University Catalog

• We value a personal approach to education which provides the student access to faculty and staff — education provided in a small collegial atmosphere.
• We value our high quality academic programs which provide practical, technical education with the liberal arts tradition.
• We value a supportive, caring environment exemplified by mutual trust and respect and where each individual has worth through a holistic, student-centered focus. We respect not only the rights but the feelings of others.
• We value the exploration of new paradigms and the creative energy needed to stay at the forefront of knowledge.
• We value systematic assessment of all aspects of the University’s operation and constructive improvements based on these evaluations.
• We value our public service role. “Enter to learn, go forth to serve” is a traditional motto at Lake Superior State University.
• We value our collaborative partnerships characterized by high ethical standards with international colleagues, businesses, other educational institutions, community organizations, regional contacts and governmental entities.
• We value our unique geographical setting with its natural beauty and its international focus.
• We value the educational opportunities which are provided in a safer environment.
• We value the University’s physical plant with its historical buildings which are both state and national treasures.
• We value a work ethic which emphasizes productive time-on-task, diligence, ethical behavior and responsibility in the student’s personal development.
• We value our extracurricular, co-curricular programs and activities which contribute to the students’ personal and professional growth.
• We value an environment which celebrates diversity and focuses on the value of each individual’s contribution to the general welfare.
• We value the alumni and friends of the University who provide inspiration, loyalty and support.
• We value decisions which are in the best interests of the University and its students.

Expectations for Student Learning

Lake Superior State University is committed to following a clear process of assessment to enhance continuous quality improvement and to document student learning in both the major program of study and across the general education requirements. This continuous evaluation process works to assure high quality teaching and effective student learning, while meeting federal requirements and the accreditation criteria of the Higher Learning Commission. Faculty at Lake Superior State University deem certain characteristics as essential to a liberal education, increasing value for the students in their lives as responsible citizens; faculty have therefore collectively agreed upon the characteristics of the educated person the institution hopes to graduate.  Students who complete the general education courses at Lake Superior State University will be able to demonstrate attributes of the general education outcomes for communication skills, mathematics, cultural diversity, humanities, and social and natural science.

Institutional Learning Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, and attitudes that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the university, including courses, programs, student services, and extracurricular engagement.

Formal Communication

Students will develop and clearly express complex ideas in written and oral presentations.

Use of Evidence

Students will identify the need for, gather, and accurately process the appropriate type, quality, and quantity of evidence to answer a complex question or solve a complex problem.

Analysis and Synthesis

Students will organize and synthesize evidence, ideas, or works of imagination to answer an open-ended question, draw a conclusion, achieve a goal, or create a substantial work of art.

Professional Responsibility

Students will demonstrate the ability to apply professional ethics when answering a question, solving a problem, or achieving a goal.

Intercultural Competency

Students will display knowledge of, and interact effectively with, members of groups whose identities, beliefs, behaviors, and values differ from their own.

Student Consumer Information

As an applicant and recipient of federal financial student aid, you have certain rights and responsibilities.

Student Rights

You have the right to know:

1. The available financial aid programs. They are listed in the Financial Aid section of this Catalog and on the Web at www.lssu.edu/finaid.
2. Deadlines for submitting applications for each available financial aid program, also listed under each program on the Financial Aid website.
3. How financial aid will be distributed, how decisions on that distribution are made and the basis for these decisions.
4. How your financial need was determined. This includes how costs for tuition and fees, room and board, travel, books and supplies, personal and miscellaneous expenses, etc., are considered in your budget. (See Official Offer of Award letter.)
5. What resources (such as parental contribution, other financial aid, your assets, etc.) were considered in the calculation of your need. (Contact the Financial Aid Office.)
6. How much of your financial need has been met, as determined by the institution. (See Official Offer of Award letter.)
7. Request an explanation of the various programs in your student aid package. If you believe you have been treated unfairly, you may request reconsideration of your award. (Contact the Financial Aid Office.)
8. The school’s refund policy.
9. What portion of the financial aid received must be repaid and what portion is grant aid.  If the aid is a loan, you have the right to know the interest rate, the total amount that must be repaid, the payback procedure, the length of time you have to repay the loan, when repayment begins, the terms, and schedules for the repayment of student loans.(Contact the Financial Aid Office or see Promissory Note.)
10. How the school determines satisfactory progress, what happens if you are not meeting the requirements, and how to re-establish eligibility for financial aid.
11. That LSSU programs are accessible to the handicapped.  Further information is available from Accessibility Services, Lake Superior State University, 650 W. Easterday Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783.  Accessibility Services is located in the Kenneth Shouldice Library.
12. That you are entitled by law to examine records maintained in the Financial Aid Office that relate to your financial aid file.
13. The school’s completion and graduation rates and crime statistics.
14. And finally, you have the right to request: the names of associations, agencies or governmental bodies that approve, accredit or license the University programs.  Copies of the accreditation documents are available upon request.  (See Accreditation Information.)

