Discussing the Identity of the College as a Liberal Arts Institution: Round One

The responses below represent the unedited replies from each group on the two framing questions and a cumulative tally of the vote on whether or not to continue using the phrase. Each group entered their responses using a website designed for that purpose.

Summary
Number of Responses	79 So Far
Q3: Should the expression "liberal arts and sciences" continue to be used to describe the College of Charleston?	Yes: 278 / No: 13 / NA: 36
Responses to Questions 1-2 and Comments by Team
Team #1
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Question 1: We refer to the statement in the College's "Statement of Institutional Mission in the CofC Undergraduate Catalog as response to this question: "The College provides students a community in which to engage in original inquiry and creative expression in an atmosphere of intellectual freedom. This community, founded on the principles of the liberal arts tradition, provides students the opportunity to realize their intellectual and personal potential and to become responsible, productive members of society." "A liberal arts and sciences education involves, essentially, the study of the natural world, methods of inquiry, including analysis and synthesis, change and development, human nature, and, most importantly, human values." We also refer to "What is Liberal Education? (abridged) by Mortimer Adler at The Center for Study of Great Ideas [http://www.thegreatideas.org/]
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Question 2: Feedback from our group members includes: Advantage - providing the environment for all majors to realize a liberal arts education. Disadvantages - Difficulty in remaining faithful to the aspiration. Sometimes difficult to apply across the curriculum fairly.
Comments	With respect to question 3, our vote to continue the term is not based on any particular wording reference which is currently being debated. We don't think there is a major difference in the two phrases.
Team #2
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Team Number 2: A "Liberal Arts and Sciences Education" suggests a college education which is well-rounded, has a common core of extensive General Education Requirements for all Schools and Majors, is more student-focussed involving smaller classes, and is committed to developing critical thinking, effective problem-solving, and good citizenship. The above perspective was supported by all team members.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	All team members agreed that the designation of "Liberal Arts and Sciences Education" has a positive connotation. In general, we believe that the image of the College is enhanced by this description and that the College will attract stronger, better qualified students. Of course, this is particularly important for external documents. Added to this basic description, external publications can add strong caveats describing the Pre-professional and Professional Programs in Business and Education which are offered here and also the importance of significant research programs and opportunities pursued by faculty as well as available to students. The idea of these programs being grounded in a "Liberal Arts and Sciences" foundation was viewed as adding to the appeal of what the College offers. The explicit presentation of these programs added to the "Liberal Arts and Sciences" definition of the College avoids the possible disadvantage of being too narrowly defined.
Comments	1. The one member who abstained said that the question should have included alternative options. 2. Humor: A "comprehensive" university would have to include many more professional programs and a Football Team!!!
Team #3
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	That the college or university requires a broad based education.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	We would lose more by dropping the term than we would gain.
Comments	Regardless of what we call ourselves, which is fundamentally a marketing concept, as long as the college retains its gen ed requirements, we will be providing a "liberal arts and sciences" education. There was a sense that the "humanities" are currently overemphasized and that we might wish to considers courses such as the performing arts as part of the humanities requirement. No one in on this committee is willing to go forward for a second round of discusion.
Team #4
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	In its purest ideal, we feel that a liberal arts and sciences institute focuses on developing well-rounded students through broad academic experiences. Specific to achieving this goal is the requirement that students take courses in a wide variety of subject areas (including the traditional liberal arts, but perhaps extending beyond them). Some corollaries that go along with this ideal are that the class sizes are small and that there is an institution-wide emphasis on teaching, particularly focused on undergraduates. We presuppose that liberal arts & science institutes have some underlying purpose as to why they choose to be such. This may vary across institutes but is often based in a belief that such an academic structure makes better students, better citizens, and/or better members of a faith (as appropriate for that institution). In our opinion, such institutions also tend to value knowledge for its own sake. We also feel that narrowly focused pre-professional degree programs should not be part of a liberal arts institution.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	We broke our answer down into pros and cons for two different groups: students/parents/counsellors and prospective faculty. For students/parents/counsellors, we expect there to be a perception that a liberal arts & sciences institute would produce well-rounded students. There may also be some perceived cultural capital to gain by attending a prestigious liberal arts small. Students can count on being taught by professors (not grad students) who are specialists in their fields, generally engaged in ongoing research programs. The small class sizes and frequent student-faculty interactions provide opportunities for students to engage in advanced study including research with faculty. Because of the focus on broad academic experiences, students who are seeking very specific pre-professional training may see a disadvantage in attending a liberal arts college. For prospective faculty, we feel the emphasis on teaching can be a pro. Also, the reduced pressure to bring in huge research grants is a plus. However, these can also turn around to be cons if there is a perception that the teaching load will be unduly burdensome or that opportunities for research will be limited due to lack of time, support, or resources. In the ideal case, faculty should be equally committed to excellent teaching and researcher, and the support from the institution should help reinforce this balance. The emphasis on undergraduate education means that few quality graduate students will be available to support research. As a general observation, we note that few, if any, of the top institutions in this country (say, according to U.S. News & World Report) are liberal arts institutions. This could be due to a number of factors, including the bias of the criteria used in ranking. Nevertheless, we think it is important to recognize that sticking to the ideal of a liberal arts institution may limit how high our reputation can climb.
Comments	We are disappointed that this exercise doesn't directly address the question of, "Does the College of Charleston, as it stands today, meet the ideal of a liberal arts & sciences institution?" Some of us in the group aren't sure the College is justified in using that particular phrase. We also feel that the question "Should the expression 'liberal arts and sciences' continue to be used to describe the College of Charleston?" can be interpreted to mean either: 1) Is this the ideal CofC wants to strive toward? or more cynically 2) Is it to our advantage to call ourselves a liberal arts and sciences institute (regardless of whether we live up to, or even strive toward, that ideal)? In this regard, our group is strongly in support of keeping the phrase "liberal arts and sciences" if used in a phrase such as "in the tradition of the liberal arts and sciences" or if the whole College decides to move (back) toward that ideal, whereas we are somewhat less comfortable with continuing to call ourselves a "liberal arts and sciences college" if that implies something we aren't.
Team #5
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Members of our group agreed unanimously that a Liberal Arts and Sciences (I’ll call it LAS here) institution requires all its students to take a broad range of courses, to do work outside their major, to study areas they don’t think they’re interested in. One of our members was a College of Charleston graduate who double majored in Chemistry and Physics, and she described how glad she was that the College required her to take humanities courses such as American Literature or Music Appreciation. Another member of the group, a department chair, did not attend a LAS institute as an undergraduate and says that she wishes she had attended a place like the College of Charleston. “There’s time to specialize later,” she noted. We all affirmed that at a LAS institution, students benefit from having the time to explore courses purely out of curiosity, to try different disciplines, to discover new interests. No matter what a student majors in, he or she must do most of his coursework outside the major, exploring the world through the lens of several different academic disciplines. Our group also agreed that a LAS institution is focused on the learning of undergraduates. Most faculty who teach at a LAS institution are longtime roster faculty, as opposed to a cadre of graduate students (as at Research-I universities) who are apprentice teachers and who won’t be at the institution for long. This is why we feel that we are a LAS institution, even though many such institutions are smaller than we are.(William and Mary has about 6000 undergraduates to our 10,000. They also have professional degrees and some doctoral programs, but everyone seems to agree that they are a LAS institution.) Group members acknowledged that each academic and professional field is more specialized today than it was 25 years ago, and that students will need to acquire more specialized knowledge in many professional settings, more than they can get in our 122 hours. Precisely because that knowledge is growing and changing, students need the liberal arts more than ever, so that they can have the wide receptivity and intellectual flexibility they will need as the world continues to change after they graduate. (Several members expressed the opinion that a professional or highly advanced degree from a LAS institution might well need more than 122 hours to complete, because the core requirements are greater here than they might be at other institutions.) Although each discipline rightly claims that there is more for its students to learn than they have time to learn in 4 years (especially 4 years at a LAS institution), we believe that the broad intellectual training of a LAS education will equip them much better in the long run than an education with more advanced coursework in their major, at the expense of their general education and elective courses. All group members noted their appreciation for the way President Higdon has made this point in many publications in the past three years.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	One possible disadvantage we discussed: many people, including students and parents, might not immediately know the value of a LAS degree, might not know the careers possible or even the array of majors possible for a LAS school that is our size. (Despite this chronic condition, students keep applying to the C of C, just as they do to many other LAS institutions; reportedly, we are getting better students every year. Therefore this does not seem like a true disadvantage, but rather a natural condition of students not fully understanding the value of their college experience until after they have had it.) Many LAS schools are private and can have a reputation of elitism. This doesn't obtain at the C of C but perhaps it is a misperception among some people--we don't know. A final disadvantage might be that there are some kinds of education you cannot offer at a LAS (doctoral programs or specialized technical studies). (No one in the group thought the College ought to be offering such programs, so we did not see this as a true disadvantage.) Advantages: Everyone in the group believed that a LAS institution is what we have been for a very long time, and felt the label was easier to keep than discard. Offering a LAS education in a public institution is something that all members of this discussio group are very proud of. The College makes the LAS available not just to a few and to the wealthy, but to a large number of students at a low cost in a state that is relatively poor. This is also our distinctiveness, something we offer that is not at Clemson or USC, not at Davidson or Furman, not at Harvard or Stanford or MIT or Michigan State. All these faculty said that we cherish the LAS curriculum and welcome the opportunity to convert new generations of students to the value they can gain from it; we cherish our identity as a student-centered institution whose faculty not only teach specialized students and do research, but teach beginners as well. We care about our students’ holistic development, care that they develop intellectually and emotionally and creatively while they are here; we believe that the LAS label honors and affirms our commitment (of time, energy, and passion) to the development of all our students.
