Mission and Educational Goals

The Mission of Concord University

The mission of Concord University is to provide a quality, liberal arts based education, to foster scholarly activities, and to serve the regional community.

Concord University provides rigorous programs that prepare students to pursue various career options or graduate study. Concord's graduate and undergraduate programs lead students to assume leadership and professional roles in a multicultural society and prepare students to face the challenges of globalization. Concord is committed to serving a diverse student body including traditional, non-traditional, local, national and international students. While we incorporate a variety of educational approaches, our size and the caring dedication of our faculty, staff and administration are the principal assurances of a quality educational opportunity at Concord University.

As a learning community, Concord University is committed to furthering knowledge through professional development activities and programs, through research, and through the application, publication and appreciation of scholarly efforts.

The primary purpose of Concord's mission is academic; however, the service the University provides to the state, region and world goes beyond the classroom. Concord University contributes to the quality of cultural and economic life in southern West Virginia through collaboration with both public and private organizations and agencies and through extension of its support and assistance into the region it serves.

Ultimately, Concord University measures its success by the fulfillment alumni find in their careers and throughout their lives.

Educational Goals

The educational programs of Concord University are designed to foster skills, knowledge, and attitudes applicable across a wide range of academic fields and professional careers in a culturally diverse, perpetually evolving global community.

• The General Studies Program provides opportunities to begin developing skills needed to address complex issues, to build a foundational knowledge base for lifelong learning, and to cultivate attitudes that promote personal and societal well-being and experiential enrichment.
• Building on the General Studies program, the baccalaureate degree programs provide opportunities for in-depth study in a student's chosen field(s).
• Building on selected baccalaureate degree programs, the master's degree programs provide opportunities for highly specialized research and professional development.

Skills: Proficiency in interpreting data, integrating information, formulating ideas, thinking critically, and communicating with others, as demonstrated by the following competencies:

1. Effective inter-communication skills and literacy adapted as needed for the demands of various kinds of discourse:
   
   • listening and speaking
   • reading and writing
   • non-verbal communication
   • media and technological literacy
2. An ability to employ appropriate observational, logical, analytical, computational, creative, and critical thinking skills in problem solving.
3. An ability to employ appropriate methods and technologies for conducting empirical and scholarly research, to interpret research findings, and to use insights gained from such research as a basis for informed decision making.
4. An ability to analyze, synthesize, and integrate elements, information and ideas.
5. An ability to evaluate elements, information, and ideas on the basis of appropriate criteria.
6. An ability to apply and to transfer academic and experiential learning appropriately from one context to another.
7. An ability to learn and work effectively both independently and collaboratively.

Knowledge: Familiarity with principles underlying academic discourse in various fields, as demonstrated by the following capabilities:

1. An ability to discern the reciprocal influences of environments, cultural beliefs and attitudes, and societal institutions and practices.
2. An awareness of the fundamental characteristics and properties of the physical universe.
3. An ability to interpret events and trends within historical contexts.
4. Acquaintance with principles underlying languagesbfor example, linguistic, mathematical, and computer-language systems.
5. A recognition of the complex interactions between organisms, including human beings, and their environments.
6. An awareness of the aesthetic principles, methods, materials, and media employed in artistic performance and the creation of works of art and literature.
7. Self-knowledge, including awareness of one's own competencies, deficiencies, and optimal individual learning-style(s).

Attitudes: Tendencies conducive to self-knowledge, personal growth and development, and responsible citizenship as demonstrated by the following:

1. Habitual reflection on ethical/moral implications of actions when weighing decisions and evaluating outcomes.
2. Exercise of responsible leadershipdincluding leadership by exampledand of responsible followership.
3. Respectful attentiveness to differing perspectives and willingness to engage in dialogue across differences in order to seek mutual understanding and equitable conflict resolution.
4. Cultivation of and support for attitudes and practices that foster physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being.
5. Appreciation for the creative process and for the rich diversity of artistic achievement.
6. Commitment to social responsibility, including community service and civic engagement.
7. Motivation to pursue lifelong learning and ongoing intellectual growth.

Assessment

Concord University faculty have developed programs to assess the academic achievement of the university's students. The assessment program is linked to the university's mission and educational goals. Assessment at Concord has two important roles: institutional quality and accountability. To analyze and improve the quality of Concord's education programs, the University uses various measures to assess student attainment. These assessment measures are used in the continuing evaluation of curricular and instructional decisions which are aimed at improving student learning outcomes. An integral part of the program is the assessment of student learning in the major and the general studies programs. However, Concord strives to involve all educational support areas in the assessment process. All programs assess the learning environment and what changes might be made to maximize the learning experience. Assessment of student learning is ultimately the systematic collection, analysis, and use of information to improve student learning outcomes.