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

The responses below represent the unedited replies from each group in the second round (made up of representatives from the first round teams) on the two framing questions. Each group entered their responses using a website designed for that purpose. [Note: The responses from all eighty-seven round one teams is also available online. Click here.]

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"?	As a group, we felt that a liberal arts and sciences education implies that the focus is on undergraduate education, breadth of undergraduate education, and student contact / interaction with the faculty. Often, student population is used as a criteria for whether an institution fits the liberal arts and sciences "mold" (i.e., only small schools can be considered a liberal arts and sciences institution). However, we felt that student population alone should not be considered a reason for abandoning the liberal arts and sciences designation when the mission (as stated above) is still able to be met. Although CofC is one of the largest colleges in the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges (COPLAC), the mission has always been to focus on undergraduate education and faculty availability. The number of faculty at CofC allows that mission to be accomplished while still having a large student population.
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 a group, we could not agree upon an advantage of dropping the liberal arts and sciences designation at the College of Charleston. However, we did agree that dropping the designation would have disadvantages. These disadvantages and/or potential problems included: 1. Liberal arts and sciences is not a title, but rather defines our core values. If we drop the liberal arts designation…What is our new identity? 2. Is the proposed change a change in title only or will it have effects on the curriculum, which was designed with the mission of a liberal arts and sciences college to provide breadth of education to our undergraduates. Will the change foster curriculum changes in the future? This possibility needs to be carefully considered. 3. How will the change affect the day-to-day lives of the faculty? If striving for a liberal arts and sciences education is no longer a goal of the college, will faculty feel less obligated to provide the same level of contact with students? 4. Another concern included the impact of dropping the liberal arts and sciences designation on recruiting faculty to the College of Charleston who are dedicated to teaching. Several members of our group came to CofC because it was a liberal arts and sciences institution and indicated that they would not have accepted a job offer from CofC if it wasn’t dedicated to a liberal arts and sciences education.
Comments	A discussion among the group members about feedback from recent graduates revealed that many CofC graduates are grateful for the liberal arts and sciences experience. The core requirements were seen by recent graduates as beneficial in preparing them for their careers.
Team #2
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Our group - in no particular order - unanimously agreed that a liberal arts and sciences institution: 1) produces well-rounded students via a curriculum that bridges across many disciplines and allows room for exploration; 2) provides opportunities for student-teacher interaction within the classroom and through research opportunities; 3) emphasizes an undergraduate education and consists of small class sizes; 4) is not a trade 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?	There is an advantage to calling ourselves a public liberal arts and sciences institution. It is a definite selling point when we call ourselves this because it will help us to attract out of state students and better students. Furthermore, the use of "public" and "liberal arts and sciences" is a unique combination. One representative noted that it was not a good idea to call ourselves "an urban campus in a broad liberal arts tradition." It was agreed that we need to be consistent in our use of whatever descriptive phrase we choose to adopt.
Comments	One representative wished the organizing committee had considered asking the following question, "If you voted to retain the label of "liberal arts and sciences," then why?
Team #3
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	• Such a college or university is focused on broadly educating students in all senses enabling them to synthesize and organize information effectively; and think and write critically.
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 • Projects a unique brand or niche important to students and parents; • Attracts faculty who are more student centered • Projects a goal among the faculty toward creating well integrated multidisciplinary curriculums • 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 students coming to them with a solid liberal arts foundation. Disadvantages • Narrows our student market due to less choice in areas of specialization
Comments
Team #4
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	The group was unanimous about the importance of retaining the "liberal arts and sciences" designation. 1. What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences" institution? A liberal arts and sciences institution is one at which all students experience the traditional “core” courses in humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, whether they major in one of those disciplines or in business, education, government, communications, or some other more explicitly career-oriented goal. At the heart of such an institution are goals such as those recently defined by the Gen Ed Committee of the College of Charleston and approved by the senate. It is a student oriented institution. We note that the Carnegie classification defines “Liberal Arts Institutions” according to the programs offered rather than 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?	2. According to the Strategic Plan and the Fourth Century Initiative vision, the College of Charleston community is "committed to becoming a nationally preeminent public liberal arts and sciences university for the twenty-first century." 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: For many faculty and students – especially those students with high SAT we are so proud of acquiring – the “liberal arts and sciences” label is a powerful drawing card.