Comments
Team #6
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	The liberal arts has an evolving concept and for living colleges/universities built around its tenants must evolve accordingly. To illustrate, the earliest conception of the liberal arts was evoked in the Middle ages and include the disciplines of arithmetic, music, science, geometry and astronomy. During the Renaissance period, it evolved to include languages, philosophies and logic. In modern times, the conceptualization is and must continue to be updated to make it relevant to our own times in order to prepare graduates for life in all its respects (social, economic, etc.).
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages 1. Positions us in a unique niche – differentiates us from public research universities where the liberal arts and sciences are not as celebrated. 2. Professional schools are a necessary component since it keeps the college connected to the immediate world. The combination of a liberal arts college with professional schools is the best of both worlds. The liberal arts faculty cannot hope to accomplish its intent without making its curriculum relevant to today. The professional schools faculty cannot accomplish what they desire without without students coming to them with a solid liberal arts foundation. Disadvantages 1. None
Comments
Team #7
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Continuity of the tradition of liberal values (not politically meant) and a humanistic culture. Broad understanding of disciplines and the value of knowledge for its own sake. The opposite of a narrowly technical or training institution. The expectation that students, no matter what their major, will have had exposure to a range of different subjects and will appreciate (at least theoretically) this exposure.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	The advantages are that it identifies the institution as a place that fits into a broadly understood type of college, characterized by some of the things mentioned above. The members of this group felt that this characterization of the College was extremely important, even though there was general acknowledgement that the College was not, and would likely never be, a general purpose institution like, say USC. The places we ought to aspire to be like, group members felt, were the more well-known, but smaller liberal arts colleges. Despite the fact that the College has a student population of around 12,000, the place SEEMS like a much smaller school, and that feeling ought to be played off of. There were no disadvantages identified in using the expression.
Comments
Team #8
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We agreed that this description meant an institution committed to graduating well-rounded students who have been educated widely, including courses outside their discipline. This commitment suggests a strong general education curriculum shared by ALL students, regardless of major. Certain courses of study are obvious indicators of a liberal arts and sciences education, such as the foreign language requirement.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Our representatives from Business and the Fine Arts both emphatically emphasized that the commitment to the liberal arts and sciences at the College gives their students an advantage over students who attend strictly professional schools, such as music conservatories or business schools at large universities. This advantage consisted of both skills (especially critical thinking skills and communication skills) that comprise important components of liberal arts and sciences courses, and content (the fluency in their own and other cultures that students derive from such courses). We agreed that the words “liberal arts and science” made the College more attractive to potential students. Our conversation drifted to another area: the difference between a “college” and a “university.” We concluded that the real issue was between these designators. The disadvantages identified by the provost would be obviated by calling ourselves a university, and this change would provide many benefits: in recruiting faculty, in developing much needed graduate programs to serve the low country (including Ph. D. programs), and in enhancing the education that we provide undergraduates.
Comments
Team #9
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We were in agreement that a liberal arts and sciences institution: - provides an educational experience where there is a quest for critical inquiry, that uses past events to understand current events and theories of today. It promotes global awareness. The critical inquiry stem from a core foundation of knowledge that covers the arts, sciences, and humanities. This core curriculum is what distinguishes a liberal arts and sciences institution from large universities that do not have a core. - provides a well-rounded education where questions and inner reflection are encouraged. - is different than other universities because it allows for a common shared experience between students and faculty. - is not about certificate- or trade-type programs that teach a skill (e.g. plumbing, cooking). We have no disagreements to list.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages: people (both students and faculty) will want to come here because of what we are - a liberal arts and sciences institution. It identifies us with the "right crowd," i.e. it will attract the type of students and faculty that value a liberal arts and sciences education. Hence, we attract the type of students that the faculty want to work with and vice versa. Disadvantages: - we can't seem to find a peer institution
Comments	If we don't keep a handle on what it means to be a liberal arts and sciences institution, then we get majors that require a lot of hours ("major creep) and we move away from producing well-rounded citizens.
Team #10
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Unanimous Agreement: • The phrase “liberal arts and sciences” does not denote size, and in particular it does not imply small size; i.e., it is possible to have both large and small “liberal arts and sciences” institutions. • The Provost’s statement that “the reality of the situation is that we’re not a liberal arts college; the language describing us in these terms is misleading because of our large size and the complexity of our mission.” is incorrect. Although the College of Charleston is technically a university and not a college, the phrase “a university based on the liberal arts and sciences” (our preferred description) accurately describes the institution for at least three reasons. First, this phrase denotes the importance of a broad-based (i.e., “liberal arts and sciences”-based) education. Second, this phrase also reflects the fact that although we have undergraduate programs not traditionally considered part of the “liberal arts and sciences,” all undergraduate students must meet the same general education requirements. And finally, this phrase recognizes the multiplicity of programs through the use of the term “university.”
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Unanimous Agreement • The phrase “liberal arts and sciences” is consistent with the College of Charleston’s overall philosophical approach to education as outlined in its mission statement and in its recent Statement of the Goals of General Education. • The phrase “liberal arts and sciences” is consistent with the College of Charleston’s overall philosophical approach to education as outlined in its mission statement and in its recent Statement of the Goals of General Education.
Comments	Unanimous Agreement: • If the College of Charleston is not a “liberal arts and sciences university,” then what is it? It is unclear what the alternative designation for the College of Charleston should be. • If the debate is about the inclusion of the phrase “and sciences,” then “liberal arts and sciences” is a better description than “liberal arts.”
Team #11
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We feel that “liberal arts and sciences institution” should be called instead “liberal arts institution”. However, either way, the terminology is felt to describe an institution focused on providing its students depth of study in one area and also a broader perspective, showing them how disciplines and fields of study are inter-related, as opposed to an institution that is focused on preparing a student in one discipline, study or focus area.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	We came back to the point of not wanting to separate arts from sciences in the designation of our character, preferring the moniker of “liberal arts” to “liberal arts and sciences”. As one member said, even in medicine, physicians and the public at large often refer to the art of medicine as well as the science of medicine. So too do research scientists refer to the art of scientific discovery. To divorce the essential contribution of art to science or of science to art serves only to prove the “liberal illiteracy” of ourselves in this discussion of the value of a “liberal arts” or “liberal arts and science” education. There does seem to be some truth to the idea that small, private colleges/universities are what are identified or conjured up in the mind’s eye by the phrase “liberal arts” or “liberal arts and sciences” and to the extent that this is true, such an identification or image does not seem to fit us. However, we can strive for the same ideals and values associated with the historical roots of our own past as a small, private, college, and we can aspire to hold onto those same values even if we are no longer a small, private college/university. It is not a fact that “liberal arts” or “liberal arts & sciences” must be equated with or are owned by small, private college/universities. In fact, our campus does still feel small and has a private flavor to it. We doubted that there was any conflict between public v. private and the label of being a “liberal arts” or “liberal arts & sciences” institution. We did however feel that there was a possible conflict between the designation of college v. university, especially with regards to the power or expression of academic control of school structure within a university model that was manifest in using the label of being either a “liberal arts” or “liberal arts & sciences” institution. Faculty applicants to a “liberal arts” or “liberal arts & sciences” institution are likely to expect an environment that stresses teaching as the premier function, with associated expectations such as reduced class sizes, reduced professional development expectations from that of major research universities, environment conducive to extracurricular student centered activities. Students are in large measure more likely unaffected by the “liberal arts” or “liberal arts & sciences” label, but they are likely to be influenced by a campus visit, word of mouth reputation, physical location of the school, success of the athletic teams on national levels, size of the school, class size, ability to talk with professors, quality and quantity of dorm rooms, parking, etc. Do our faculty and students say hello to each other outside of class on our campus? Are we a community? This seems like a more important issue for prospective students. It was also noted that the Gen. Ed. requirements maintain our current "liberal arts" or "liberal arts & sciences" focus, and that the College is currently reviewing its Gen. Ed. requirements with the commitment to those values in mind. In a sense then, we seem to have already answered the question, do we want to think ourselves as a "liberal arts" or "liberal arts & sciences" institution.
