expand CAPS interaction with graduate students, secondlanguage student users, learning strategists, etc.
In turn if CAPS is granted this funding, CAPS plans on further developing
their services for the betterment of all students attending UNM. Overall,
CAPS takes the success of their students seriously and advocate for more
funding and space to better aid in the success of their student users.
Timeline of Estimated Proposal:

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

Submit
Grant
Proposal
(May '16)

Expected
Grant
Notificati
on
(August
'16)

Additional
Space
(Sep '16)

Hiring
Process
of New
Employee
s (Oct
'16)

Training
Session
for New
Emplyees
((DDecec ''116)6)

Prepare
Student
User
Result
Reports
(June '16)

* Created a new graphic as instructed

D. METHOD AND BACKGROUND
As a follow-up to the renovation of CAPS, CAPS would like to allow their
students to voice their feedback through either written or online comments
about their new services. CAPS strongly believes that their additional
services will surely benefit the success of their students. With new and
improved services with the given amount of space and funding, CAPS is
hoping to further tailor their services to accurately meet all unique users. In
addition, CAPS thinks they are a disservice to graduate students in need of
academic assistance because they are unable to fund such services. With
this opportunity to potentially broaden CAPS as a whole, CAPS strives to
develop a program that will better serve gradate students pursuing
additional education.
The Center for Academic Program Support, UNMs learning assistance
center, focus on the undergraduate learning of all student and non-student
users. CAPS strives to provide students with the academic opportunity to
exceed their fullest potential. Students are able to engage with peer tutors
and UNM faculty on a personal, critically engaged level. Tutoring
interactions span on a variety of formats and learning environments to
meet individual student needs. CAPS facilitates to help both student users
and CAPS student employees develop diverse strategies and skills to
achieve their academic and professional goals. The goal of the Center for
Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal is to reinstall and better
refine these methods and values through the help of additional space and
funding from the Dean of Students at the University of New Mexico.

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

CAPS services are highly regarded and have proven to aid in the success of
student users.
In student surveys from Fall 2014:
o 93% of students felt that all employees, especially front desk
employees, help set a positive tone for their visits
o 63% of users have actively made changes to their academic
strategies as a result of using CAPS services
62% of students who use CAPS once are more likely to return for a
second visit
Students responded to what are the top five words youd use to
describe CAPS? The results are illustrated below:
o Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, convenient, resourceful,
useful, great, fast, convenient, patient, easy, approachable,
understaffed, informative, etc.
In conclusion, many students find their services to be extremely beneficial;
however there are some who claim that their services were cluttered, small,
busy, understaffed and interesting. With that said, CAPS takes student
users comments extremely seriously and therefore are advocating for more
space and funding in order so that every user feel comfortable and
knowledgeable when leaving after a visit.
E. EVALUATION
The Center for Academic Program Support will be evaluated utilizing the
following measurements:
The number of student users per new and already established
location, broken down to reflect the success and benefit of the renovation.
The number of student users who use CAPS on a regular basis in
contrast to the
users who remain first time users.
The numbers of student employees and staff members who benefit
from the
renovation and who in turn have seen improvements within the
organization.
Student feedback will be received via online of the new locations and
resources.
Three different evaluations will be administered at the beginning, middle,
and end of the fall and spring semesters to formulate comparative data.
CAPS hopes that the renovation will impact student users in a way they did
not before and aspires to continue tailoring their organization to meet the

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The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

expectations of its users. Lastly, CAPS plans to secure future funding to

continue progressing and aiding in the success of students on campus.

F. COST AND BENEFIT

CAPS services are highly regarded and have proven to aid in the success of
student users.
In student surveys from Fall 2014:
o 93% of students felt that all employees, especially front desk
employees, help set a positive tone for their visits
o 63% of users have actively made changes to their academic
strategies as a result of using CAPS services
62% of students who use CAPS once are more likely to return for a
second visit
Students responded to what are the top five words youd use to
describe CAPS? The results are illustrated below:
o Friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, convenient, resourceful,
useful, great, fast, convenient, patient, easy, approachable,
understaffed, informative, etc.
In conclusion, many students find their services to be extremely beneficial;
however there are some who claim that their services were cluttered, small,
busy, understaffed and interesting. With that said, CAPS takes student
users comments extremely seriously and therefore are advocating for more
space and funding in order so that every user feel comfortable and
knowledgeable when leaving after a visit.
Personnel Costs:
Salaries and Wages
FICA (Social Security)
Other Benefits and Taxes
Consultants
Sub-Total

Additional
Locations
Macintosh
Computers with
Monitor

Amounts:
$8,600
$4,000
$1,500
$11,100

Price:
$15,567

Quantity:
4

Total:
$15,567

$13,342

$13,330

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

Additional
Tutors
Training

$8,600

10

$2,300

2 Days

$8,600

$2,300
$39,797
*Note: All pricing is subject to change dependent on economic and
environmental changes

Additionally, if granted this proposal, CAPS will provide tests done

concluding the beneficial and non-beneficial aspects of the renovation of
CAPS as a whole. As a result of past studies, CAPS feels strongly that this
renovation will positively impact all users and will provide more
opportunities in the future for potential student employees.
Lastly, I would like to thank you for your time and patience. We hope to
hear back from you soon. If you have any additional questions, please feel
free to call our main office at: (505) 277-7203.