Comments	Comments: The liberal arts label demonstrates continuity of the college with its roots but does not exclude growth in new directions, such as the development of professional schools. Implicit in the College’s ethos is that it is a student-oriented institution. It is important that this fact, as well as the liberal arts emphasis of the College of Charleston, be emphasized in the hiring process, in all schools and departments. The Tenure and Promotion Committee is composed of individuals from all schools, and it judges candidates from all schools on the same basis. The apportionment of faculty time at the College is 50% teaching, 10% service, 20% research, with the remaining 20% to be apportioned as the individual sees fit. (Faculty Administration Manual p. 103). Our ideal is the “teacher-scholar” who receives one of the three academic awards at graduation. It is essential that incoming faculty be not only aware of, but enthusiastic about, this situation. Expectations regarding research in individual schools and departments also need to be made explicit. Concern was expressed that a tendency may be developing to balance our salaries, which are still low by national standards (though we appreciate the efforts the administration are making to improve this situation) by a decreased teaching load for new hires. Such a tendency should be nipped in the bud. Potential faculty who are not interested in teaching, as well as faculty or students who are not interested in a liberal arts emphasis, do not need to come to the College of Charleston. Our mission is not to be all things to all people, but to provide a first class all round education that meets the standards of skills, knowledge, and citizenship outlined in the General Education goals. This is not to deny that the teaching load at the College of Charleston is excessive, and that all of us would be better teachers if we had fewer students to teach. However, changes in teaching load as well as salary should be equitable across the different programs and schools within the College, rather than being bargaining chips at the hiring table. There was some discussion in the group of the advantages or disadvantages of the labels “College” “University” or “Institution.” The group unanimously voted "yes" to question 3.
Team #5
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	We found a high degree of consensus among the teams represented by our group concerning the meaning of a "liberal arts and sciences institution." Liberal arts and science means a focus on undergraduate students, who take a common set of foundation courses that provides breadth of education, as well as a commitment to the teacher-scholar model and its emphasis on one-on-one relationships with undergraduate students. There was less consensus among the groups concerning the meaning of size. Some groups discussed that "liberal arts and sciences" implies small classes where students develop relationship with the professor and each other. Other groups discussed whether "liberal arts and sciences" implies a smaller campus, and yet another group rejected campus size as a necessary requirement for liberal arts and sciences. We also discussed the fact that although the College of Charleston is the largest of the COPLAC institutions, there does seem to be a trend toward increasing size at these other public liberal arts institutions. We also discussed the distinction between "liberal arts" and "liberal arts and sciences" and some of the ambiguities about what the terms mean currently and historically. In general, we agreed that we were less concerned with whether we use the phrase "liberal arts" or liberal arts and sciences," than with a commitment to the key characteristics stated above.
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?	In our discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences" we focused more on the external documents and possible confusion in the general public. In every case, what we identified as possible disadvantages were also discussed as strengths that need to be conveyed as such by those marketing/representing the College to the general public. "Liberal arts" often has the connotation of small size and can therefore mask our rich diversity of programs and courses made possible by our larger size. Yet, "liberal arts" also has the connotation of being more open to exploration and providing more choices for students, which is to our advantage. Many people assume a "liberal arts" means a private school. We discussed the pros and cons of allowing people to think the College is a private institution. On the one hand, people see private institutions as more elite and it could be beneficial to leave that impression. On the other hand, playing up our identity as a PUBLIC liberal arts institution put the emphasis on the fact that we seek to make available the quality of a liberal arts undergraduate curriculum to those who cannot afford a private school.
Comments	Our team began the second round discussion by talking about how well this process works for creating communication across departments and schools, and with colleagues who would otherwise never know what each other thinks and feels. We applaud the organizers and encourage others to use this model in the future. We are very concerned about the potential for balkanization across the campus if we do not keep an identity and commitment to liberal arts and sciences at the center. We do not want to see curriculum and programs driven by dollars but by mission. We also recognize that as a public liberal arts institution, the College has some additional challenges that need attention. For example, because we are public, we have a higher rate of transfer students from technical and community colleges. This means the College needs to do more to acclimate transfer students to the "liberal arts and sciences" environment.