Comments	We put out the idea that abstaining equates with the opinion that the question is being asked too soon. Those who abstain would prefer to first change the term "liberal arts and sciences" to “liberal arts” before deciding if we agree to it or not
Team #12
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	"liberal arts and sciences" institution imparts on its students a holistic education and a life-long commitment to learning. It educates students to think, read and write critically and creatively. Students are also taught to synthesize, organize and communicate information effectively. As creative and critical thinkers, students are flexible and capable of adapting to a fast changing world both in professional and personal settings. This type of education discourages the herd mentality and encourages students to assert themselves and question the status quo. In short, a "liberal arts and sciences" institution should value the following quote by Michel de Montaigne: "Rather a head well made than a head well stuffed."
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages: - It attracts better students and better faculty. - It empowers faculty to be creative and take risks. Disadvantages: - It might be an impediment to get the support of companies and the legislature that are looking for us to produce employees with specific skills. - It decreases our attractiveness to students who are focused on a specific career that requires specific skills. - We might seem "small" and "narrowly focused." If we were called a university, we would have a broader audience.
Comments	One member of the team who voted "yes" on question 3 stated that the expression "liberal arts and sciences" "should not necessarily be the only descriptor. We are more of a comprehensive university with a liberal arts and sciences focus in our gen ed requirements."
Team #14
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	The identification of the College of Charleston as a predominantly liberal arts and science school reflects the true nature of our institution. The College of Charleston is recognized for the quality of its programs without sacrificing the choices that students have. A broad range of academic opportunities are open to students but at the core of all programs is a strong and lasting commitment to the ideals of a liberal arts and sciences education. The dedication to the liberal arts and sciences fundamentals in our programs ostensibly set us apart from our larger academic brethren USC and Clemson.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Few had any input on question #2, but the following comment was made without objection by others in our group: I see no down side to our continuing to call ourselves a liberal arts college. That designation: 1) describes who we are; and, 2) attracts the kind of students we want and detracts those we don't (although admittedly we do get a few students due to the sun, sand, and surf factor). The same designation also attracts faculty. Though I have more than 20 peer reviewed academic articles and book chapter (not to mention review articles, etc.), I chose to come here, rather than a research institution, because CofC was billed as a teaching intensive liberal arts college. I would have to rethink my staying here if that changes. As we are maxed out in terms of enrollment (at roughly 10,000 undergrad students), we do not need a growth strategy. And given that our SAT scores keep rising...
Comments
Team #15
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	That label means that a key focus of the college is exposure to a wide range of disciplines. It carries the idea that some “knowledge for knowledge’s sake” or intellectual inquiry benefits students over courses tailed exclusively towards the major/career. The aim of a liberal arts college is to educate the whole student, and that means a diverse curriculum. The label suggests historical continuity with efforts in both the classical and medieval world that so education as the development of the full human person. This suggests that it is an institution that carries a special importance in a consumer-oriented society, an institution that proposes a counter-narrative of human development. A liberal arts and sciences curriculum emphasizes being something rather than knowing something or “being able to sell” something.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages: Prospective students will realize that our mission is not solely that of a technical or professional institution whose focus is occupational. The same goes for faculty hires and the people we wish to attract to the College. Hopefully, those who choose to attend CofC will be tolerant of cross-discipline exposure and see its merits in understanding our complex global responsibilities in the 21st century. Our practice of describing ourselves as an institution of “liberal arts and sciences” has in no way hurt our enrolment. To change would be a classic case of fixing what is not broken. Disadvantages: State and federal funding sources may see the un-measurable goals of a liberal arts education as unworthy of their dollars. Parents want a secure financial future for their children and that means preparation for jobs. They, too, might balk at an institution that expends so many credit hours on “superfluous” courses. Parents might fear that “liberal arts and sciences” doesn’t give them their money’s worth. But, again, is there any empirical data to show that this is really a concern.
Comments	We only had two members of our group participate via e-mail. Both of us were in agreement about the statements above.
Team #17
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	A “liberal arts and sciences institution” focuses on the cultivation of “general intellectual human capital” in its students. That is, it is provides a cross-disciplinary education with emphasis on critical thinking skills and social adaptability. It prepares young adults to be good citizens of both local and global communities and to work with diverse populations through increasing intercultural awareness.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	As noted in question one, our group believes that using the expression promotes the College’s ability to produce intellectually adaptable individuals who are competitive in a changing, globally oriented society. It suggests a resistance to the move toward a corporate training-like model of education and that our institution is dedicated to letting students develop and explore a number of disciplinary areas. As well-rounded citizens of the world, they not only will be well prepared for their chosen careers, but also flexible in their future opportunities. Possible disadvantages of the expression include its somewhat clichéd meaning (Is the public’s perception of a liberal arts education accurate?) and potential implication that graduates may not have intense study/training in an academic area (and therefore would be at a disadvantage on the job market). Others may think that “liberal arts and sciences” suggests a small sized institution with a limited number of academic and social options.
Comments
Team #18
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Our group unanimously agreed that the designation “liberal arts and sciences” education coincides what we might loosely call, and what has traditionally been called, a broad-based, “well-rounded” education, one that includes exposure to a wide range of particularly the humanities—composition, English, History, Philosophy, Art History, the fine arts, etc. The emphasis here is on fostering intelligent, creative, capable, adaptable human beings, most emphatically not on career and/or technical training; and it is noteworthy that even those in our group working in the more technical areas emphatically agreed on this general conception.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Again unanimously, the group agreed that the designation “liberal arts and sciences” marks our college as one concerned with the general education of the total individual, not just the technical and/or vocational training of a future employee, and that such a designation is an advantage. Related to that fact was the suggestion that we are primarily a teaching college. This last observation raised some rather pointed concerns that there is a substantial disjunct between the College’s historical image, its vision for the future, and its method of implementing that vision. Some indicated that the College is becoming more and more of a voc/tech-type school with primary emphasis on teaching career skills; some, that it seems more interested in creating minors with “curb appeal” via public-relations rhetoric than with a liberal-arts-based education; related to this was the concern that the College is succumbing to an “education-as-consumer-product” mentality that systematically lowers standards. Some group members noted that the College is actually moving toward a research-institution model while pretending to retain the advantages of the smaller, teaching-college atmosphere, which are getting (and will necessarily get) lost. And in a related observation, some group members noted the disjunction between the increased demands for publication and the failure or unwillingness of the College to support those demands with the necessary money and reduction in teaching load (a 3/3, or in some instances even 4/4, being widely acknowledged throughout the profession as hardly conducive to furthering research). “Something has to give,” as one member said, and that “something” is likely to be quality teaching. Thus this obvious ethical dilemma: can we, or should we, continue to call ourselves a “small, liberal arts and sciences teaching college” when the vision for the College—which some in our group, by the way, see as exaggerated and unrealistic—is precisely to move away from this model?
Comments
Team #19
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Various group members expressed the following views: 1. The designation "liberal arts and sciences university" is inclusive enough to encompass all of the programs currently on our campus and is not a "misleading" description of our mission or our composition. 2. There is a contradiction in the designation "liberal arts and sciences" in that the term "sciences" is redundant: "liberal arts" is broad enough to encompass the physical sciences, business, etc., if it is used in reference to our broad, campus-wide G.E. requirements. 3. The designation "liberal arts and sciences university" means that our mission is not to train students for a specific career, but rather to teach them broadly and prepare them for life. 4. The Senate should research when the designation "liberal arts and sciences university" first appeared in campus documents (e.g., if the 4CI document, approved by the Trustees, includes this phrase, can the administration arbitrarily change this important marker of our identity and direction without consulting the faculty or the Trustees?)
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Various group members expressed the following views: Advantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences": 1. Retain the "distinctiveness" of the College (as opposed to making the school more like UNCG or a sort of generic USC Charleston branch). 2. Uphold the traditional mission and identity of the College which has stood for centuries. 3. Student enrollments and quality and alumni support are up, so why radically change our "marketing formula" (i.e., "if it isn't broken, don't fix it")? 4. Affirm our committment to offer a broad-based G.E. program in the liberal arts tradition and continue to attract interesting students who are interested in this sort of well-rounded education. 5. Potential to offend important stakeholders in the institution (Trustees, alums, current students) who are proud of campus's liberal arts tradition. Disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences": 1. Might not appeal to parents/studentys who are going to college to prepare for some specialized, pre-determined career path.
Comments	The response to Question 3 was unanimous, but several group members voiced a "friendly amendment" to designate the college a "liberal arts" institution, removing the word "sciences" which is potentially redundant and/or confusing. One member questioned whether faculty in the sciences even feel the need for the word, given that they are included in the designation "liberal arts university".