Student Responsibilities

1. You are responsible for obtaining all the forms required to apply for the type of assistance you wish to receive.  You must complete all application forms accurately and submit them on time to the right place.
2. You must provide correct information.  In most instances, misreporting information on financial aid application forms is a violation of law and may be considered a criminal offense that could result in indictment under the United States criminal code.
3. You must return all additional documentation, verification, corrections, and/or new information requested by either the Financial Aid Office or the agency to which you submitted your application on a timely basis.
4. You are responsible for reading and understanding all forms you are asked to sign and for keeping copies of them.
5. You must accept responsibility for all agreements you sign.
6. You must do the work agreed upon in accepting a workstudy award.
7. You must be aware of and comply with deadlines for application or reapplication for aid.
8. You are responsible for reporting changes that might affect your eligibility for financial aid including:
   1. change in address (completed in Anchor Access) or type of residency (e.g., dorm to commuter)
   2. changes in enrollment status (e.g., dropping classes or withdrawing)
   3. changes in marital status
   4. all non-LSSU aid received.
9. If you have a loan, you are required to repay it and notify your lender of changes in name or address.  You should also know the name and address of your lender.
10. Be aware of your school’s refund procedures.
11. All schools must provide information to prospective students about the school’s programs and performance.  You should consider this information carefully before deciding to attend.

Lake Superior State University is a vibrant independent regional state university serving the Eastern Upper Peninsula, and Northern Lower Peninsula with a wide range of programs at the associate and baccalaureate level. The University was established in 1946 as a branch campus of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) and in 1966 became a four-year degree-granting institution known as Lake Superior State College of Michigan Technological University. In 1967 Lake Superior State College gained autonomy as a four-year baccalaureate degree-granting institution of higher learning with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, technology, business, and health fields. The name of the University was changed to Lake Superior State University in 1987 by act of the Michigan Legislature.

The University is located in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan, in the Eastern Upper Peninsula of the State. The campus of 120 acres overlooks the St. Mary’s River and Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario. Also within view are the Soo Locks which make it possible for ships to pass between Lake Huron and Lake Superior. The University is situated on the historic site of Fort Brady, a United States Army post dating back to 1822, which was decommissioned in 1944. The campus is a blend of historic and modern architecture.

Sault Sainte Marie (pop. 14,000) is one of the oldest cities in North America, having begun as a fur trading center in the early 17th century. A Jesuit mission was established here in 1641, and Father Marquette founded the first permanent settlement 27 years later, within the boundaries of what was to become Michigan. The Sault celebrated its 350th birthday in 2018.

Our sister city, Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario (pop 75,000), is a cultural, recreational, social, and entertainment center. The combined population of the Twin Saults allows for an international flavor abounding with the opportunities of a city, and the safety and comfort of a small town.

POLICY:

Lake Superior State University recognizes not only a legal obligation but also a moral and educational responsibility to provide equal employment opportunity both for the sake of fair employment practices and for the sake of meeting the educational needs of its particular student population.  Accordingly, the University:

1. Reaffirms its long-standing commitment that there shall be no discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, marital status, gender, age, disability or veteran status, in the hiring of applicants or in the treatment of University personnel (see Section 1.5).

2. Enacts a set of positive procedures to ensure that realistic and appropriate goals are established, periodically reviewed, revised, and pursued with respect to:

a. Fair employment practices in all personnel matters, and

b. The alteration of the composition of the University staff – especially the faculty – to effect a better proportion of minority persons and females, consonant with the particular needs of Lake Superior State University in its present setting, and within the parameters of equal opportunity.

The mechanisms for achieving these objectives shall be continually reviewed and refined to make them sensitive to the entire range of personnel practices in the University.  This range includes but is not limited to:  recruitment, hiring, appointments, re-appointments, tenure, promotions, compensation, benefits, transfers, layoffs, returns from layoff, University-sponsored training and education, tuition assistance, social and recreational programs, disabilities, retirement, adjustments in workloads, and other conditions of employment.  (These mechanisms are outlined in Section 4 of the Policy/Procedures Manual.)

Lake Superior State University is committed to undertake special efforts to identify and attract members of underutilized groups to apply for positions in the University in order to rectify any existing under-utilization and once they have applied, to guarantee that no discrimination in selection will take place.  The implementation of this Affirmative Action Policy is designed above all to realize in fact equal employment opportunity.

The mechanisms established for implementing this policy shall at all times be available for public scrutiny through the Office of the President, or the Office of Human Resources, and are set forth in the Procedures Manual.  Complaints regarding discrimination in employment may be filed according to procedures set forth in Section 1.5.3 of the manual.