CFAA Strategic Plan 2023-2028 PDF
Our Mission
The College of Fine and Applied Arts is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and innovation. Our focus on the student, applied learning and common connections empowers learners to think critically and act ethically. It promotes synergy between disciplines and the scholarly, practical and creative activities for which we are renowned. We embrace inclusive, accessible and sustainable approaches to storytelling, problem solving, creative and artistic expression, community organization and engagement at local, state, regional, national and global levels.
Our Vision
We inspire engaged global citizenship among future thought and practice leaders by promoting synergy between disciplines and the scholarly, practical and creative activities that make our college extraordinary. In our caring community difference is not only tolerated it is embraced. Learners are encouraged to think differently, approach problems from different perspectives, seek different solutions to longstanding issues, amplify different voices, and honor the different lived experiences of community members and influencers. In doing so, we position ourselves to be national leaders in engaging, transformative, relevant and experiential education.
Our Core Values
Our commitment to excellence, innovation, freedom of expression and difference is longstanding, unwavering and deeply rooted in our college ethos. We actualize our shared values by demonstrating our commitment to the following:
Collaboration Working together as a community with internal and external partners.
Innovation Developing new ideas, processes, approaches and products.
Visibility Creating noteworthy community engagement with a positive impact.
Inclusion Supporting a community that embraces difference.
Transparency Operating openly and communicating effectively.
Advancement Securing resources to support faculty, staff, and students.
Sustainability Amplifying best practices for community resilience over time.
Strategic Priority 1: Providing Exceptional Educational Experiences
CFAA activates the educational experience by providing students with learning opportunities that model collaborative, innovative, and professional work environments.
Goal 1.1 Deliver innovative, relevant academic programs.
Assess and revise existing programs of study to sustain best pedagogy and practice;
Develop new data-informed programs of study, certificate programs, and microcredentials to meet the changing needs of professionals in CFAA fields;
Connect existing courses or create new courses tied to the General Education curriculum (GEN ED) and Quality Enhancement Program (QEP).
Goal 1.2 Foster teaching excellence.
Leverage internal programming and support external opportunities for professional and pedagogic development;
Support experimentation and innovation in teaching practices, with particular emphasis on transdisciplinary and professional collaborations;
Encourage dissemination of new pedagogic applications and research in areas of pedagogy and practice.
Goal 1.3 Expand experiential learning.
Utilize and promote on-campus and off-campus sites for immersive, interdisciplinary activities and projects;
Incorporate service learning and volunteering activities into programs of study to promote student engagement and community impact;
Sustain existing and support development of new study away/abroad programs and partnerships;
Support and promote applied learning and research with public/private partners through sponsored projects.
Goal 1.4 Support co-curricular learning experiences that augment classroom learning.
Expand field study programming through public-private partnerships and collaborations;
Amplify job and internship events to expand internship opportunities with campus, advisory, and professional partners;
Support student learning with programming delivered by visiting creatives and professionals engaged in transdisciplinary activities;
Create and provide support pathways for faculty and program areas to work across disciplines.
Goal 1.5 Leverage technology to support teaching and learning.
Capitalize on interdisciplinary and co-curricular activities through social/professional media platforms and other promotional resources;
Connect students with academic experts and industry professionals using virtual instruction tools and resources;
Support teaching methods that prioritize participatory learning experiences across face-to-face, online, and hybrid course modalities.
Strategic Priority 2: Advancing Research, Innovation and Creativity
CFAA seeks problems, defines problems, and solves problems to advance knowledge with purpose and develop applications with impact.
Goal 2.0 Develop a synthetic research planning process.
Scaffold multi-year planning to coordinate research activities and instruction schedules across CFAA departments;
Conduct market analysis to evaluate and develop new graduate programs in consultation with campus partners.
Goal 2.1 Cultivate undergraduate scholarship.
Create additional pathways for undergraduate students to engage in faculty-led research projects or programs;
Support integration and dissemination of faculty research into programs of study through selected topics courses;
Facilitate and support an undergraduate research assistants program;
Support sponsored projects and applied research partnerships with tangible, professional, and real world outcomes.