Team #20
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Our group proposes the following description/label to be added to our official name, for marketing and identification purposes: College of Charleston -- A Public Liberal Arts and Sciences University We feel this (a) is an honest description of who we are, and (b) bypasses many of the issues motivating or underlying this discussion. ---- To answer the original question: The term "liberal arts" denotes "the areas of learning that cultivate general intellectual ability rather than technical or professional skills. The term liberal arts is often used as a synonym for humanities, although the liberal arts also include the sciences." [1] Additionally, it connotes + an educational experience with "a certain elevation above utilitarian concerns” (George F. Will, quoted in [1]) + a more rounded education, promoting free/critical/ethical thinking for "good citizens" -- future members of society + a distancing from practical fields, such as engineering, education, and business + a student-centered environment of higher learning + a more prestigious institution + an emphasis in undergraduate education + smaller classes (and frequently a smaller institution) + closer interaction between students and faculty And finally, there is this kind of perception of liberal arts colleges to consider: "In the United States, Liberal arts colleges are still a particular kind of higher education institution that are typified by their rejection of more direct vocational education during undergraduate studies. Following completion of their undergraduate studies at liberal arts colleges, graduates often do obtain specialized training by going to other institutions, such as professional schools (for instance, in business, law, medicine, or theology) or graduate schools." [2] Nonetheless, 'liberal arts & sciences' is also an appropriate label for an institution like ours, where even our preprofessional students are required to have a heavy exposure to the liberal arts tradition through the College's general education requirements. The label reflects the College's pedagogical emphasis, both historically and today. ---- References: [1] Dictionary definition of liberal arts, The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2004, Houghton Mifflin Company. A (http://www.answers.com/liberal+arts) [2] Wikipedia article "Liberal arts", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_arts (http://www.answers.com/liberal+arts)
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages: + Connotes a student-centered environment of higher learning + Connotes a commitment to a more rounded education + Focuses on producing better citizens + Focuses on promoting critical thinking + More accurately reflects the core nature of the College + Marketing advantages to be a public "liberal arts and sciences" institution (vs. a public MS comprehensive university): (1) more distinctive than the 'comprehensive university' appellation (of which there are many); (2) more prestigious than the 'comprehensive university' appellation. Disadvantages: - It may be hard to "pigeonhole" us for marketing purposes; however this can be turned to our advantage in terms of uniqueness. - It might not be inclusive of teacher training and business - two significant components of our university Again, we feel the proposed "College of Charleston -- A Public Liberal Arts and Sciences University" addresses the above concerns.
Comments	Our answers were unanimously agreed upon by all of the members in our group.
Team #22
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Given that the historic meaning of liberal arts has changed and adapted from one that met the needs of the elite to one that stressed enlightenment, the need to adapt the meaning to today's context appears warranted. We reviewed the US News and World Report ranking of the top Liberal Arts Colleges, and found that we shared little commonality with those schools in several ways: First, a vast majority are private schools; Second, the endowments of these schools were far larger than ours; and third (perhaps most important) the College of Charleston had better programs than many ranked schools. We also agreed that comparing us to COPLAC schools is not appropriate, as we have little in common with them as well. In its purest sense, we cannot be called a Liberal Arts College. There was general consensus that the description contained on the College's website accurately describes our institution.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	The advantages center around the diversity of course content and broad foundation found in our general education courses. A disadvantage expressed by one member is in the area of business, where the word "liberal" is often confused with a polital ideology. Faced with the fact that we have a School of Education and a School of Business, traditionally viewed as professional schools, we cannot accurately call ourselves a liberal arts and sciences College.
Comments
Team #23
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We looked at this question in at least two different ways. Professor W began by arguing that our commitment to general education requirements for all students was itself enough to make us a liberal arts institution. (There was also some discussion, prompted especially by Professor H, of whether the word "sciences" was needed; we agreed that the "liberal arts" have traditionally been understood to include the sciences as well, but we also agreed that if the sciences or anyone else believed that this was not already clear, there was no real issue with including the word "sciences.") Professor W's view implies that being a liberal arts institution is not a matter of size, or location, or being public as opposed to private, but is primarily about what we teach, and the way we teach it. On this conception, being a liberal arts college means insisting that students acquire a broad range of knowledge and intellectual skills that will serve them in all their endeavors, as opposed to a particular sort of knowledge, and a particular set of skills, meant to train a student for a particular profession. Professor K pointed out that this emphasis also implied that even in professional programs like business and education, classes were or should be taught as academic inquiries into the nature of business and education, rather than simply as training for future careers. Professor D questioned whether this was a realistic expectation in a world where students do increasingly seek out professional programs. He also wondered whether faculty in these fields understood their jobs in the way Professor K suggested. This led to a second, largely separate, discussion of the roles and self-conceptions of faculty members at different sorts of institutions. Professor D argued that faculty here are increasingly being asked to, and are seeking to do, more productive research. He emphasized that his school has trouble attracting better faculty, given the demands of our teaching and the lack of support for research. This led us to a second feature of liberal arts institutions: that their faculties tend to define themselves primarily as teachers, with their research serving to inform and energize their teaching. By contrast, faculty as comprehensive institutions tend to define themselves primarily as scholars, whose work also implies the teaching of this scholarship.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	There was full consensus that we ought to retain our commitment to being a liberal arts institutiton in the first sense; that is, we ought to retain general education requirements, and ask all our students to acquire a broad-based education. After that, there was sharp disagreement. Professor D argued that our growth, our new graduate programs, the increased demands for professional programs, and the need to seek additional sources of external funding (which, in his view, tend to flow toward professional programs), had already transformed the College into a comprehensive institution. In his view, the label of a liberal arts institution is no longer accurate; in thinking about the direction we want to take, we need to be clearer about what our Carnegie classification really is. What is worse, the liberal arts label is becoming more and more of an obstacle, particularly in recruiting faculty and more generally in enhancing the prestige and reputation of the College. Professor K disagreed strongly. He argued that since the College was clearly not looking to become a Tier I research institution, with competitive Ph.D. programs, it would always remain outside the main circles of scholarly influence. He argued that, at least in the humanities and social sciences, liberal arts colleges were regarded as offering more attractive jobs than comprehensive universities. It would thus be an obstacle to our recruiting of faculty if we dropped the label of a liberal arts institution. In his view, there were many prestigious liberal arts colleges we could emulate, while comprehensive universities tended to be relatively undistinguished; what is more, there was something admirable about trying to be a "poor man's Williams." He also noted that many in the humanities and social sciences, at least, fear that a shift to a comprehensive model will simply mean a shift of institutional resources toward professional programs and away from HSS, with no reduction in teaching load. There were differing, though less sharply opposed, views about the effect of the liberal arts label on student recruitment. Though Professor D emphasized that students increasingly seek out professional programs, he also felt that students were largely neutral about whether liberal arts or comprehensive institutions were more prestigious. Professor P argued that a liberal arts identity had served his school's programs well, since few graduates were able to make a living from their art; nor was this ever likely to change. Professor K, again, suggested that liberal arts institutions did tend to be more prestigious, and he and others noted a point that President Higdon has made many times, namely that liberal arts graduates are often more sought after and successful in business careers than students who graduate from business programs. The meeting ended with hopes that we could come to greater consensus. Professor D expressed his hope that we could retain the liberal arts focus in our curriculum, while making a shift in identity at the institutional level. Professor K said that while faculty in the humanities and social sciences tend to be strongly in favor of retaining our liberal arts identity, they also recognized that achieving a common understanding with the School of Business was a high priority in this process.
Comments
Team #24
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Points of Consensus: 1. broad common academic experience, that feeds new ideas into and provides a foundation for the major 2. a focus on the teacher/scholar model 3. humanities highly valued 4. small class size Individual Perspectives: 1. small to medium College size
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages: 1. shows interest in developing the “whole student” 2. shows interest in developing critical thinking and analytical skills 3. allows us to build on our tradition 4. allows HS grads that are still searching for their passion to explore many options 5. moving away from a LAS model could reduce the focus on undergraduate education Disadvantages: 1. might deter some HS grads who already know their “mission” in life
Comments	First - all present voted on question #3 - 1 team member did not attend and one voted later Other Comments: 1. might take extra time to finish some degrees with the LAS model 2. students might wonder if there is a job waiting for them 3. what else would we call ourselves? 4. if we change our description, how does that change our mission? 5. why does this consultant think a LAS institution is difficult to market? 6. maybe we need a better marketing strategy 7. a graduate school provides a pool of interested and specialized students to serve as TA’s – we are missing that link in many departments and rely thus on adjuncts 8. changing our focus away from LAS might imply that we might have less of a focus on undergraduate programs These additional comments were added by a member of the team that was held up in a committee meeting. He aggrees with all the other comments, and also voted. 1. opportunity for undergrads to work individually with faculty (don’t get at large R1 unis) (parents like this) 2. focus on undergrads enhances our marketability
Team #25
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	1) What does it mean to be a Liberal Arts Institution? Implies: a small, typically private, non-commuter, undergraduate, teaching-oriented college, with small classes We define as: --Primary goal is not job training. --Offers a broader idea of education than that of job preparation --characterized by small classes and close teacher-student interaction (these features are more important in characterizing a liberal arts college than overall size of campus and total number of student) --Encourages students to explore different areas of knowledge and bring diverse bodies of knowledge together --Structure of curriculum allows students to explore / discover different areas of knowledge (note: this crucial aspect of a liberal arts education is undermined by the trend to push students into pre-professional programs/majors, which have extensive requirements that take up many credit hours) --teaches students to learn how to learn and how to access knowledge --Provides cross-disciplinary learning environment to promote multi-disciplinary thinking --focused primarily on undergraduate education, not graduate education --Teaching focus, but complimented by research (active research is essential, but not faculty’s main focus)
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	2) Are we a Liberal Arts institution? We used to be a small, liberal arts college Now, we are larger, with multiple graduate and undergraduate programs, and with many new research-oriented faculty. The term “university” would be misleading, however Advantages to being called a Liberal Arts institution: --Still attracts faculty who wish to teach, especially with small class sizes --Research is now accepted as being important component to enhance teaching and learning --Signifies our primary mission and values --Keeps our identity, helps avoid balkanization of the college and helps maintain cohesion in college community and focus of mission Disadvantages: --Discourages research-oriented faculty
Comments	Additional comments A) We would be a liberal arts college if we lived up to the goals of the 4th Century Initiative. We have a commitment to do this after a 3 year Capital Campaign. General concepts of FCI: --Commitment to teaching and learning --Small class sizes --Out-of classroom experiences for students --Undergraduate research opportunities with faculty --Community outreach opportunities These commitments all require resources, which were intended to be supported in part by the Capital Campaign. (B) many faculty have believed in and worked hard toward the goal of turning the College of Charleston into “a preeminent liberal arts and sciences college,” but some feel let down to learn that our goal is no longer to become a great liberal arts college, but to become another kind of preeminent institution.
