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3 Fulfillment of the Mission itself has not been assessed directly. The seven learning goals that flow from it are fulfilled through the College’s Central Liberal Arts Curriculum (CLAC), as well as through specific coursework in academic disciplines, departments, and programs. Each goal is actualized through a variety of general education and specialized courses, including those listed below: • Developing a Personal Identity: Psychology, Sociology, Women’s and Gender Studies; • Appreciating Aesthetic Experience: Dance, Graphic Design, Music, and Visual Arts; • Communicating Effectively: Communication, English, and Information Technology; • Understanding Context: multi‐disciplinary, including African‐American Studies, Asian Studies, Management, Politics and History, the Sciences, and Nursing; • Critical Thinking and Examining Value Systems are threaded throughout the academic programs. College‐wide efforts to strengthen learning outcomes assessment (see Standard Four) are closely tied to the institutional mission and the attainment of learning goals developed to achieve the mission. The College has placed a renewed focus on assessment of core outcomes with its implementation of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) in 2008‐2009 vii ; and, with the leadership and support of the Learning Outcomes Assessment Committee, learning outcomes assessment is taking place at the assignment, course, program, and degree level. The development and assessment of outcomes that relate to the College’s mission and educational goals will become more comprehensive and systematic over time, consistent with the directions articulated through the College’s new strategic planning process. That process is discussed in Standard Two, Planning and Evaluation, as well as in Standard Four, The Academic Program. Appraisal The College’s commitment to its mission is tempered with challenges and opportunities. Originally adopted in 1991, the Mission Statement has remained constant while the College and the external environment have undergone, and continue to undergo, significant changes. As an illustration, two tensions highlight some of the differences between Curry then and Curry in 2012: the College’s traditional commitment to the liberal arts in the current context of today’s students’ preference for pre‐professional majors; and Curry’s commitment to the individuality of its students juxtaposed against the College’s increased size and complexity. As the College began its work planning this self‐study, two large institution‐wide initiatives loomed: a strategic planning process and the revision of the College’s general education requirements. Recognizing that it was not prudent to engage in these as well as to conduct a thorough review of the Mission Statement, the College leadership decided to affirm the existing Mission Statement with an understanding that a future review of the statement was likely. Accordingly, academic planning is based on the current Mission Statement, as are institutional learning outcomes assessment processes and general education reforms. Curry College 2012 Self-Study Standard One
4 Of these multiple efforts, Strategic Planning has emerged as the best institutional “space” for understanding the strengths and limitations of Curry College’s Mission Statement. Representatives from the NEASC Steering Committee were among those who helped inform the Strategic Planning process in its earliest stages. Information gathered early in the self‐study process, along with NEASC Standards of Accreditation and earlier College reports and selfstudies were shared with the Strategic Planning Committee in early 2011; and at an October 2011 meeting, co‐chairs of the Strategic Planning group presented their interim report to the NEASC Steering Committee. In it, they emphasized the need for the statement to reflect the College’s evolution. They recommended, as well, that a Mission Statement revision should “draw upon the work of the Strategic Planning Committee to develop Core Values and Core Vision Statements that align with the College Mission.” viii Throughout all of these processes, there has been agreement on the need for the College to review and possibly update its mission. Mission Familiarity The wider Curry community was given an opportunity to bring their perceptions of the College’s mission to the self‐study process as well. In Spring 2011, survey research specific to Curry’s mission was conducted to gather data in two areas: familiarity with the mission and feedback about the College’s success in fulfilling its mission. A total of 159 students, 85 faculty, and 16 administrators/staff members were surveyed voluntarily and with assurance of anonymity. ix Most respondents had an awareness of the mission. Faculty and staff reported greater familiarity than did the students. The results were inconclusive at best that stakeholders recognized a clear relationship between initiatives and the mission. Some respondents, when given the opportunity on the survey questionnaire to comment on ways that the College could better fulfill its mission, suggested that publishing the mission, posting it in common areas—even in every classroom—and making it more evident to the community would be valuable. Other suggestions included a dialogue about it with students, discussing and explaining it early on, including it on course syllabi, and making every class fulfill the mission in some way. One obvious finding from the survey exercise is that whether Curry writes a new Mission Statement or re‐affirms its current mission, the College needs to engage in a systematic and formal attempt to publicize its mission and to link it explicitly to the life and work of the college. Alignment of the Mission and the College’s Identity, Values, Priorities and Activities While some within the community are familiar with and confident that Curry does a good job of fulfilling its mission, is not clear that the College’s mission and purposes provide adequate direction to the curricula and form the basis on which expectations for student learning are developed. An example of a disconnect between mission and student learning is that the College community—faculty, students, and administration—engages in a variety of activities such as public service, volunteerism, and community engagement; and there are frequent opportunities for on‐ and off‐campus experiences. These activities, however, have not been Curry College 2012 Self-Study Standard One
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