Team #6
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	One group had cited the College’s own Undergraduate Bulletin from 1990, as follows: “In its most fundamental sense, a liberal arts education involves the study of human nature, human value systems, the natural world, methods of inquiry including analysis and synthesis, and personal and societal change and development. All individuals, institutions, and societies must continually reevaluate questions of meaning and purpose if they are to live full and responsible lives. Liberally educated men and women are the best prepared to undertake and to persist in this inquiry because: –they have gained a broad acquaintance with the principal areas of human knowledge: the humanities (literature, languages, history, and philosophy), mathematics, logic, the fine arts, the natural sciences, and the social sciences; and –they have mastered the basic intellectual skills: how to reason logically, how to think critically, how to communicate effectively, and how to perceive the widest implications of what they have learned” (Undergraduate Bulletin, 1990, p. 13). Our groups also shared the following conclusions: A liberal arts and sciences education provides students with a strong core, with broad distribution requirements or some way of ensuring that students receive a broad based curriculum with a diversity of coursework. The focus of a liberal arts and sciences education is on undergraduate teaching where intellectual inquiry and learning are valued for their own sake, and students can work closely with professors. A liberal arts and sciences institution creates the expectation that education extends beyond the chalking up of required hours spent in the classroom: to do so such an institution needs to have small classes, allowing students face-to-face access to their teachers, as well as extensive extra- and co-curricular experiences which create a general atmosphere of the institution as an intellectual community. Since a liberal arts institution is determined by its educational mission—itself determined by a prevailing philosophy or attitude--the creation of such a community is not precluded by the institution’s exceeding a certain size, nor by its location in an urban setting, nor by the fact that the institution offers some professional programs.
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 groups jointly saw many advantages and few disadvantages in calling ourselves a liberal arts and sciences institution. Advantages: position of growth--our use of this language over the last few years appears to have been effective, so why change it now? sense of focus--maintaining the language might make us work even harder at producing an even better, more distinctive general education curriculum (at the moment our gen ed curriculum is not distinctively different from places that don't consider themselves to be specifically liberal arts and sciences institutions) recruitment--plenty of students who choose CofC for specifically educational reasons (over other reasons such as proximity, etc.) do so because of our self-designation and reputation as committed to the liberal arts and sciences; faculty are more likely to be attracted to a CofC which aspires to be like William and Mary rather than yet another mediocre comprehensive institution such as Appalachian State or Coastal Carolina; the College will benefit by attracting and retaining committed teacher-scholars rather than frustrated research 1 wannabes distinctiveness (especially among other public SC colleges and universities)--designating ourselves as a liberal arts and sciences institution sets us apart from USC and Clemson (team-members pointed out that this distinctiveness appears to be useful in attracting better students, as we have higher average SAT scores for entering freshmen than USC and Clemson); a liberal arts and sciences education also gives students from the schools of business, fine arts, and education an advantage over students who attend strictly professional schools, such as music conservatories or business schools at large universities practical benefit of flexibility to our students— in a rapidly changing world, an ability to learn and to apply the critical thinking skills that result from a liberal arts and sciences education is essential for personal success and the betterment of our world. regional necessity/continuing service to the state--given the quality of SC secondary education and that the bulk of our undergraduates are from SC, a broad-based liberal arts and sciences education fulfills a vital remedial role in producing better educated citizens creativity--commitment to the liberal arts and sciences allows for lateral thinking in course-design and course-offerings that may go beyond the traditional professional/disciplinary boundaries sense of continuity/tradition--this is what we've always been, or always been known for (even if this reputation may not be entirely accurate and/or deserved) Disadvantages: possibility of misleading the public-- the term may not convey the full sense of who we are: it might be read as leaving the professional schools out, and might lead others to think we are smaller than we really are (the latter could be read as an advantage, while the former might easily be addressed in a fuller description of the College) possible limiting of program development
Comments	Many in the groups were anxious as to exactly what nature an alternative designation for the College would take and were confused as to what was driving any consideration of change—whether a perceived educational need or a marketing one. One presumed consequence of dropping the term would mean that we would move further in the direction of hiring more research-oriented teachers in line with thinking of ourselves as a Ph.D.-producing university rather than a college oriented to excellence in undergraduate teaching. For most of us that wouldn't be a good thing, but we could see how others might prefer it.