Team #26
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	1) What does “liberal arts and sciences” mean: a. Learning for learning sake b. Exposure to a wide range of subjects 2) What does using the term “liberal arts and sciences imply” a. Inquiry based learning b. A strong GenEd requirement c. Student exploration d. A focus on undergraduate education e. Students and faculty are not just a number
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	3) What are the positives involved in using “liberal arts and sciences” to describe the College of Charleston? a. Conveys to students our expectations (including the GenEd requirement) b. Conveys to potential employers that our students, even in the professional schools, have a well-rounded background. c. Conveys to new and potential hires the expectation that undergraduate education is important at the College of Charleston, and that they can expect to teach in the introductory classrooms (this draws a group of people from the best schools who are interested in an institution where teaching and research are both important) 4) What are the negatives in using “liberal arts and sciences” to describe the College of Charleston? a. It does not convey the full sense of who we are and leaves the professional schools out. i. A member of the School of Business noted that he was happy with the use of the term “liberal arts and sciences” but wanted to be sure that the professional schools were included in the description in some way. ii. Other members of the team were comfortable with this to varying degrees. Where in the description the other schools were mentioned was not able to be reconciled (some wanting it as part of the catch phrase describing the school while others were more comfortable with it as part of a large paragraph describing the school). b. It might lead others to think we are smaller than we really are (we thought this was an advantage!) 5) Does the term “liberal arts and sciences” actually describe us: a. we have professional schools i. a brief survey of “liberal arts and sciences” schools found that many had professional programs including law, education, premed etc. b. we are too big i. liberal arts and sciences represents a philosophy not a size
Comments	Should we use the term “liberal arts and sciences” to describe the College of Charleston 4 yes 1 abstain ("liberal arts and sciences" should have an added term to include the professional schools).
Team #27
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	It means that students will be exposed to a variety of topics and ways of thinking. Students are more likely to leave as well-rounded scholars and less likely to be narrow specialists. In practice at the College of Charleston it also means that students can come in as "Undecided" and then later decide to pursue an Education or Business degree without having to specifically apply to a Business or Education school.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	We preferred the expression "*public* liberal arts and sciences" to just "liberal arts and sciences". This defines an important uniqueness of the College of Charleston. We are larger than many other liberal arts and sciences institutions (i.e., a department will have 14 as opposed to 4 faculty members) which give students more options to interact with faculty. We also generally have a lower tution being a public versus private liberal arts institution. Add in our urban (as opposed to small rural liberal arts colleges) setting and the College of Charleston is a very unique place. We chould capitalize on this; i.e., a large, affordable but selective liberal arts and sciences institution where there is an emphasis on teaching instead of getting the big research grants.
Comments	We need to ask students (particularly prospective ones), their parents and others what they think a "liberal arts and sciences" institution is. Do their perceptions match our reality? If not, how should we present ourselves so that the public perception of the College of Charleston is accurate?
Team #28
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	The first questions asked “What does it mean to call a college or university a ‘liberal arts and sciences institution’?” What it means is an institution where there is a strong sense of disciplinary foundations while at the same time embracing methods and knowledge derived from other disciplines and accepting the permeability of disciplinary walls. For faculty this means the existence of a “compass” guiding our work. As teacher/scholars we advance of our disciplinary specialties self-consciously open to new ideas, methods and advances in other disciplines and through interdisciplinary collaborations. This is reflected in our research and our teaching and provides a way of thinking about what we do in our offices, laboratories and classrooms. For our students it means developing writing, communication, critical thinking and other skills as well as accumulating knowledge from a foundation based on a holistic definition of the natural and social worlds even as it recognizes that an understanding of that world requires specialization built upon the disciplines. Through this process of education, students are prepared to be good and useful “citizens” in their professional careers and communities. What’s in a name? Everything. A liberal arts and sciences university is what we are, how we think and informs what we do. It is the connection we have in common and provides the essential reference point for evaluating what we do and how we do it. It provides the reference point for determining whether the next steps are steps on a road of progress or a diversion into a dead end.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	The second question asks about the value of using the expression “liberal arts and sciences” to describe the College of Charleston. The chief advantage of describing ourselves as a liberal arts and sciences university is truth in advertising. That’s what we are and that’s what we do. It is our core common value upon which is built a range of specialized disciplinary majors and professional programs such as education and business. With plenty of good students applying, we have no evidence that this is misleading or not understood by prospective students. On the other end, the evidence we have, anecdotal to be sure, from alumni is that the liberal arts and sciences “brand” of a College of Charleston degree is highly prized and valued and is what our alumni think sets them apart (and above) similar degrees from USC, Clemson and other comprehensives where the liberal arts and sciences is a context or “tradition.” These conclusions lead to a conclusion that there are no disadvantages to our branding as a liberal arts and sciences public university. That’s what we are, it’s how we attract good students, and it’s what is valued above other things by many alumni. Not to “brand” ourselves in this way is a denial of that which is at the heart and soul of the academic enterprise and experience of the College of Charleston.
Comments
Team #29
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	It means that an institution emphasizes a broad based curriculum where students graduate with exposure to a wide variety of disciplines.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	One of the advantages is that students who are looking for a comprensive education will find the College of Charleston attractive. It also sets us apart from the mission set forth by the majority of large or mid-sized state universities. The only disadvantage would come from losing good students who seek a focused technical education.
Comments	For our committee, the expression "liberal arts and sciences" defines our institution and should not be changed. We also feel that the College can set itself apart fom other schools by offering a "liberal arts and sciences" style education with the resources of a state institution of 10,000 students.
Team #31
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Two of the four members of the team at the meeting were liberal arts (and sciences) graduates themselves and were enthusiastic about the liberal arts and sciences tradition. In particular, the idea of exposure to multiple disciplines, and ultimately the well-rounded student that results, were signaled as the essence of the liberal arts and sciences education. It was agreed that part of the logic of liberal arts and science at the College was the contexts within which the College of Charleston operates. In that sense the liberal arts and sciences education is an important vehicle to compensate for a high school educational experience that for many students is lacking; the state of South Carolina needs institutions of higher learning with our focus; and the US stands to benefit greatly from students with the cultural sensitivity and language skills allied to solid scientific training that is part and parcel of liberal arts and sciences.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	The paradox of the description the College of Charleston as a liberal arts and sciences institution faithfully recognizing what we do, while obviating programs such as business, music and graduate programs was highlighted in our discussion. In many regards this description reflects the logic of truth in advertising, but it does fail to capture some elements of what happens on campus. The team was evenly split on whether or not the description increased the prestige of the College or was neutral. There was agreement that certainly this description serves to differentiate us from schools of engineering etc. There was agreement too that the very strongest students in some disciplines, in, say, languages can often be students with particularly strong hard science skills, and that such students benefit from the saliency of the liberal arts and sciences tradition at the College. One member expressed fears that the quality students for specific programs that the College seeks to attract might not appreciate how strong those programs can be on a campus that bills itself as liberal arts and sciences.
Comments	Four out of five members of the team met on January 31 (the fifth was on sabbatical).
