College Of Humanities and Fine Arts

Mission, Values and Strategic Plan

Mission Statement

The College of Humanities and Fine Arts brings together scholars, teachers, and students from multiple disciplines and backgrounds to explore the arts, philosophies, languages, religions, literatures, and histories of diverse cultures. The College is dedicated to the inherent value of arts and ideas and the importance of imaginative and creative work. Here students develop as critical and creative thinkers who are able to communicate clearly in written, oral, and artistic expression; who embrace intellectual curiosity; who cultivate an aesthetic awareness of their world and contemporary culture; who employ appropriate theories, tools, and technologies in pursuit of learning; who use their education to contribute to the common good; and who are at home in a complex world.

Arts and Humanities Building


Values Statement

The College of Humanities and Fine Arts affirms the values of aesthetic experience, intellectual inquiry, and historical understanding as we seek meaningful engagement with the world. To further our commitment to the traditional liberal arts, we support and commend to our community the following intellectual, ethical and practical values:

Student studying

Curiosity

  • Courageous Inquiry, which pursues honest, free, and open exploration and critical questioning about ourselves and the world.
  • Imagination, which asks "What can I contribute that does not yet exist? How could things be different?"

Kendall Hall

Excellence

  • Thoughtfulness, which embraces intentional engagement with the world and ideas.
  • Collaboration, which recognizes the necessity of community in life and encourages collegiality in intellectual endeavors.
  • Discipline and Integrity, which recognizes the necessity of diligence, hard work, and focused attention to the challenges of learning.

Professor

Civic Engagement

  • Self-Awareness and Authenticity, through which individuals attain an understanding of their own talents and how best to use them.
  • Responsibility and a generous nature, which empowers follow-through with one's commitments and that seeks to share one's ideas, gifts, and learning with others.

Creativity Happens Here

Strategic Plan

1. Support engagement with the arts and humanities as central to the success of all students.

Actions:

  • Promote teaching, scholarship, and artistic creation that fulfill the goals of humanistic inquiry.
  • Advocate for the value and relevance of the arts and humanities to the life success of our students, to the University, and to contemporary society.
  • Empower students and community members to broaden their perspectives of the arts and humanities through a commitment to lifelong learning.
  • Support global engagement with and the investigation of diverse cultures, cultural production, and environments.

Support these actions by:

  • Developing outstanding, tested, and innovative programs and courses of study.
  • Strengthening the place of the arts and humanities in dynamic and relevant general education, including liberal studies and teacher preparation.
  • Sponsoring and promoting attendance at and integration into teaching of public events, performances, gallery openings, and lectures.
  • Sponsoring community partnerships in the humanities and the arts that express the University's commitment to the North State.
  • Affirming a commitment to the diversity of our student body, faculty, and staff.

2. Affirm academic and teaching excellence and student learning as the central commitment of the College

Actions:

  • Foster literacy and fluency in history, ideas, international cultures, and the arts for students in College programs and in general education.
  • Provide an intellectual and academic foundation by introducing and refining student skills in critical thinking, writing, foreign language study, and historical and cultural understanding.
  • Establish and sustain high-quality undergraduate and graduate degree programs that are interesting, relevant, and empowering.
  • Facilitate student participation in creative and academic events and groups, including exhibits, portfolio presentations, colloquia, lectures, conferences, performances, associations, and organizations.
  • Hire faculty that support a teacher-scholar model that advances teaching excellence and student learning in the context of a residential university.
  • Support the development and refinement of new pedagogies that make best use of appropriate technologies and learning environments in support of tangible student learning.
  • Seek and support appropriate external accreditation of programs.

Support these actions by:

  • Assuring faculty governance and decision-making in program development and improvement.
  • Supporting and funding academic departments and programs in sustainable ways.
  • Constructing measurable learning goals for all programs.
  • Establishing learning assessments of foundational skills, courses, and programs.
  • Evaluating, investing in, and continually improving learning spaces across all disciplines.
  • Scheduling classes in order to meet program needs, to provide student access to necessary classes, and to promote optimum learning.
  • Implementing workload flexibility and delivery modes while achieving authentic learning, meeting enrollment needs, and fulfilling curricular expectations.
  • Establishing and continuing appropriate accreditation processes.

3. Support professional achievement of faculty and staff

Actions:

  • Foster and support excellence in the research and creative work of faculty though sabbaticals, professional leaves of absence, and other tangible means of support.
  • Encourage, support, and reward faculty and staff development and continuing education and certification to further the teaching and intellectual goals of the College.
  • Recognize exceptional efforts in establishing excellent learning environments and communities in RTP evaluation.
  • Provide incentives for grant and contract development.
  • Encourage, support, and reward exceptional performance and contributions to the profession through recognition and professional support.
  • Encourage, support, and reward service responsibilities undertaken in support of the College and University

Support these actions by:

  • Recognizing and rewarding regional, national, and international high quality publication, creative activity, and professional memberships and presentations.
  • Support of curricular enhancement, grant development, and faculty and staff participation in continuing education.
  • Recognizing and rewarding efforts to advance the University's broad mission, cross-disciplinary and cross-college partnerships, and collaboration with community organizations.

4. Prepare students for successful futures:

Actions:

  • Prepare students to be productive global citizens and successful professionals by providing rigorous and challenging instruction, collaborative learning and research experiences, opportunities for international study, relevant internships, and service learning that advance intellectual preparation
  • Provide opportunities for students to develop, model, and reflect on personal responsibility and its place in a successful life.
  • Aid students to graduate in a timely manner.
  • Integrate students into diverse learning communities that invite and encourage awareness of the complexity and diversity of contemporary culture.

Support these actions by:

  • Assessing skills and disciplinary fluency in both undergraduate and graduate programs;
  • Creating curricular and career connections within and between colleges, departments, and programs;
  • Expanding internship and service learning opportunities.
  • Increasing the timely graduation of students by monitoring student academic progress, providing consistent academic advising, and regularly evaluating and assessing curricular programs and course offerings.

Operational Values

The following will guide the implementation of this strategic plan:

Dancer

We will balance a commitment to instruction, practice, support, and study in both the arts and the humanities.

Students

We will balance our need for efficiency in class size and the appropriate use of technology in course delivery with a commitment to quality learning environments, optimum student faculty ratios, and the creation of facilities that optimize student learning in our various disciplines.

Arts and Humanities Bulding

We will marshal our resources to provide service to general education and other campus and community initiatives while supporting high quality majors, minors, certificates, and graduate programs.

Faculty

We will be thoughtful stewards of the resources that are provided to educate students, and actively explore ways of diversifying our sources of funding and relationships with friends and alumni in pursuit of this goal.