Team #7
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Our groups all agreed that being a liberal arts institution is first and foremost a matter of what is taught, and the way it is taught. We are a liberal arts institution because we provide all our students with a broad education, anchored in general education requirements, in order to develop the intellectual skills that will serve them in any profession and as democratic citizens. That we have professional schools in business and education does not alter our commitment to this sort of education; historically, faculty in those schools have held that our liberal arts mission benefits them and their students. However, there are several different features of the College that do pull against our identity as a liberal arts institution. Even though they do not concern our basic curricular mission, they nonetheless affect the way we carry out that mission, and thus make it more difficult for us to maintain our identity. The most important of those features are: (1) Our size, which is large for a liberal arts school. This size has a decentralizing effect on our faculty, dividing them into schools and departments, and making it difficult to maintain a collective sense of our educational goals. At the same time, our size pushes us toward a more centralized administration, more removed from the faculty who traditionally govern liberal arts institutions, at least in educational and curricular matters. (2) Our need to offer graduate and professional programs that serve the needs of the Charleston region. The goal has been for these programs to complement and not to compete with the liberal arts mission of the College, but this is not always easy to achieve. (3) The increasing demand for faculty research, which serves to further the prestige of the College but also conflicts with our heavy teaching loads. A shift to a comprehensive model might seem to provide relief from this pressure, by shifting away from the traditional liberal arts focus on teaching, but there is debate about whether such a shift would in fact help and not hurt.
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 groups agreed that our identity as a liberal arts institution has strong educational value. It also provides us with a common identity and a connection to our history that would be lost if we turned to a comprehensive and hence less specific identity. Many in those groups felt that our liberal arts identity carried with it an aspiration to excellence and prestige that is an advantage in recruiting faculty and students. The disadvantages of using the label are that because of the pressures exerted by (1)-(3) above, we might no longer be able honestly to describe ourselves as a liberal arts institution. At least we need to realize that these pressures impose special challenges on us as we try to maintain that identity, given the growth of the College.
Comments	Many of us believe that the College has made changes in recent years without thinking more carefully about the deeper implications of those changes for our educational mission, and without communicating and consulting with faculty. In the words of one of our group, there is a worry that we will grow (and have already grown) haphazardly, depending on who happens to give us money. This discussion is crucial for making us think about the direction we want the College to take, and so giving structure to our future plans. There is a real question, in the end, about whether the loss of our liberal arts identity will mean the loss of any common identity for the College, and thus the loss of all purpose and direction for our future.
Team #8
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Our group met Monday 2/27 for about 75 minutes. Each member briefly reported on the results of their previous group meeting, followed by a more general discussion. The group strongly and unanimously believes that the College should continue to identify itself with the liberal arts and sciences tradition. Continuing this identity means, at the very least, retaining a robust core of general education courses which are common across all schools at the College. Faculty from the more professionally oriented schools (e.g., School of Education and School of Business) agree that these core requirements are an important part of the education the College provides. The quality and breadth of the liberal arts and sciences course work we require is one of our distinctive strengths.
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 noted three primary advantages to advertising ourselves as a liberal arts institution: (1) it is a tool for recruiting faculty who are committed to teaching and to being an active part of this intellectual community; (2) it signals important parts of our community’s values and commitments – including a commitment to working closely with students; and (3) it makes us fairly distinctive within the SC state higher education system. We recognize that the term “liberal arts” may be misleading in some ways (e.g., our college is larger and has a wider range of majors than many traditional liberal arts colleges). Further, many students (and parents) don’t really know what it means to attend a “liberal arts and sciences” College. Thus, it is important to continue to educate our incoming students about the nature and value of a liberal arts education.
Comments	Much of our discussion focused on “growth” at the college – in terms of the number of students and faculty and also in the proliferation of new programs that are less central to the liberal arts and sciences tradition (e.g., Tourism and Hospitality Management, Discovery Informatics). Our size and curricular offerings do distinguish us from many traditional liberal arts institutions. In particular, it is hard to maintain the intimate intellectual communities and the level of close contact between faculty and students typically found at elite colleges. Nonetheless, our group believes that the College’s efforts to cultivate this atmosphere (e.g., fall convocation, the 4th Century Initiative’s emphasis on student centered education with smaller class size) have been valuable improvements to campus culture. Thus, there was a sense that the College should aspire to provide a liberal arts and sciences educational environment as well. At the risk of condensing too much, we do not recommend conceiving of our liberal arts and sciences mission in a way that prohibits all growth; we would prefer to see “smart,” strategic growth that is responsive to the needs of the Lowcountry yet which retains a firm commitment to the liberal arts tradition of the College.