Team #32
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We agreed on the following characteristics: Small size/small classes Undergraduates only Teaching takes clear precedence over research Knowledge is pursued for knowledge’s sake (not applied; not job training) Cohesive student body Curriculum focuses on flexibility and adaptable critical thinking skills Active learning
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	We agreed that the way that the phrase is currently used “a liberal arts and sciences institution” has the following disadvantages: It is misleading to students, parents, and faculty and administration. To the extent that we portray ourselves as a liberal arts institution (see the list of characteristics in response #1) we are not accurately communicating who we are. Specifically, Our class sizes are no longer small We have a number of successful graduate programs Research expectations have been rising Our students expect skills that are useful in the world beyond College and we often try to deliver those skills The student body is not cohesive, it remains an urban commuter school that empties in the mid afternoon Some majors have extensive requirements such that little coursework beyond Gen Ed is possible Students are generally passive learners who expect faculty to give them information. Many prospective students have recognized this, perhaps more quickly than faculty and administration. Students do not generally come to the College seeking a liberal arts experience of the sort that occurs at small, selective institutions that are often geographically more isolated. They come for many reasons but much of the appeal is Charleston, an urban environment with lots of opportunities for recreation and extra curricular activities. The description obscures the reality of expanding graduate programs and neglects the opportunities to provide such instruction to a growing coastal population. The description also obscures a clear pattern of increasing research expectations. This causes confusion for potential faculty and for faculty seeking tenure and promotion. Given that we do in fact coordinate and teach graduate programs, and given that we expect more in terms of published research, the liberal arts language causes confusion. Faculty members are upset when what they thought was a liberal arts teaching position increasingly requires published research. The efforts to coordinate “small liberal arts” type initiatives, such as freshman tutorials, are often confusing and disheartening. The group felt that it is time to own up to the new expectations of faculty and that perhaps a revised identity could help highlight ways to support faculty in playing a more diverse role, as teachers, researchers, and program coordinators. No one in the group supports movement toward “Research I” status. In fact, all supported a much stronger General Education program to serve as the heart of “liberal arts and sciences” within a modestly sized “public university.”
Comments	We have not entered a response to question because we believe that the question is somewhat ambiguous. On the one hand, it seems to be a referendum on whether we should maintain the status quo and move away from the language suggested by the Provost. In that case our answer is NO. But it could also be read more narrowly, as in “should these words appear anywhere that we describe the nature of the college," in this case our answer is YES. So, our position follows. The four members of our group who met were unanimous in concluding that the phrase should not be used as the only defining language (as in we are a “liberal arts and sciences institution” or a “liberal and sciences college") but that it should be used in conjunction with the idea that we are a public university with a strong emphasis on the liberal arts and sciences. The group favors thoughtful and selective growth in graduate instruction and a significant strengthening of the “liberal arts and sciences” emphasis by means of General Education reform. We believe that it is possible to foster a more cohesive and higher quality liberal arts experience within an institution that is a middle sized public university.
Team #33
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We believe that a “liberal arts and science university” means that we offer a broad-based education with strong emphasis on quality teaching. Most of our courses are taught by professors rather than by graduate students. The key emphasis is on liberal arts. Science is a part of liberal arts.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	We think that what makes the College of Charleston stand out is we are “a nationally preeminent public liberal arts and sciences university”. That means we are not a small college but a comprehensive university with deep root in liberal arts and sciences. The big advantage of clearly identifying our college as “liberal arts and science university” is that we may be able to attract the best students possible. If we only identify ourselves as a “small college,” some bright students might miss the opportunity to apply to our college.
Comments
Team #35
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	It expresses a particular kind of outlook. One where the focus is on teaching, but not at the expense of research. It describes a place where teaching is valued and research is honored, a place for teacher/scholars and teacher/performers, artists. It indicates a focus on faculty governance and a role for the faculty in the decision-making process. The label gives an institution a motivating factor behind general education requirements. Those requirements fit holistically within the very identity of the school. They are not simply items to check off on the way to graduation.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages: Liberal arts clearly expresses our current distinctiveness both in the state of South Carolina and nation wide. Liberal arts defines (for some guides) our current ranking categorization – where would we be categorized if we lost this? And how far would we fall in those rankings? It allows departments to attract quality faculty, because the label communicates a desirable entity. It communicates our teaching focus. Allows for growth in areas of strength in Graduate programming without diluting the primary undergraduate focus. Provides a niche for certain programs, e.g. Music – "conservatory level training in a liberal arts environment." – this makes the music program unique within the state. Reflects the values that have emerged out of discussions in the last four years concerning long range planning. Allows faculty to work together, rather than pitting faculty against one another in an endless fight for resources. Disadvantages: Limits specialization Limits certain degree offerings that are more professionally focused Makes us less attractive to certain kinds of pre-professionally focused students
Comments	One other issue emerged: In the Fiske College Guide (which we cite on our opening webpage, we are praised both for a "strong liberal arts foundation" and as a "strong liberal arts institution" -- if we were to lose this designation what impact would it have on these kinds of rankings. People see us now (and rank us) through that lens, what would the new lens be and how would we look compared to others?
Team #36
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We actually struggled with the definition of ‘liberal arts’: none of us could recite a concise definition. We did come to an eventual agreement that the expression, ’liberal arts and sciences’, means that the College teaches a core set of knowledge to all students and that the common core is a threshold necessary for critical thinking and further advancement of that student’s education.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	The advantages seemed to be that the impression is given that the student is obtaining a greater core knowledge, that the core is well-rounded, all inclusive and perhaps a bit more strenuous than a core without sciences. On the other hand the disadvantage is that the expression distinguishes the arts from science and implicit in that is the conclusion that somehow science is superior. Several noted that the arts, music, language are subject to scientific inquiry so should be classified as science. Perception/misperception of the expression was important to our group: these terms should already be defined by the College. It is difficult for us to begin a conversation without some definitions: the College is the continuum and we the faculty are just passing through, so to speak. In other words we would like to see the College define itself and these terms in some more detail. Finally we were concerned about the distinction between external and internal documents. We were not clear on what those could be, nor could we arrive at a situation where we thought it would be acceptable to make that distinction. Academic integrity would dictate transparency and consistency in all documents about the College. If nothing else, inconsistency could result in confusion amongst all stakeholders.
Comments	3. If the term were qualified by ‘teaching’ the vote would have been 3 yes and 1 abstention based on further definition of ‘liberal arts’. Standing as is, the vote was one yes and three abstentions.
Team #37
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Q1 – (Member A) - To me it means that, in addition to most other programs (e.g., business) and coursework (social and natural sciences), we place emphasis on liberal arts in our general education requirements. Moreover, it means that we are among the minority of midsize to large institutions that continue to require a foreign language, and have a strong commitment to teaching (e.g., professors, not TAs, in the classrooms, small classroom sizes, and a high faculty to student ratio). To me, including the term “liberal arts” is most important as it implies a quality institution with regard to teaching. Q1 – (Member B) - To me, Liberal Arts and Sciences means that were attempting to embody the spirit of a liberal arts education and aspects of educational experiences associated with a research university. Q1 – (Member C) - To me, the label "liberal arts and sciences institution" means that we have good programs in liberal art disciplines and in science disciplines. Including "liberal arts" rather than just "arts" implies that there is some kind of emphasis on the liberal arts here, which is true.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Q2 – (Member A) – An advantage is that it most accurately describes what we do from a teaching perspective. Of the nearly 11,000 students here, less than 1000 of them are graduate students and many departments don’t have any graduate programs. I see no major disadvantage, unless one is concerned about portraying the college as a research university, which it is clearly not. Those students who read our brochures should know that this is a place for high quality instruction, close faculty mentoring, and a great place to get research experience as an undergraduate. Undergraduates at research institutions designated as R1 typically don’t get the intensive experiences that our CofC undergraduates do. Q2 – (Member B) - We used to be described as a liberal arts institution. But we have moved beyond that pigeon-hole. A plus for the label "liberal arts and sciences institution" is that it comes closer to describing who we are now than the label "liberal arts institution" does. The broader label also indicates that there is some emphasis on the liberal arts here and that we also take pride in the sciences. A minus is that the broader label doesn't paint the complete picture of who we are. However, an even broader label that includes business programs, education programs, and everything else we do would create a label a mile long. And personally, saying that we are a "tier II, level 6, multi-purpose university," or something like that, says nothing, except to people who know what such labels mean. Q2 – (Member C): I see no advantage to using "liberal arts and sciences" in our title or anyplace else. To me it sounds "tin-eared" and "tone deaf". And it is imprecise: not representative of the kind of school we have become. Imagine, University of Durham, a college of "liberal arts and sciences", or New Haven College of "liberal arts and sciences". (And The University of Charleston does not sound pleasant to my ear either, but we may be stuck with something like that). We are what we are, unique, which I see as a strength, something to advertise and be proud of, I don't think we can be 'shoehorned' back into what the school used to be many years ago. I'd like a name that "scans". Something like: Charleston University--PERIOD. (Don't try to put part of the mission statement in with the title of the school.) With a mission statement nestled nearby to the effect that: we began as a small liberal arts college and have grown into whatever it is that we've become, but that points out that we still are working hard to adhere to the "breadth", "traditions" (or some such words or concepts) of the liberal arts core and traditions even though we now are a much larger school and that we now have a much more complex offering, and have various different schools and programs within the University--it is certainly seems no longer a College in the traditional sense of that word.
