Arts and Humanities Discipline Strategic Goals – (9/01/2011)

 

Vision: The Division of Arts and Humanities will be recognized as a dynamic and creative learning environment focused on student success and guided by the values of trust, excellence, integrity, civility, passion, diversity and efficiency.

 

Mission: The mission of Arts and Humanities is to transform the lives of students to thrive in a global society by providing them with excellent instruction, access, and opportunities within a diverse liberal arts environment. We develop the creative, communicative, and philosophical foundation of students in order for them to achieve their academic, professional, and personal goals and to strengthen the arts and humanities as a mechanism for developing the economic, social, and cultural vitality within our communities.

 

Goals and Objectives -

 

1) Strengthen Student Success:

To strengthen student success, Georgia Perimeter College will support teaching excellence; will improve academic advising processes; will develop an Academic Master Plan; will create a process to review and evaluate the relevancy and responsiveness of our curriculum; and will expand awareness of opportunities for students and faculty to become involved in college life, civically engaged in the community, and aware of local, national and global perspectives.

 

The outcomes of this goal will be the establishment assessment mechanisms, engaging students on multiple levels, creating successful transfer paths for students through various means, strengthening our curriculum through interdisciplinary links and internationalization.

 

Arts and Humanities will:

 

1)      Develop and implement assessment tools to evaluate the General Educational Outcomes for academic courses and programs.

a)      Address curriculum improvements through assessment.

b)      Strengthen programs by incorporating elements of GEO’s and assessing overall program attributes.

c)      Use review assessments in strategic planning process for curriculum.   

 

2)      Emphasize an engagement-based philosophy in the classroom.

a)      Provide students with access to equipment and facilities focused on course related use, including low and high technologies.

b)      Create a curriculum that will attract students and keep them in programs.

c)      Encourage faculty to continually develop new teaching strategies to actively engage students.

d)      Help faculty develop courses or class activities that address student and institutional interests such as service learning, learning communities, sustainability, student based research, and community outreach.

e)      Provide a way to showcase student talent and share student learning experiences and strategies within the college and greater community.

 

3)      Enable students to be more successful in transfer and career paths.

a)      Develop academic partnerships through TAG agreements.

b)      Develop articulation, accelerated, and two-plus-two programs.

c)      Increase skills and knowledge of students to be more competitive.

d)      Develop industry partners for intern and career paths.

 

4)      Deepen the strengths of existing programs and develop new programs that address pedagogical diversity, student interest, and academic/industry trends in Georgia. 

a)      Review existing curriculum for internal and external cross-discipline linkages to create a dynamic curriculum such as Learning Communities.

b)      Review existing curriculum for alignment with transfer institution curriculum.

c)      Develop course content and delivery that is competitive with other two-year and four-year schools.

d)      Create new academic programs that address student interest, industry needs, and compliment existing programs.  These could include Entertainment Technology, Film and Animation, Entertainment Management, Dance, Creative Writing, Electronic Music, etc.

 

5)      Enhance internationalization in the Arts and Humanities curriculum such as course content, study abroad experiences, visiting scholars, student exchange programs, and exchange exhibits to create students with a dynamic global understanding.

a)      Explore potential for existing curriculum to incorporate international content components.

b)      Develop new curriculum to highlight international content. Such curriculum could include Ethnomusicology, Art History of Asia, South America, and Middle East, World Theatre, etc.

c)      Work with Center for International Education to sponsor visiting scholars with arts backgrounds.

d)      Offer workshops for students and the public that highlight local international artists.

e)      Create and strengthen international academic partners to establish faculty and student exchanges.

f)       Continue to support faculty in study abroad opportunities.

g)      Establish GPC study abroad art programs in partner townships and institutions internationally.

 

 

2) Create And Foster a Culture Of Teamwork, Leadership, Quality, Service And Continuous Improvement: To create and foster this supportive culture, Georgia Perimeter College will establish an office of customer service; conduct college-wide open forum discussions; enhance the services we offer to our students; develop a methodology to review and revise college policies and procedures; identify and implement a rapid process improvement strategy; implement administrative best practices; examine and adjust organizational structures; develop and implement a comprehensive safety and security plan; provide quality professional, faculty and staff development; and align our performance management process to the college strategic plan.

