We enter the twenty-first century in a world of profound change. Although its exact future cannot be known, we do know that it will be a world that is more global, more diverse, and more technological with ever greater demands on the natural environment. Ours will be a world filled with exponential increases in new knowledge. Yet it will be a world shaped by, and vulnerable to, basic human emotions, affiliations, and organizations. As the intellectual core of a major research university, the College of Arts and Sciences will be expected not only to respond to those changes, but also to provide knowledge and leadership to shape those changes in the best long-term interests of society.

The College of Arts and Sciences is distinctive in its achievements over an enormous span of intellectual inquiry and discovery, covering the arts, humanities, natural sciences and social sciences. The faculty, while conducting significant scholarship and training graduate and post-doctoral students, has the unique responsibility of providing a liberal arts education to the great majority of the undergraduate students attending the University of Washington. Our students profit from this expertise and breadth of inquiry and from the College's commitment to a liberal education.

Our success in fulfilling our multiple missions depends in great part on our ability to integrate our scholarship into our teaching. This approach complements a shift to a more learning-centered model of education and encourages the creative use and understanding of new technologies. We also seek to play a more prominent role in the larger community as scholars and educators and in preparing students to become leaders in the world in which they will live. To accomplish these goals, we foster an environment that supports collaboration, promotes quality, recognizes excellence and ensures the thoughtful stewardship of resources.

We believe that the College can, and should, define its preferred future, building on its strengths as the liberal arts college in a public research university with a special responsibility to the greater community. It is in this spirit that we have developed our Vision and Goals statement. This document is neither a report nor a blueprint. Rather, this statement and the collective thinking that produced it will serve as the guide to forging a future marked by the College's success in creative scholarship and teaching and a rich engagement with the world around us.

Vision # 1 Scholarship -- research, interpretation, artistic creation, and pedagogy -- forms the core of the College of Arts and Sciences. We will generate innovative and significant scholarship that will yield new knowledge, shape how we teach and learn, and contribute to a deeper understanding of the natural and cultural worlds.

Goals :

1. Enhance the ability of faculty, students, and staff to achieve significant and meaningful scholarship within and across traditional and emerging disciplines.

Examples:

• Recruit, develop and retain excellent and diverse faculty, students and staff.
• Strengthen disciplinary foundations.
• Foster thematic, interdisciplinary, and collaborative research initiatives.

2. Integrate scholarly activities into teaching, learning and service throughout the college.

Examples:

• Find innovative ways to present methodological approaches and debates within their disciplines.
• Increase opportunities for faculty and students to share in their research and scholarship.
• Expand service learning opportunities so students can connect more fully their academic education to the broader community.

3. Enrich the quality of the graduate student experience as fundamental to the scholarly enterprise.

Examples:

• Strengthen mentoring and support for career planning.
• Improve support for graduate students.
• Integrate progressive teaching and research responsibilities to facilitate professional development.

Vision # 2 The College will provide undergraduates with an excellent liberal arts education -- distinguished by active student learning and discovery, intellectual breadth and depth, and the development of enduring skills -- that prepares them to be successful and engaged citizens in an increasingly diverse, technological, and global society.

Goals:

1. Ensure a strong liberal arts foundation that provides breadth of knowledge and understanding of different modes of inquiry.

Examples:

• Promote a liberal arts education throughout the College.
• Create a freshman experience that provides students with a framework for understanding their education.
• Establish new general education requirements to strengthen a rigorous education in the arts and sciences and the development of enduring critical thinking and communication skills.

2. Identify and promote a student-centered and learning-centered model of undergraduate education.

Examples:

• Integrate active learning and discovery into the curriculum and pedagogy.
• Establish vibrant learning communities throughout the College.
• Develop and integrate programs to improve faculty teaching.
  

Vision # 3 As the heart of a leading public university, the College will play a vital leadership role in the educational, intellectual, cultural and civic life of local, national and international communities.

Goals:

1. Increase the contributions of faculty, staff, and students to the enrichment of the University's civic, educational, economic, and international communities.

Examples:

• Facilitate the dissemination of scholarly activities in public venues.
• Strengthen the College's involvement in K-14 education.
• Promote partnerships with cultural, business, and civic organizations.

2. Promote conscientious and responsible citizenship.

Examples:

• Prepare students to understand ethics and values in an increasingly complex society.
• Support changes in the curriculum that enhance understanding of diversity in our society.
• Expand the international breadth of the curriculum.
  
  June 2000