Team #9
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	A Liberal Arts and Sciences institution has the following attributes: • Class size is ‘small’ • Students complete a general curriculum in a range of disciplines and subject areas without an explicit focus on professional development • Classes are taught by faculty, rather than by grad students or adjuncts • The curriculum and institution cultivate thinking and curiosity • Students learn how to learn and the tools to think, learn and communicate • Prepares students for the ‘next step’ – whatever that may be • Builds on “multidisciplinarity” (a multidisciplinary approach to understanding information and concepts) • Adjunct teaching is limited to specialty areas where no certified faculty are available
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 • Follows the Fourth Century Initiative plan • Produces a desired set of goals for student learning and performance • Advantages far outweigh the disadvantages for this institution Disadvantages • May misrepresent ourselves as being smaller, private and more focused. • Advantages far outweigh the disadvantages for this institution
Comments	• The language and perspective used by the President in his Fourth Century Initiative nicely reconciles any tensions between a liberal arts education and the professional schools on campus. • CofC has a responsibility to own up to the Fourth Century Initiative – the Capital Campaign raised funds in support of specific statements and goals. We should not change these now, as donors would feel they were misguided. • We support the concept of liberal arts and sciences, but question if the appropriate resources and support are available to be what we say we are and what we seek to become. • CofC is somewhat unique in that we offer traditional liberal arts and sciences curriculum with the added benefit to the student of offering pre-professional pathways. • CofC’s current core requirements are clearly liberal arts and sciences • Pre-professional programs are okay in addition to core, as long as they are not the institution’s primary focus. • The Provost is, perhaps trying to fix something that isn’t broken
Team #10
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Those in attendance generally agreed that their previous experiences were captured by the summaries posted. General agreement among those in attendance with the tenor of the findings, although one or two people raised questions about the expansive definition of liberal arts and what this means for a coherent identity. Discussion focused in part on the relationship of the general education requirements to our identity as a "liberal arts and sciences institution." Attendees agreed that this is a key component of our identity as a "liberal arts and sciences 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?	Advantages If one accepts the expansive definition suggested by the Round 1 responses, then there is broad-based support for/acceptance of/belief in the institution's mission. Eliminating this term will look like we're changing course without sufficient reason. Helps with recruiting undergraduate students. Suggests interconnectedness and interdisciplinarity on campus. Communicates a sense of a small campus, which helps with recruiting students and faculty. Model works well for students who don't necessarily know what they want to study. Consensus that this label described the College of Charleston more accurately than other labels that have been discussed. In particular, a recognition that a comprehensive college with a liberal arts tradition was misleading. Losing the label creates a space for the erosion of general education requirements and leading to a possible fracturing of requirements among students. Disadvantages There is a discrepancy among faculty about what the terms "liberal arts and sciences" mean. Notion that this discrepancy (or the expansiveness of the definition) might contribute to divisive campus politics. For example, how does the definition relate to ideas about the integration of research with undergraduate education. Keeps us from questioning the notion of what is implied by keeping us focused on teaching. Disadvantage in recruiting graduate students, particularly foreign students. Constrains innovation in interdisciplinary initiatives, such as with the DI major, and poses problems with the consistency of so-called big majors and the "LA" tradition Size of school and identity influence research grants and publication success
Comments
Team #11
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	• A focus on the well rounded student with a broad base of exposure to and appreciation of a variety of disciplines • Broad common academic experience provides a valuable binding element • Students from such an institution are critical thinkers, effective communicators, and life-long learners who appreciate the connections between and among disciplines. • Gen Ed courses act as a foundation to a narrower academic discipline • Primary commitment to undergraduate education • Education as a human endeavor – humanistic approach • Focus on teacher/scholar model • Small class size • Small to medium college size • Logic of description includes context of compensating for inadequate HS education • Small, private, elite, focused on the basic academic disciplines (abstract)
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 – • This is what we do – LAS defines what we do – developing the whole student and their critical thinking skills • Gives a sense of purpose to what we do • It identifies the institution as a place that fits into a broadly understood type of college o Parents are looking for this type of institution o It expresses our essential values to current and prospective faculty • It allows us to attract higher quality students • It maintains focus on undergraduates and emphasizes the importance of teaching • Allows us to capitalize on our “small college” feel and tradition • Allows students to “find their passion” by exposure to many disciplines • Emphasis on scholar/teacher model results in more diversity of faculty research. This facilitates discussion of research among faculty, exposes students to greater diversity of faculty research, and provides students with more diverse research opportunities • Short-hand term that differentiates us from “job-training”, purely professional (engineering), or vocational schools Disadvantages – • There are no disadvantages • Might deter some students who already know their “mission” in life • Might deter some students who don’t expect strong disciplinary programs in a LAS college • It’s not an accurate a description of the College of Charleston as we now exist – a better description might be “midsized comprehensive university with a primary focus on undergraduate education” • The emphasis on teaching and the diminished resources/facilities for research may make it more difficult to win grants • Some programs get lost
Comments	unedited, from all 5 teams: might take extra time to finish some degrees with the LAS model students might wonder if there is a job waiting for them what else would we call ourselves? if we change our description, how does that change our mission? why does this consultant think a LAS institution is difficult to market? maybe we need a better marketing strategy 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 changing our focus away from LAS might imply that we might have less of a focus on undergraduate programs opportunity for undergrads to work individually with faculty (don’t get at large R1 unis) (parents like this) focus on undergrads enhances our marketability 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. 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 there 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?
