College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Science, language, fine arts, politics, and music. The
College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences offers these and more to Fort Hays State
University students. Regardless of where your passion lies, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences will have something you can enjoy and excel in.
Higher education is a controlled and concentrated
preparation for life, and a liberal arts education is a preparation for living
that life to the fullest. The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences strives to develop
skills and abilities to work with others and develop the students for a
successful life after college.
The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences values, appreciates, and
enjoys the wonder of human culture and the natural world. Through its
forward-thinking curriculum and hard-working faculty, the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences can prepare you for whatever career you choose.
Mission Statement
The Mission of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
at Fort Hays State University is to prepare the responsible student
for citizenship, personal growth and the 21st century workplace by
striving to provide value-centered liberal arts education anytime,
anyplace at an affordable cost.
Vision Statement
FHSU College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: From Ivory Tower
to Educational Bridge: Some Key Elements of an Interactive
Learning College
Definition of Terms
- Interactive -- An interactive college shapes its policies,
programs and goals to optimize interaction with two distinct
but vital communities: 1) the internal campus-wide community of
people, programs, academic disciplines and other colleges; and
2) the constantly changing and chaotic community, region and world
beyond the confines of the university environment. The metaphor
of the college as a bridge is central to this vision.
- Learning -- A learning college is a college skilled at creating,
acquiring and transferring knowledge and, at modifying its own
organizational behavior to reflect new knowledge, insights and
opportunities.
Rationale
Although
the American system of public and private higher education is admired
throughout the world, it is equally apparent that this notable record
of achievement is not immune from challenge, controversy and change.
Report after report has described and chronicled a troubling set of
circumstances where high school and college graduates are unprepared
for work, or the challenges of life itself. Along with these human
resource concerns, society is being swept into the 21st century on
wave after wave of technological change and transformation.
The call for institutions of higher education to help meet these dynamic
changes and challenges and to develop unique and innovative prescriptions
and learning experiences for a chaotic world have become more persistent.
Accompanying these pleas has been a new emphasis on the value of
a liberal arts education and the potential of lifelong learning.
The vision of an interactive learning college, therefore, is
a logical response to the need of greater interdisciplinary collaboration
within the university while simultaneously linking these resources
to the world beyond to help meet the demands of the Information Age
learner for a networked, distance-free educational environment. Furthermore,
the arrangements and initiatives embodied in this vision recognize
the needs of an increasingly diverse student clientele.
The Vision: Some Key Elements of the Interactive Learning College
1) A learning college is led by a learning community which uses a participatory,
informed decision making approach based on:
- a faculty council for continuous quality improvement
- a student advisory board
- facilitative and enabling leadership
- decentralized policy and program implementation
- constant scanning of external environmental trends and events
- responsible faculty who recognize the value of academic citizenship
2) An interactive learning college reaches out
and builds "bridges" to campus communities and the world beyond through:
- an emphasis on interdisciplinary majors and new added-value
programs, e.g., fields of emphasis such as Leadership and Ethnic
Studies
- public and community service
- internationalization of the campus and the curriculum
- a community advisory board
- technology-enhanced distance learning opportunities
- a Master of Liberal Studies
- electronic Bachelor of General Studies
- partnerships with business, government and other levels of
public and private education
3) An interactive learning college ensures the
quality of the learning experience by emphasizing:
- a comprehensive and useful program of learning assessment and
generation of information for the evaluation of college effectiveness
- application of assessment results and feedback for continual
improvement of the learning experience and service to students
- evaluation of faculty and staff based on letters of expectation
and mutually agreed upon performance appraisal
4) An interactive learning college enhances the
potential of the learning experience through use of:
- systematic and visible publicization of programs and opportunities
for students (e.g. Truman Scholarship Program, internships, etc.)
- a Dean's Scholars Program
