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The College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) is the largest college at the º£½ÇÉçÇø (UNF) with over one-third of UNF’s total student population. COAS houses 15 academic units and offers over 30 undergraduate and 13 graduate degrees. The College is the liberal arts core of the University, helping to provide the intellectual basis upon which our four professional colleges rest their applied curricula.

Mission Statement

The College of Arts and Sciences is the intellectual foundation of the University.

We cultivate a cooperative community within and beyond our campus by building on the College’s core values of creativity, empathy, openness and rigorous inquiry.

Our mission is to:

• Deliver a comprehensive and evidence-driven education that emphasizes active, independent thinking, encourages adaptive problem-solving and instills ethical values;
• Generate innovative and interdisciplinary research and creative activities;
• Provide cultural enrichment and solutions for challenges faced by the communities we serve, and
• Foster curiosity and habits of lifelong learning and success.

COAS nurtures ethical citizens who use their analytical skills in their personal lives, careers, and communities to improve the quality of life for all through discovery, innovation and art.

Vision Statement

To be recognized as a preeminent liberal arts college within a thriving public university, which is situated in a dynamic urban and natural environment where:

• World-class faculty engage in groundbreaking research and inspiring artistic activities:
• Engaged students enjoy uncommon access to their educators and experience transformational learning: and
• Talented, ethical citizens and future leaders have opportunities to establish their roles in energizing the region and the world.

Priority 1: Students

Goals:

Promote maximal student participation in High Impact Practices (HIPs)

Provide students with transformative courses that foster active, independent thinking, adaptive problem-solving skills, and love of learning

Ensure that curriculum is relevant, current and meets the evolving needs of the community

Provide departmental and college-level career mentoring to students

Key Initiatives to Achieve Goals:

• Catalog, curate, and promote HIPs to encourage new and ongoing student/faculty participation in meaningful research, study abroad and community-based experience
• Increase the availability of HIP opportunities as well as students’ participation in HIP opportunities on an annual basis
• Conduct an inventory to identify courses that foster writing with revision, critical thinking and problem solving
• Ensure that at least 50% of these courses are capped at 20 to maintain exceptional mentorship opportunities and teacher-to-student ratios
• Create opportunities to expand transformative course offerings as appropriate
• Create Industry Advisory Boards to determine which curricula are currently serving community and workforce needs, and which might benefit from revision
• Propose new degree programs and/or make significant changes to existing degree programs in response to community needs
• Survey students regarding the mentorship about careers that they received throughout their degree from faculty and staff
• Increase student participation in internships, shadowing, and other types of career development activities
• Work with Career Services to provide a well-founded approach to coaching COAS graduates for diverse career opportunities

Priority 2: Research and Innovation

Goals:

Foster strategic growth of graduate programs within COAS

Expand Research Scholarship and Creative Activities (RSCA) related to substantive themes and promote interdisciplinary research

Expand financial and infrastructural support to create a strong research culture for undergraduate and graduate student RSCA

Make COAS a destination of choice for top-tier faculty

Key Initiatives to Achieve Goals:

• Increase financial support for graduate students, including full-tuition waivers and competitive stipends, to recruit and retain the most talented students
• Hire additional tenure-track and instructional faculty to support existing graduate programs and meet the needs of new graduate programs
• Support existing faculty in developing, contributing to, and/or maintaining graduate programs
• Incentivize research in substantive themes by establishing internal initiatives to support faculty research
• Celebrate interdisciplinary collaboration by measuring faculty productivity across disciplines
• Catalog existing research infrastructure to identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities to leverage shared resources
• Work with appropriate stakeholders to enhance existing funding opportunities for COAS undergraduate and graduate students, assess gaps, and address needs by increasing opportunities for student research
• Increased RSCA opportunities for student participation and spotlighting of student RSCA accomplishments via different communication channels
• Recruit and retain exceptional faculty and post-doctoral talent by narrowing the gap in salaries and start-up funds in comparison to peer aspirant institutions across and beyond the SUS
• Strengthen the College’s RSCA culture by increasing financial support for hosting outside speakers and faculty research colloquia as well as promoting related activities through College communications

Priority 3: Community Partnerships

Goals:

Expand community partnerships with local businesses, non-profit organizations, and other community groups

Collaborate with community partners to support and facilitate learning experiences that foster professional development and leadership opportunities

Foster values of civic engagement and community service in º£½ÇÉçÇøgraduates

Key Initiatives to Achieve Goals:

• Develop COAS infrastructure to support community partnerships
• Use formal and informal meetings and events with community partners to establish a culture that celebrates joint accomplishments
• Maintain and develop relationships with community partners
• Support internship costs with stipends or scholarships for unpaid and low-paid internships
• Partner with the Center for Community Initiatives to qualitatively assess current civic activities and community service experiences performed by COAS students and identify areas for growth

Priority 4: Faculty and Staff

Goals:

Attract, onboard, and retain talented faculty and staff by establishing a culture of care

Increase capacity for RSCA

Enhance job satisfaction to boost engagement, empowerment, and a sense of recognition among faculty and staff

Key Initiatives to Achieve Goals:

• Constitute a task force to identify driving factors of applicant pool size, successful searches, and retention rates
• Strengthen funding for research, professional development, publication/dissemination/performance, and other supports
• Regularly survey job satisfaction and engagement among faculty and staff across the College
• Explore alternative avenues for recognizing the efforts of faculty and staff