 

The outcomes of this goal will be to create an outstanding reputation for the division of arts and humanities, to support the professional activities and develop leadership and continuous improvement within our faculty and staff, and to provide safe, healthy, and efficient learning environments.

 

Arts and Humanities will:

 

1)       Gain national and regional accreditation for programs in the Arts and Humanities.

a)       Start the process of self study planning and program review - gather specific institutional data, update faculty information, gather student information, etc.

b)      Schedule consultation visit for preparation

c)       Prepare for official site visits.

d)      Include associated accreditation fees in budget request cycle - consultants, application, ongoing membership.

 

2)       Support professional development of faculty, facilitate their scholarly and professional progress, enhance their abilities in effective instructional methodologies.

a)       Support faculty development through travel funds.

b)      Encourage faculty to present at national and international discipline and institutional conferences.

c)       Provide incentives for faculty to pursue significant research related to teaching.

 

3)       Provide staff and administrative employees with opportunities to improve their skills, develop professionally, and enhance their career options.

a)       Support travel to conferences, seminars, and workshops for staff development.

b)      Encourage staff to participate in scholarly pursuits and research.

c)       Provide for training specific to discipline and job related duties.

 

4)       Provide a safe, healthy environment and emergency procedures for students, faculty, and staff using facilities and equipment.

a)       Coordinate safety and health issues with internal and external reviewers.

b)      Conduct annual inspections of facilities and equipment for safety and health hazards, work recommendations into budget request cycle.

c)       Work with plant and campus planners to provide more efficient and reliable infrastructure for teaching, performance, and work spaces specific to the Arts and Humanities.

 

5)       Foster a team environment in support staff that aids the mission, goals and objectives of the department.

a)       Engage staff in strategic and program planning.

b)      Conduct meetings dedicated to staff issues.

c)       Provide for team building activities including workshops and seminars.

d)      Tap into the expertise of staff to provide support to specific areas such as technology, faculty support, technical management, event management, etc.

 

 

3) Enhance The Economic, Social And Cultural Vitality Of Our Communities: To accomplish this goal, Georgia Perimeter College will establish an office of civic engagement to link the college’s human capital with the needs of our communities through service learning, internship and experiential learning opportunities; foster strategic partnerships through the continuation of community open forums; develop additional Transfer Admission Guarantees; explore opportunities for joint programming with the Department of Technical and Adult Education (DTAE); examine the mission of the Center for Continuing and Corporate Education; develop educational partnerships with institutions abroad; encourage faculty, staff, and students to be more active in global education initiatives; prepare students for careers in Georgias critical areas; seek external funding opportunities to support college initiatives; and effectively communicate to the community the role and contributions made by the college.

 

The outcomes of this goal will be recognition as a division that develops ways to connect students, faculty, and staff to our surrounding communities, to promote a positive and professional image of the college, to create connections with people of diverse backgrounds,  

 

Arts and Humanities will:

 

1)      Explore ways for students to develop a community outside of the classroom.

a)      Support student outreach

b)      Support individual student research

c)      Support student collaboration

d)      Highlight student talent at college events

 

2)      Promote the image of the division and college through public event activities.

a)      Develop public relations strategies to build attendance at events. 

b)      Identify core audiences.

c)      Identify new audiences.

d)      Develop relationships and planning with other local arts and humanities agencies.

e)      Take talented faculty, staff, and students out to other public events such as festivals, competitions, summer camps, etc.

f)       Host conferences and seminars that generate interest and publicity - world music, electronic music and art, etc.

 

3)      Outreach

a)      Faculty on-site workshops at public schools.

b)      Student club activities at schools and retirement villages.

c)      Drawing public to campus for events or workshops - build more activities around events i.e. symphony lectures, interdisciplinary seminars, ethnic or cultural communities, etc.

d)      Student Leadership in the Arts and Humanities Academy – connecting to government and business through internships and service.

 

4)       Student opportunities in learning

a)      Providing workshops to expand curriculum such as world music, traditional ethnic crafts, church music, directing for film, etc.

b)      Host visiting artist and lecturer program.

c)      Host in-residence programs for arts and humanities non-profits such as Dekalb Symphony Orchestra, Balkan Quartet, Perimeter Flutes, etc.

 

 

4) Expand Access And Enrollment Capacity: To accomplish this goal Georgia Perimeter College will maximize the use of facilities; schedule classes to meet the needs of all learners; build and renovate facilities; implement energy conservation; continue to expand our access to learners worldwide; increase access to financial assistance; enhance recruitment efforts and target under-represented groups; and improve services to students that promote their success.

