Section 1: Mission

Mission of the School of Arts & Sciences

The School of Arts and Sciences provides the educational foundation for the entire University. Our essential goal is to develop educated people whose breadth of awareness and understanding encourages civic engagement, interest in life-long learning, and appreciation of cultural, historical, social, and scientific pursuits. We uphold the ideal that a university be a forum for discussion and debate, and provide support for scholarship.

Vision of the School of Arts & Sciences

The mission of the School of Arts and Sciences is distinct from that of the other schools within the University. While many of our programs confer knowledge and skills applicable to the job market, we are the guardians of the liberal arts tradition. We encourage students to think critically and independently, to communicate accurately and effectively, and to become involved in their communities.

Threats to our Mission

The absence of a reasonable teaching load threatens the ability of the School to accomplish its stated mission. As a ”teaching institution,” it is imperative that our faculty have, first and foremost, the time to teach and to design curricula, and to properly evaluate assignments that meet our students’ needs and challenge them to achieve at the highest levels.  A revised load would allow faculty to work with students more closely and engage in research and the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Our mission is also imperiled because the professional schools receive a disproportionate share of already scarce resources. A University that sacrifices the foundations of learning through benign neglect impoverishes us all.