Fairfield
University
College of Arts &
Sciences
Mission
Statement
(adopted 1 May 2014)
The
College of Arts and Sciences is the academic foundation of Fairfield
University. It serves its students, faculty, and staff, as well
as the University’s other schools and the larger community,
through teaching, research, and service in the Jesuit tradition.
In classrooms, studios and laboratories, on campus and around the
globe, our faculty and students work together, calling on the vital
intellectual values of analysis, reflection, discernment and
imagination to understand the past, engage our present and shape our
personal and collective futures.
The College
challenges students to learn and grow, personally and professionally,
through departmental and interdisciplinary majors and minors, as well
as graduate and continuing education programs. It provides an
integrative immersion in the liberal arts through the breadth and
depth
of the Core Curriculum and its cross-disciplinary Core Pathways. It
sponsors a host of academic and cultural activities that connect the
University to the broader world and promote life-long learning. In all
its endeavors, the College encourages openness to difference and a
willingness to view the world from diverse perspectives.
As a community of
scholars, the College engages in innovative research and professional
activities in a spirit of collaboration across disciplines, in order
to
advance knowledge and solve real-world problems. It fosters and
mentors
student research to support the next generation of informed and
articulate scholars, thinkers, and public intellectuals. College
faculty lead national and global academic communities and demonstrate
their commitment to the public good through scholarship and creative
work.
As a community of
educated citizens, the College responds to the Jesuit call to be
women and men for others by seeking to instill in its students a habit
of service and a life-long commitment to social justice in their
personal and professional lives.
We undertake this
journey together -- exploring the complexities of the human condition,
experiencing the wonders of artistic creation, investigating the
intricacies of the universe, and reflecting on the mysteries of the
sacred -- so that we may all do our part to promote a just and
peaceful
world. In all that we do, the College of Arts and Sciences
affirms the enduring importance of a liberal arts education in the
Jesuit tradition.
Mission Statement
Working Group
Mike Andreychik
(Psychology)
Jocelyn Boryczka
(Politics)
Javier Campos (Modern
Languages)
Robbin Crabtree (CAS
Dean)
Dave Crawford (Sociology
& Anthropology, ASPC)
Rick DeWitt (Philosophy)
Cindi Gannett (English)
Gisela Gil-Egui
(Communication)
Manyul Im (Philosophy/
Associate Dean, ASPC)
Scott Lacy (Sociology
& Anthropology/secretary, CAS faculty)
Paul Lakeland (Religious
Studies)
Laura McSweeney (Math)
Kathy Nantz (Economics)
Sally O’Driscoll
(English/chair, CAS faculty)
Aaron Perkus (Associate
Dean, ASPC)
Gavriel Rosenfeld
(History)
Jim Simon (Associate
Dean, ASPC)
Kraig Steffen (Chemistry)
Vin Rosivach (Classical
Studies)
Dave Winn (Physics)
Achieve High
Standards
of Distinction in Teaching and Learning:
Provide a student-centered arts and sciences experience led by a
distinguished
and engaged faculty and staff.
o
Strengthen
an international reputation for teaching and student
accomplishment through a commitment to academic rigor and
high-impact
learning practices across the disciplines, informed by the scholarly
and
creative achievements of faculty.
o
Implement
the new Magis
core curriculum to ensure a shared academic experience for all
students that
realizes the College’s commitment to the liberal arts,
interdisciplinary study,
writing across the curriculum, and social justice.
o
Promote
and cultivate the self-awareness, confidence, talents, and
core career competencies of students approaching post-graduate study
and
employment.
Support Faculty
Research
and Creative Accomplishments: Foster
knowledge
creation and scholarly discourse that advances human understanding and
engages
in the world’s social urgencies.
- Enhance
research opportunities that enable scholar-teachers to make
meaningful contributions through their research and creative
accomplishments, furthering our national and global reputation and
enabling us to attract and retain world class scholars.
- Support
the vital and synergistic relationship between faculty research,
curricular development, and student learning.
- Facilitate
student participation in faculty research and creative projects
and increase opportunities for student research.
Pursue Truth,
Inclusive Excellence
and Social Justice: Rooted in the
Jesuit
tradition, provide an education that forms, informs and transforms
students
into men and women for others.
- Build a community of learners, grounded in
academic freedom, that pursue truth and the development of whole
persons.
- Offer academic and co-curricular experiences
that increase the socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, ideological and
religious diversity of faculty, students, and staff.
- Promote the human dignity of all individuals
so they are empowered to combat systems of injustice and serve the
common good.
Sustain and Enhance the College’s Resources: In all that we do, the
College of
Arts and Sciences affirms the enduring importance of a liberal arts
education
in the Jesuit tradition.
o
Navigate the
environment
of higher education to uphold the centrality of the arts and sciences
in the
lives of liberally educated persons.
o
Manage the
College’s human,
financial, and natural resources to ensure an education of distinction
for all
students.
o
Safeguard
the
non-human and built environments that support the University
communities of
research, teaching, and service.
o
Create
innovative
academic programs for the formation of future generations of students.