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Western Carolina University - Role and
Mission
The fundamental
role of Western Carolina University is to foster a community
of scholarship in which students, faculty members,
administrators, and staff members learn and apply the products
of learning. Teaching, service, and research missions are
built upon this foundation of scholarship.
The most
important activity at Western Carolina University is
student-teacher involvement in learning. To this end, the
university is committed to the preservation of small classes
taught by fully qualified faculty and to maintaining a climate
in which teaching is valued and excellence in teaching is the
norm. Excellence in teaching is also sustained through a
series of on-going university and state-wide programs which
promote faculty knowledge and interaction concerning
post-secondary teaching. Students are expected to take active
responsibility for their learning. Students with a wide range
of academic abilities and aptitudes may enter the university,
but those who are graduated are expected to be knowledgeable
in the perspectives included in general education; competent
in critical thinking, logical reasoning, and communication and
research skills; aware of ethical and aesthetic values; and
productive in employment and general life settings.
Scholarly
service and research are essential to goals of the university.
The university encourages and supports service that extends
the benefits of scholarship and the principle of lifelong
learning to the people in the western region of North Carolina
as well as to regional, state, national, and international
constituencies. The university encourages and supports
research and creative activity that provide opportunities for
faculty members and students to engage in the exploration and
development of knowledge and that support student-teacher
interaction. |