 

The outcomes of this goal will be an increase in enrollment capacity; an expansion of access to instructional space and equipment, better facility usage, alternative delivery methods; increased opportunities for our students, to create a viable and sustainable financial leadership plan that supports growing enrollment , to identify new approaches to scholarship funding; and increase the enrollment of students from our surrounding communities.

 

Arts and Humanities will:

 

1)      Create and Implement strategies for recruitment, enrollment management, progression, graduation, and transfer.

a)      Create partnerships with public schools - address 2006 student interest survey data in Arts and Humanities careers.

b)      Develop a recruitment strategy with public relations department to highlight Arts and Humanities accomplishments and to target student demographics.

c)      Create undergraduate research opportunities that embrace the contemporary arts and humanities in Atlanta. This could include workshops and opportunities for students to collaborate with each other and community members on projects or events.

d)      Develop plan for outside-of-class access to equipment and facilities.

e)      Explore the development of a professionally based curriculum such as the Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degree that would attract students wanting to pursue professional degrees.

 

2)      Strengthen existing partnerships and identify new partnerships that support access and enrollment.

a)      Identify and develop local governmental, commercial, and industry arts and humanities partners.

b)      Develop partnerships with individuals that have made contributions in the arts and humanities to generate new ideas about scholarships.

c)      Cultivate corporate partnerships who want to invest in our students.

d)      Explore an advisory board for the division that is composed of local arts, government, business, and educational experts and involve them in planning for academic sustainability and recruitment.

 

3)      Create a college-wide financial plan for support and improvements through institutional and student activities budget requests.

a)      Establish funding mechanisms for outside-of-class development such as guest artists, seminars, lectures, etc.

b)      Establish institutional support priorities for facilities, equipment, technology, etc.

c)      Establish funding priorities for support staff at all levels.

d)      Establish internal funding strategies for events.

 

4)      Explore methods to make programs, components of programs, and events financially self-sustainable.

a)      Explore economic development strategies that focus on events and education.

b)      Fundraising and grant writing.

c)      Develop sponsor strategies.

d)      Working with foundation to identify or recruit arts advocates to board.

 

 

5. CORE VALUES: The above goals and objectives are developed and implemented within the context of the following core values:

 

1)      Trust: We believe trust is the pinnacle of our core values and essential to success. Our competence and character builds trust with ourselves, between each other and throughout our organization.

 

2)      Excellence: We strive for excellence in all that we do in order to model success for our students. Excellence in teaching and service provides the foundation on which our students will achieve success.

 

3)      Integrity: We hold firm to our integrity. We take responsibility for our actions and we stand by our commitment to support our students, colleagues and community.

 

4)      Civility: We foster a collegial environment that cultivates mutual respect, enhanced problem-solving, open communication and teamwork. Civility builds trust among employees, students and members of our community and promotes cooperation across organizational boundaries.

 

5)      Passion: We are passionate about the success of our students, colleagues and community. We show our passion through our quality work, creativity, teamwork, outreach and engagement with our communities.

 

6)      Diversity: We welcome and embrace the diversity of our community, organization and student body. We respect all individuals for their ideas, perspectives, commonalties and differences.

 

7)      Efficiency: We are committed to individual and organizational efficiency. As an efficient organization, we will increase the resources and capital of our organization, remain affordable and accessible to our students and remove barriers to success.

 

 

6. GENERAL EDUCATION OUTCOME GOALS:

 

1)      Students who complete the core curriculum at GPC will be able to do the following:

 

a)      Produce well-organized communication that exhibits logical thinking and organization, uses appropriate styles for audiences, and meets conventional standards of usage.

 

b)      Demonstrate the ability to interpret and analyze quantitative information, apply mathematical principles and techniques, and to use mathematical models to solve applied problems.

 

c)      Demonstrate effective problem-solving and critical thinking skills through interpreting, presenting or evaluating ideas.

 

d)      Effectively explain the importance of literature, languages, philosophy, religion, or fine arts in the human experience.

 

e)      Apply scientific reasoning and methods of inquiry to explain natural phenomena.

 

f)       Effectively analyze global economic, political, historical, cultural or geographic forces.

 

g)      Demonstrate understanding of the United States' political, historical, and social developments.