Final
September 28, 2023
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Excellence in VPA is rooted in the college’s expert and professionally engaged faculty. Professors model experiential inquiry at the highest level nationally and internationally by thriving as filmmakers, designers, artists, actors, creative art therapists, photographers, illustrators, directors, conductors, writers, musicians, composers, cultural critics, and more. A representative sample ofVPA’s global breadth includes communication and rhetorical studies faculty engaged with global partners Massey University, University of Buenos Aires, Shanghai University, and the University of Copenhagen focusing on memory and engaged citizenship scholarship.
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VPA’s strategic planning process began in August 2022, when Dean Michael Tick appointed a diverse college-wide committee of faculty, staff, and students. The committee included faculty representatives from each of the academic units, one adjunct faculty alumnus, one graduate student, one undergraduate student, and three staff members (associate dean of research, graduate studies, and internationalization; director of budget, operations, and strategic initiatives; and a professional academic advisor who is also an alumna of the college). Dr. John Warren, professor of music, chaired the committee. In addition to meeting weekly, the committee solicited feedback from the entire college by launching a survey that yielded more than 500 responses with representation from every unit of thecollege. During Spring 2023, committee members held seven listening sessions with faculty, staff, and students of each individual unit. Not only were these conversations constructive and informative for the immediate task of drafting this plan, but they allowed for open dialogue and community-building. In these sessions, faculty, staff, and students identified areas of excellence, opportunities for growth, and acknowledged the challenges VPA faces as an academic community. In the process of listening, the committee realized that opportunities for more frequent collaborative thinking and dialogue within our departments and schools is critical.