Comments	(Member A)- If I had to choose between working at an outstanding teaching (i.e., liberal arts) college that provide students with strong classroom and research experiences, or a mediocre research university, I certainly choose the former. I would like to see CofC retain its committment to teaching in its title and practice! (Member B)- I voted yes to continue using "liberal arts and sciences." We have lots of students applying for admission, many more than we can accept. I am not sure that merely tweaking this label to make it more accurate will attract better students. The College of Charleston has an image and programs that a bright potential student will find by googling, no matter what the label says. Good majors and programs gain reputations. We should promote each of our undergraduate and graduate programs and tout their successes in the appropriate places. Good programs attract students, which brings me to a thought…. What we call ourselves isn't as important as how we do what we do. Faculty want and need to feel proud about their institution. So do students. A high-falutin label can become a "water cooler joke" if faculty can't take pride in where they work. Change is inevitable. But so is entropy. Particularly from the point of view of student focus. Let me describe changes that I suspect are not uncommon at institutions that aspire to upgrade, i. e., most institutions. Stage I: Teaching is everything. Faculty can do research if they want. Stage II: Teaching is what we're all about here at University of Aspire, but we'd like to see faculty publish, say a paper every three years or so. Stage III: Teaching is what U of A all about, but we'd like to see x (some number) papers for tenure (some departments require more). Stage IV: We believe in balance at U of A. We don't hire faculty we don't expect to be good teachers and good researchers. Stage V: We believe in balance. We don't hire faculty we don't expect to be good researchers and good teachers. Stage VI: We believe in balance. We don't hire faculty we don't expect to be good researchers and become good teachers. Stage VII: Applicant X does some great research. The teaching is not so hot, but X is hired and given a chance to get the hang of it. Stage VIII: Applicants like X don't get the hang of it, but are tenured anyway, unless the teaching is terrible. Stage IX: The teaching of the tenure candidate is terrible, but there is a charade that the teaching is fine, and X gets tenure by a majority vote of people who are similar to X. Stage X: Class sizes rise, some faculty view teaching as a necessary evil, the focus on students differs a lot between faculty. One can imagine how more stages will progress at U of A. Whatever we choose for our label, we must focus on maintaining quality programs and a student focus. (Member C) My guess is that a majority will want to retain the wording: liberal arts and sciences (Maybe we have to for political reasons!). A pity I say, we thereby become a place with a misleading, somewhat grammatically suspect title that distorts what the college really has become. I guess it's the post-modern way: pretend. A fantasy title rather than attempt a more complex truth. OK... whatever...
Team #38
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	The phrase “liberal arts and sciences institution” indicates a college or university committed to a broad exposure to general knowledge and intellectual skills. It should promote liberating the mind, critical and analytical thinking, and include an exposure to the broader context of humanity’s history, cultures, and thought.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	The disadvantages of using the expression “liberal arts and sciences institution” might be the wide variety of institutions describing themselves in this way, from schools em-bracing a classical curriculum of Greek, Latin, or Great Books, to such institutions as VMI and UNC-Asheville. However, the phrase is commonly used to describe schools with a broad, inter-disciplinary core curriculum which is required of all undergraduate students. This is a good portrayal of the College of Charleston, so using such a phrase is appropriate. The committee questioned the use of “nationally preeminent” and found it confus-ing. The phrase “nationally recognized” would be clearer. Pointing out that the College is the home and heart of the core curriculum within the wider University would clarify our mission further.
Comments
Team #39
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We feel that the core General Education requirements create a critical portion of our identity as a Liberal Arts and Sciences institution. The current Gen. Ed. requirements are a binding element across the campus, and help to create a well-rounded, liberally-educated student.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Has there been an important shift in our College's mission? What has changed, or what will we do that will be significantly different from what we do now? It is difficult to discuss this issue in the absence of clear rationale as to why some individuals believe this is no longer an accurate or productive description of the College. We need further explanation as to the rationale for a change in designation. We have not been provided reasoning or evidence as to why the current designation may no longer be appropriate. We do not feel that ther are any problems with the current designation and thus have little motivation to change. Tell us why is it necessary to implement a change in designation. Are we going to derive any benefits from it such as higher salaries, reduction in teaching load, or different expectation of faculty?
Comments	We do not feel that there is any controversy among faculty regarding the designation of our institution as a Liberal Arts and Sciences institution. A more importnt question is this: Why is it necessary to change our designation at this time? There has been no comelling rationale provided for changing this essential aspect of our identity.
Team #41
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	“Liberal arts and sciences institution” is currently associated with an institution that produces well-rounded graduates with an appreciation of the interconnectedness of the various and seemingly disparate fields of study offered in the curriculum. This means a focus on breadth of learning, including a cross-discipline focus on verbal and written communication, complex thought, and integration of ideas from multiple domains of study. The "science" term adds a focus on observable, measurable concepts and empiricism. The liberal arts candidate expects and should be expected to be able to draw on his or her experience with a wide range of disciplines and, what is more, be capable of synthesizing the many aspects of said experience in a variety of contexts in order to serve both him/herself as well as the community at large.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	“Team 41” agrees that we like the foundation it provides our students. There is no doubt that the liberal arts are important in shaping the student, so that there is application of their major course work within the larger world of ideas. For the arts student, for example, this avoids the tunnel vision of the traditional conservatory approach, which asks the actor in training to create a multitude of characters without having had the formalized exposure to the plethora of ideas associated with the liberal arts education. Beyond that, we believe that the liberal arts tag is distinguishing for the College. We believe this helps, or should help, with our recruiting of students looking for something a bit different. It should also help our students when they graduate, both again with their skill set, but also for their marketing of themselves, as we believe most employers are attracted to students that can read, write, and reason; all things we should be providing our students. Thus, it is our hope that we stay the course and maintain our strength and identity in this area. There may also be an advantage in terms of external funding, especially for the sciences. It may also help students who pursue science oriented graduate programs (e.g., medicine, psychology, biology) because it indicates instruction within a closely supervised environment (i.e., that which is associated with a traditional liberal arts institution) in laboratory science and empirical thought. We do not think that there are (m)any disadvantages, unless the prospective student is looking to specialize in some field at a very early point in their academic career. Most, we feel, will be drawn to the rich intellectual atmosphere and open horizons of the liberal arts and sciences institution. Of course, with the establishment of specific schools within the college—such as the just formed School of Languages, Cultures and World Affairs, to name just one example—even those whose interests are more focused might find their niche.
Comments
Team #42
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Opinions provided (and shared) by members of group attending meeting: v Someone who is multilingual v Well-versed in heterogeneous fields and can communicate and elaborate post education v Ingrain an appreciation for diversity in society as well as the workforce – the global community v Someone who has developed an interest in life-long learning For the school itself, it means providing that education, rather than focusing solely on preprofessional work. It indicates a dedication by every faculty and staff member to educating the whole student. Write-in opinion by member not able to attend meeting: It means that the College enriches a student's education through a variety of courses that may not be directly related to the student's career path but contribute to it by broadening one's experiences. Included in this education is the idea that one learns best by considering and respecting contrasting opinions. Furthermore, independence of thought is encouraged and nurtured in a liberal arts and sciences setting. Also, I think that it is fair to say that most professors in a liberal arts and sciences setting are strongly dedicated to teaching. The administration at a liberal arts and sciences institution can demonstrate its commitment to this philosophy by reducing class sizes (or keeping them small) and by keeping the research requirements of faculty at a reasonable level.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Opinions provided (and shared) by members of group attending meeting: v Compared to sister colleges (eg William and Mary, James Madison) – size is not a qualifying factor v It was noted that this is how the College is referred to in the strategic plan and 4th Cent initiative documents, and our long-terms plans have been based on that vision. v Query: how would our students be impacted by this proposed change? – would a change in description change the students we might get at the college? v Focus is on more inter-disciplinary, international v “College” vs. “university” from a global perspective? We discussed what the terms mean internationally – “university” is seen as superior to “college”, but a “comprehensive” university overseas often implies a technical college. v We thought about the use of the term within the college, and there were comments that it serves as a constant reminder to both students and faculty of what our mission is. Write-in opinion by member not able to attend meeting: Advantages This label promotes the idea that the College values teaching and a well-rounded education above all else. It explicitly conveys that the College is a liberal arts and sciences institution to prospective students and faculty. This allows one to join our team knowing that the college is invested in the ideals discussed in the answer to Question 1. Knowing this attracts students and faculty who are also committed to this educational philosophy. Disadvantages The major disadvantage is that one may perceive the College to be soft in terms of its research agenda. This may bias research funding organizations against supporting the research endeavors of our faculty. It also constrains the College to keep class sizes small, even when it would be.
