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