Work Cited
"Math & Science Tutoring Program." :: Center for Academic Program Support (CAPS). N.p.,
n.d. Web. 20 Mar. 2016.
Callie French, personal communication, 8 March 2016

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The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

Multimodal Component

The Center for Academic

Program Support
Renovation Project

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

The Program: A
free-of-charge
academic assistance
program available to
all undergraduate
students enrolled in
undergraduate
courses.
The Mission: To
expand and enhance
the CAPS workspace
in every section of
campus for
undergraduate
students.

The Purpose: For

the benefit of the
only tutoring
organization
available to
undergraduate
students on campus
by helping CAPS
expand and achieve

Date: 13 May 2016

Message:

Please help us
support this great
service!
To: Elizabeth Benedict
From: Gabriella Dalton

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The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

Reflection
For the past few weeks we have been learning about the different components used to
create a proposal that is appeals to all of our intended audiences. Before our MWA2 I did not
know how to used Microsoft efficiently and I did not know how to make graphs using Excel
and then transferring them to Word. However, after a lot of practice, I now feel comfortable
creating various graphs, charts, etc. when using words. Unlike English 110 or 120, our class is
not so much centered on learning outcomes that are associated with each assignment, however
these components still play a vital role in our learning. As I composed the tools necessary for
the completion of my proposal, I focused on making sure my information was clear, concise,
and organized, my tone of voice was relative towards my audience, and lastly, that the
composure of my documents met the professional standards of my audience and accurately
portrayed CAPS in the light it deserves.
The first step to any research is to fully understand and comprehend what you are
discussing. With that said, I realized that I must spend numerous hours researching and
tailoring my documents to the standards of my intended audience. I analyzed all possible
situations ahead of time in order to avoid discussing all unclear, fabricated information. I found
that this is a necessary step all should think about taking before diving into the composition of
his or her proposal and in this case, my proposal. By not fully understanding his or her topic,
an individual can began to feel overwhelmed and flustered when starting the process of his or
her paper. For me, this was one thing I wanted to avoid and in order to do so I made sure to
create a well-detailed outline. By doing this, I felt ten times more comfortable when writing my
proposal. Also, being a CAPS student employee and student user helped tremendously because
I was able to ask my supervisor for help and for information. This helped in addition to my
online research and made me feel at ease when describing why CAPS needs additional space
because I felt a personal connection to the organization.
With that said, before I drafted my proposal, I spent a lot of time researching what
CAPS was, their mission statement, and the amount of students they offer assistance to. After a
lot of research, the amount of students I found they helped was outstanding! They helped over
50% of undergraduates in a variety of subjects. In addition to their success, I spoke with
countless staff members about the potential idea for expansion and every single staff member
was in favor for my proposal. The amount of love they have for the students that use their
organization is boundless and their passion for success is unlimited. After I spoke with them, I
decided to sit down to begin the first draft of my proposal. I found the first section to be easiest
and found that the level of difficulty steadily progressed as I got further and further into the
draft of my proposal. I also found citing materials to be the most difficult because I was not
sure where to cite my information. In addition to the in-text citations, I thought I would have
found the multimodal component to be the most challenging and surprisingly, I found that
creating visual aids that were appealing to my audience to be the most difficult. It took me a lot
of time to create accurate graphs and to create the cost and benefit section of my proposal. In
my opinion, I thought this section would be the most helpful to my audience and as a result, I
wanted this section to be as polished as possible. So, in addition, I must have created about ten
different drafts until I felt that my section accurately described everything I wanted it to. Also,
when creating my multimodal component I wanted my intended audience to be the students at

The Center for Academic Program Support Renovation Proposal

the University of New Mexico. This aspect of my proposal was challenging due to the fact that
I wanted my flyer to be a page in length while still containing all of the necessary information.
In contrast, my favorite part about this section was playing with the creativity of my proposal.
All in all, I found this MWA2 to be extremely helpful and helped me tremendously when
structuring my proposal.

Gabriella Dalton
Email: gdalton@unm.edu
Phone: (505) 670- 2063

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