COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON VISION STATEMENT

The College of Charleston envisions itself as a nationally preeminent Public Liberal Arts and Sciences University for the 21st Century. As such, the College will draw upon its rich tradition of academic excellence in an intellectually stimulating environment, dense with faculty and student interaction.

The hallmark of the education provided by this institution will be exemplary teaching by a faculty of teacher-scholars who engage the students through exceptional instruction and scholarship. The commitment to a teacher-scholar model reflects a deeply held conviction that both teaching and scholarship are integral and necessary parts of a whole and as such will be nurtured and rewarded. Accordingly, a fundamental precept of this model is that in order to instill a passion for learning and discovery, students at the College will be exposed to high quality faculty who are intellectually engaged and engaging.

At the institution's historic downtown campus, the College of Charleston will stabilize enrollments at their current levels. The College will provide an exceptional undergraduate liberal arts and sciences residential education that is designed to prepare an increasingly diverse and academically qualified student body to be contributing and productive members of society. This education will be offered in high quality, technologically-equipped facilities. This educational experience will be assured by the provision of a rigorous core curriculum for all students and the availability of challenging academic majors and degree programs. Further, the College will be competitive in the recruitment and retention of scholarly roster and tenure-track faculty who are committed to the liberal arts and sciences teaching mission of the institution.

Consistent with the "university" component of its name, as a Public Liberal Arts and Sciences University, the College will offer a limited number of graduate programs that are cost effective, meet demonstrable community and state needs, and are best offered by the College. Likewise, to the extent that there is sufficient community demand, the College may offer courses and programs at sites other than its downtown campus; however, the programs and courses at these alternate sites will at all times maintain the same academic standards and integrity as the main campus.

This vision of the College of Charleston as a premier Public Liberal Arts and Sciences University for the 21st Century is both bold and attainable. Such a vision draws upon the many strengths of the College and its people and represents a wonderful opportunity and exciting challenge for the College of Charleston as it enters the new millennium.

Adopted by College of Charleston Board of Trustees (July 26, 2000)