Team #12
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	Group members responded that the designation "liberal arts and sciences institution" means that a college or university has: (1) a balance between teaching and research where each is valued; (2) a rigorous general education program that is central to the institution's mission; (3) broad educational goals that prepare graduates for life, rather than train them for a particular career; (4) an emphasis on developing critical and analytical thinking through exposure to humanity's history, cultures, and thought. Several members of the group also expressed the opinion that the term "liberal arts and sciences" is somewhat redundant and that the sciences are included in the term "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?	Group members expressed the following views on the advantages and disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences institution": Advantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences institution": (1) expresses the distinctiveness of the College in the state and nationwide; (2) communicates our focus on teaching to students, potential employees, alumni, and other stakeholders; (3) reflects the student-centered values inherent in long-range planning documents like the 4CI and in traditional mission of the College; (4) affirms our committment to a strong, broad-based GE requirement across the schools that make up the College; (4) our current rankings as well as our recent success in attracting quality students and alumni support are based upon this designation and could be negatively affected by a change; (5) important stakeholders (Trustees, alumni, current students, faculty) might be offended by change in the College's traditional liberal arts mission and identity. Disadvantages of using the expression "liberal arts and sciences institution": (1) potentially limits development and marketing of certain professionally-focused majors and programs and makes us less attractive to certain career-oriented students/parents; (2) a wide range of institutions use this designation and it is not very specific in meaning.
Comments
Team #13
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	The one criteria that all groups endorsed was the idea of “core knowledge” transmitted by way of a required general education curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking skills. A second criteria was not explicitly stated but the group 2 discussion indicated that a second criteria was probably unanimously assumed: a primary focus on teaching and a significantly more limited commitment to research. Beyond these criteria Group 32 unanimously endorsed additional factors such as small size, small classes, undergraduates only, knowledge for knowledge’s sake (not applied, not job training), a cohesive student body, and active learning. Our round 2 discussion indicated that some proportion of the other groups may have assumed some of these criteria.
