October 14, 2023
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- Professional and arts degree programs offering courses that intersect with business,entrepreneurship, marketing, communication, and technology to aid students in being adept at moving between different skillsets.
- Curricular offerings designed to account for study abroad and study away opportunities for all undergraduate students, focusing primarily on growing VPA LA and our affiliations with the University’s global campus partners.
- A professional art gallery where the work of faculty and students is properly and uninterruptedly exhibited year-round, coupled with ongoing renovations at the Comstock Art Facility (ComArt), Crouse College, Syracuse Stage/Drama Theater Complex, and the Shaffer Art Building.
- A community that provides its diverse student body with not only flexible and forward-thinking curricular experiences supported by technologically equipped learning facilities on campus and away, but also supports best-in-class wellness practices and ongoing career services.
- Collaborative opportunities for faculty and students to implement interdisciplinary programs, courses, and events.
- Inclusive Excellence that elevates our collective diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging efforts.
- A community of diverse students and faculty whose intersectional, creative, and transformative works impact local and global environments in partnership with alumni and innovative industries.
- A clinical and research-focused Department of Creative Arts Therapy offering art therapy and music therapy degrees (online and low residency) in partnership with local and national VA medical centers and outpatient sites.sites within the Veterans Health Administration and military serving community-based organizations.
Areas of Distinctive and Aspirational Excellence
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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.