Comments
Team #43
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	A Liberal Arts Education is intended (or should be intended) to teach people to “learn how to learn” and to give a general foundation of knowledge upon which students can build. The goal of a liberal arts education is not to directly prepare a person for a career, even though its graduates should be better prepared in general from such a program. Career-oriented educational goals are often unrealistic. Changes in technology or changes in global economic and political structures can create unanticipated problems for career-oriented programs. A liberal arts education should generally prepare a person to be able to learn, adapt and change more easily. A liberal arts education should create a better society by raising the educational level of its citizens. A liberal arts institution should focus on teacher-student interaction and foster mentoring through small class sizes and opportunities for students to work closely on projects and research with individual faculty members.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	One advantage to continuing to use this phrase is that the majority of the liberal arts institutions are private. The College is able to stand apart from other public universities by offering a liberal arts education at a lower tuition cost than can comparable private universities. Even with the advances of distance learning programs, many students still want to have a traditional college experience and want to have face-to-face interaction with their professors. By using the phrase “liberal arts and sciences” the College shows its commitment to continuing to foster such student-teacher interaction. A disadvantage to using the phrase is that the current political climate has drifted towards a situation in which many people have a hostile view of higher education. Professors are generally considered to be very liberal politically, and some confusion could arise with the use of the word “liberal” to describe educational programs. While this misconception would mainly occur among those with a lower educational level, it still could create a negative feeling for some parents. In a similar vein, pressure has been mounting at the K-12 levels for accountability in education. A liberal arts education may be interpreted (incorrectly) as fostering an environment with less accountability. Moreover, students in majors such as the arts often feel that they are not ready to enter the workforce without additional graduate training. Perhaps the moniker ‘liberal arts’ suggests that vocational training will not be offered.
Comments	We have not yet chosen a person to continue.
Team #44
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	For our group the meaning of the term has little to nothing to do with the size of an institution or whether its campus is rural or urban. But rather it is indicative of the overall focus. Indicators such small class sizes, primacy of teaching, commitment to undergraduate education, and an integrated general education curriculum are all present in a “Liberal Arts and Sciences” college. All levels of institutions have “general education” requirements, but not all search to find the importance of them and the integration of them with disciplinary knowledge. An additional important point is the focus often at such institutions is on the complete individual; on providing an education that seeks to find cross-disciplinary connections; which hopefully gives the individual a more “global” perspective. Not only global in terms of culture or current events, but also in a variety of modes of thinking or bodies of knowledge. Regarding teaching, it was our group’s feeling that “comprehensive” universities and research universities focus more on faculty research. Where it is true that research and professional development have been (and rightly should be) very important to the evaluation and promotion of faculty, our own faculty/administration handbook places 50% or more on the area of teaching and no more than 40% on research. There was also some degree of question whether changing of our descriptive nomenclature would then be supported with more money for faculty research or lightening of teaching loads. One member went so far as to suggest that we call ourselves a "liberal arts and sciences college with a strong research component."
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages of defining ourselves as a “liberal arts and sciences” college include: 1. Uniqueness – it is clear that as we try to find peer’s and try to find our descriptive niche that we fit no single model. Instead of thinking of that as a disadvantage, we should use it in our favor. We are one of a kind. 2. Broad Education – it was with a clear passion that our group felt that all of our students (regardless of major) benefit by continuing our focus on the liberal arts and sciences. It is not incongruous for a College to offer “professional” degrees in a liberal arts and sciences institution. It was recounted that many LA/S colleges offer teaching degrees, business degrees, and others which may fall out of a traditional perceptions. In fact, just as is the case here, those degree programs tend to be the most popular at small colleges as well. Anecdotally, it was recounted that parents of prospective students actually were/are attracted to the notion of fostering the complete individual. 3. One-on-one Mentoring – An institution such as ours currently has a real commitment and focus on one-on-one relationships between faculty and students, which is a clear trademark of a liberal arts and sciences college. It is also present in our small class sizes and our low student to faculty ratio. There was concern that a change in name could mean a change in this focus. Disadvantages included – 1. Traditional perceptions - We no longer have a small student enrollment, we are not rural and these things may run contrary to perceptions of a liberal arts and sciences college. But our fellow members of COPLAC, of which we are the largest, are growing their enrollments. We still have as many as a third more students than our closest fellow member, but in recent years more than half of the members have surpassed enrollments of 5,000. They seem to be growing and we have capped enrollments, perhaps the gap will continue to close. As was stated as an advantage we should use our uniqueness to our advantage. 2. Branding – Because of the possible disconnect with the traditional perceptions noted above, we face a difficulty in “branding” ourselves. But who are we branding for? Again anecdotal accounts seemed to support the notion that the typical high school student and their parent are not clear on the difference between a Clemson and a CofC- other than size. And that the same is true in regards to “liberal arts and sciences” vs “comprehensive.” Accounts indicated parents want small classes, focus on undergraduates, and a focus on the complete individual. So are a branding issues more for national ranking bodies or classifications?
Comments
Team #45
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	The team members agreed that College of Charleston students should receive a liberal arts education. Traditionally, the phrase “liberal arts” includes sciences so the members of this group feel that “and sciences” adds nothing to this phrase. The phrase “liberal arts” or “arts and sciences institution” might be used instead. • One perspective on this question suggested that references to “liberal arts institutions” are no longer meaningful in an era when almost all four-year institutions proclaim their commitment to a liberal arts education while providing for substantial student specialization. In addition, the differences between liberal arts degree programs and professional programs are differences of degree, not differences in kind. • Another perspective on this question suggested that, as a matter of perception, popular descriptions of liberal arts institutions emphasize a primary commitment to undergraduate education, a relatively small student population, comparatively small classes, and an aversion to degree programs alleged to be professional in orientation (e.g., business, education). This is especially true when the name of the institution includes “college”.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	None of the members of Team 45 that attended the meeting felt that “liberal arts and sciences institution” was the most accurate description of the College of Charleston as we now exist. Group members had different reasons for feeling that “liberal arts and sciences institution” was not as accurate a description of the College as for example “midsized comprehensive university with a primary focus on undergraduate education”. • One possible advantage: Because liberal arts colleges are often understood in the popular imagination to be elite and student-centered institutions, there is a possible marketing advantage where the “liberal arts” description is concerned. It communicates our emphasis on the undergraduate. • A substantial disadvantage of the expression “liberal arts” is the failure of the phrase to describe CofC accurately. This fundamental inaccuracy is especially problematic when CofC is compared to the elite liberal arts colleges (e.g, Centre, Haverford): (1) CofC is a relatively large institution by the standards of typical liberal arts colleges, (or even the other public institutions using the term). (3) CofC undergraduate courses often enroll 30 or more students, again violating common assumptions about small class sizes at liberal arts institutions. (3) CofC does offer a number of graduate programs, the largest of which (education) has a professional orientation. (4) Many CofC students select majors in fields widely understood as professional (e.g., business, education). (5) The CofC mission statement expressly provides for a “high-quality education in the arts and sciences, education, and business.” The inclusion of education and business in the mission statement is not typical of liberal arts institutions. (6) The CofC general education requirements include a few more credit hours than is the norm at colleges and universities. Otherwise, our current distribution requirements are not substantially different from those at many other regional state universities or research universities.
Comments
Team #46
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We agreed that this definition indicates that we provide a well rounded education in the foundations of thought and inquiry that includes exploration of the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences. A liberal arts and sciences institution includes emphasis on understanding and having the skills and knowledge to participate in a complex and multicultural world. This is accomplished through requiring a broad exposure to multiple perspectives in general education courses. Characteristics of a liberal arts and sciences instution include small classes in which discussion and interaction are encouraged, a focus on faculty teaching classes rather than graduate assistants, and multiple opportunities for undergraduate students to work with faculty. The emphasis is on undergraduate education rather than graduate education.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	Advantages: - it highlights the positive features of a commitment to liberal arts and sciences - it shows unity between disciplines and a commitment to forming well rounded citizens - it gives us an identity that realistically describes what we do. Disadvantages: (many are the flip side of the Advantages) - it keeps us from offering some programs (more professional in nature) - it may be misleading since people often think small when thinking liberal arts and sciences - faculty expectations for tenure and promotion are becoming more similar to those in comprehensive universities Conisderations: - most people in the community (especially students and parents) do not really know what distinguishes a liberal arts and sciences institution from others. - we do not know what are the most important considerations students take into account when they choose CofC. - do we attract or lose top students because of this designation?
Comments	We enjoyed the discussion. I commend you for taking on this important issue and for setting up the teams in a thoughtful way. It's great to involve the whole faculty in this way.
Team #47
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Our team (two members) was unanimous in its perception of what it means to call a college or university a “liberal arts and science institution”. We feel that the designation of “liberal arts and science institution” implies that the institution’s focus and course offerings lead directly to a broad rather than a narrow education for its students. This encompasses exposing students to a wide variety of courses that cut across a number of different academic disciplines. We agreed that a major objective of “liberal arts and science” institutions is to offer students a comprehensive education focused of breadth of academic experiences rather than a focus on depth of specialty.
Q2: What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" to describe the College of Charleston in internal and external documents?	We did not identify disadvantages that were associated with labeling the College of Charleston a “liberal arts and science” institution. We did unanimously agree that identifying the College of Charleston as a “liberal arts and sciences” institution could have positive effects or recruitment of undergraduate students. It was our position that implicit in the title of “liberal arts and science institution” is the notion/expectation that stud