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 but one of the groups expressed some confusion as to the intent of the question, including: •Wanting a more detailed statement of how the College defines itself to serve as a starting point for discussion (36) •Being unclear as to the phrase internal and external documents (36), and supporting the idea that the two must be in agreement with another. •Being unclear as to whether the question was a referendum on the status quo description (and hence on the Provost’s suggested language that would modify the “liberal arts and sciences” with a “public university or “comprehensive university) or whether the whether the question was meant to determine whether the phrase should be used at all. (32 and 33) Two groups (36, 33) focused some attention on the way that the phrase combined “liberal arts” and “sciences.” There was a concern that the term implies the superiority of “science” by assuming that the liberal arts is a less serious endeavor if it stands alone. Several members of that group indicated that since the arts, music, language, etc. are subject to scientific study, the sciences are included in liberal arts. Group 33’s report indicated this idea as well. In our discussion we seemed to agree that while the “liberal arts” actually includes the sciences (in a way that makes the phrase redundant) the phrase is useful because the public and other external constituencies distinguish between the two. Group 73 had concluded in their discussion of this issue that it wasn’t especially important. The other groups focused—in one way or another—on the issue of whether the phrase as a whole describes who we are and what we do at the College. Some conclusions: Two groups (32 and 33) felt strongly (and unanimously) that the phrase “liberal arts and sciences” without some sort of modifier (e.g. “university”) to indicate our graduate programs and suggest that we are a good sized school was misleading to students, parents, and faculty that we seek to recruit. Both groups had problems with the process by which the Provost’s language was developed but were open and generally supportive of updating that language along the lines she suggested. Group 33 worried that we will fail to attract quality students in many areas if our description continues to suggest that we are a small liberal arts college (of the sort described by group 32….small size, small classes, little if any graduate instruction etc). Group 32 noted that we do not fit this description given increasing class size, a number of successful graduate programs, the fact that we are an urban commuter school, and the fact that our students expect skills and we try to hone those skills. Group 32 also noted the rising research expectations at the College and favored descriptors of the College that acknowledged this (so as not to mislead faculty and potential faculty). Whereas Group 32 and 33 felt that the language we adopt should signal these realities, Group 73 emphasized the importance of the “liberal arts and sciences” language precisely because it would signal and perhaps solidify the trend towards an increasing “emphasis on research over teaching, changes in faculty profiles, workloads, and tenure requirements, and a shift in associated peer institutions.” A move in that direction, they felt, would “undesirably impact undergraduate enrollment, the type of students, attracted to the College and how the College is viewed in the eyes of alumni.” On this question Group 36 seems to support the position of Group 73 because they indicated that they would have voted 3 yes and one abstention if the “liberal arts and sciences” language had include the word “teaching.” The groups seem to disagree about what signal to send with whatever language we use to describe ourselves. Whereas Group 32 and 33 want to signal the way in which the College has changed, Group 73 (and probably Group 36) wants to use the “liberal arts and sciences” phrase to “assure alumni and others that the College adheres to its historical mission” (Group 73). In our discussion we concluded therefore that while there is a disagreement about how language is interpreted “out there” in the world, the fundamental and logically prior question has to do with what kind of present and future is best for the College. Are we on a “slippery slope” to becoming a research dominated institution that will diminish a commitment to teaching and undermine undergraduate instruction? Or are we simply acknowledging and seeking to improve what it is that we already do, which is to offer a quality liberal arts education along with opportunities for research, performance, and graduate study in the arts and sciences.
Comments
Team #99
Q1: What does it mean to call a college or university a "liberal arts and sciences insitution"?	A liberal arts and sciences university is an institution that offers a broad-based education, stressing the interconnectedness of disparate fields of study and encouraging a variety of synthetical and analytical approaches. Students are provided a strong foundation in humanities, social sciences, languages, mathematics, and sciences and emerge as well-rounded individuals without the tunnel vision of a conservatory or technical school. The addition of sciences to the historical phrase liberal arts highlights the opportunities for empirical studies at the undergraduate level, opportunities that make our general education core eminently practical. The one-year science requirement also helps students recognize and appreciate the difference between facts and beliefs. There was concern about the motivations for revising the label, liberal arts and sciences. Was this part of an effort to change the College’s mission or was it an acknowledgement that the term did not sufficiently encompass existing educational offerings?
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 consensus that the term liberal arts and sciences university was an appropriate descriptor of the College’s educational vision. We offer a common general education core that provides a broad-based educational foundation and allows students to explore multiple options before deciding on an area or areas of specialization. The rich intellectual atmosphere associated with the label draws strong students and faculty to the institution. It implies a focus on undergraduate education and suggests personalized instruction by roster faculty, qualities that make our students attractive both to graduate and professional schools and to future employers. There were several suggestions of ways to clarify the label for marketing purposes. One group suggested “The Historic College of Charleston: A Liberal Arts and Sciences University.” Another proposed “The College of Charleston: A mid-sized university, offering liberal arts and sciences, education, business, and other professional majors and select graduate programs.” Another group advised that we forget about “branding” and remain “outside the box.” One factor that makes the College of Charleston unique is its symbiotic relationship with the City of Charleston. Historically, it owes its existence and academic mission to the recognition by the Charleston Library Society that cities, and nations, need institutions of higher learning in order to grow and prosper just as much as they need art, commerce, and trades. In a world of increasing competition and globalization, the advancement of curiosity-driven thought takes on increasing importance because our society needs to continue to develop the ingenuity to meet the challenges of a future world that is changing at an ever increasing rate.
Comments	All five team members agreed that the above answers reflected our discussions.