Untitled - Show Answer - Butler University

INTRODUCTION
BUTLER UNIVERSITY SELF-STUDY REPORT
from the beginning, Butler has not been associated with the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ
since 1955.
The values and principles upon which the University was founded appear in the original charter and
are exhibited in the current mission statement of Butler University. The charter, granted in 1850, states
the purpose of this act of incorporation is to establish and “build up . . . an institution of learning
of the highest class . . . for the instructing of the students in every branch of liberal and professional
education.”
From its inception, Butler University offered art, law, music, and business courses to complement the
classical curriculum common in the 19th century. Near the turn of the 20th century, new disciplines
became a regular part of the curriculum, including teacher education, sociology, public speaking,
physical education, home economics, and journalism. The University was the first Indiana institution
of higher learning to allow its students, with parental consent, to select subjects of their choosing under
an “elective” system. The longstanding tradition of combining a liberal education with professional
preparation remains a hallmark of a Butler education today.
Butler University was also among the pioneers in developing a “general education,” or Core Curriculum,
required of all students, introducing it in 1945. Grounding in the liberal arts and sciences has
remained a central part of Butler’s educational offerings. Offering innovative interdisciplinary courses
as well as introductory courses, the current Butler University Core Curriculum was most recently substantially
revised by the faculty in 2005 and is required of all undergraduates.
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences remains a traditional strength and the academic center of
the University. A long-established Department of Bible became the College of Religion in 1924; the
college attained independent status as the Christian Theological Seminary (located adjacent to the
current Butler campus) in 1960. There is no current formal affiliation between the two institutions.
Other colleges were added as Butler continued towards the goal, outlined in its charter, of instruction
in every branch of liberal and professional education. A merger with Teachers’ College of Indianapolis
in 1930 established Butler’s College of Education. A College of Business Administration (now the
College of Business) opened in 1937, and the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences developed
through a merger with the Indianapolis College of Pharmacy in 1945. The Arthur Jordan Conservatory
of Music became Butler’s Jordan College of Music in 1951, later to become the Jordan College of
Fine Arts, and, in 2012, Jordan College of the Arts. Butler University’s most recently added unit, the
College of Communication, opened in fall 2010.
Since celebrating its sesquicentennial in 2005, the University has continued to emphasize the same
fundamental values and principles upon which the institution was founded. The required Core Curriculum,
with its strong foundation of education in the liberal arts, remains to this day the central
experience for graduates in all of the University’s undergraduate academic programs. This continues a
proud tradition of liberally educated Butler graduates throughout the decades. Citizenship and service,
integrity and values, a commitment to diversity, and preparation for lifelong learning remain essential
components of the Butler experience. Educating students for a life of meaning and purpose remains
our goal.
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