Goal 2.2 Elevate graduate programs.
Inclusively and aggressively promote, recruit, and retain students in CFAA graduate programs;
Develop internal graduate student pipeline through accelerated admissions program coordinated with campus partners;
Create stackable certificate programs as a strategic pathway to establish new graduate degrees;
Recruit graduate assistants to teach foundational undergraduate courses to support faculty teaching advanced graduate courses better aligned with advanced research.
Goal 2.3 Prioritize areas of identified excellence.
(active links to department defined areas of distinction)
Goal 2.4 Maximize support for scholarly and creative activities.
Coordinate program opportunities to support pre-decision (tenure or promotion) faculty;
Create collaborative faculty studios and dedicated workspace for creative work;
Develop internal research funding opportunities that prioritize transdisciplinary collaboration and innovation;
Collaborate with campus partners to secure external funding for research and creative activity dissemination;
Develop a college-specific research faculty mentoring network;
Review and support department P&T document revisions to account for a broad spectrum of creative, technical, and professional research.
Goal 2.5 Amplify transformative partnerships.
Work with campus partners to streamline sponsored studio and partnership agreements;
Foster networking opportunities for faculty and community members;
Provide logistical supports for transformative partnerships (e.g., sponsored studios; visiting faculty; co-listed courses; public/private applied research);
Amplify partnerships and successes through social/professional media platforms and other promotional resources.
Strategic Priority 3: Advancing Local, Regional and Global Engagement
CFAA acts as an academic and professional intersection for interdisciplinary engagement to broaden cultural vitality and deepen impact in our local, regional and global communities.
Goal 3.1 Foster student career readiness.
Promote readiness through professional learning, service learning, and international learning opportunities;
Coordinate with affiliated campus stakeholders to maximize student engagement with creative and professional opportunities;
Support interdisciplinary courses or program initiatives to model the integrated workflows of an interconnected global economy.
Goal 3.2 Collaborate with external stakeholders in Western North Carolina.
Develop public-private partnerships to advance professional learning and applied research opportunities;
Articulate vertical educational pathways to meet changing demographic demands of higher education;
Develop and support long-standing partnerships with businesses and community organizations that align with our departments/majors.
Goal 3.3 Expand educational access to rural and underserved communities.
Develop college-level scholarship opportunities to recruit, retain, and support students from rural, first-generation, underserved, and unique (e.g., veterans) student populations;
Evaluate programs of study to identify or create pathways for a "continuing education" curricula to support professional, non-degree seeking students;
Celebrate programs that expand the CFAA footprint by making educational opportunities visible and mobile.
Goal 3.4 Promote local and global civic engagement.
Promote development of designated service learning courses in all CFAA member departments;
Support development of faculty and student exchange programs in collaboration with other campus stakeholder groups;
Coordinate with other campus stakeholders to develop "emergency/contingency" fund with procedures/protocols;
Model culture of volunteerism among faculty, staff and students through CFAA community work day and FAASET.
Strategic Priority 4: Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
CFAA activates its genuine commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and mattering to enhance understanding and embrace difference, preparing students to thrive in a multicultural society.
Goal 4.0 Create and sustain safe spaces.
We are a collective of critical thinkers dedicated to creating a safe haven in the workplace where ideas are created, critiqued, refined, and applied to complex situations. We are committed to maintaining this space – a place where the validity of any argument is potentially challenged – and this space must be jealously guarded, because our ability to ask challenging questions, and find creative solutions, empowers, energizes, and inspires us all.
Goal 4.1 Advance scholarship related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Create and sustain funded programs to support transdisciplinary creative and scholarly activities that emphasize diversity of approach, thought, and outcome;
Promote the broad range of human differences explored through different professional lenses of creative and critical scholarship in CFAA member departments.
Goal 4.2 Ensure equitable opportunities for student success and wellbeing.
Prioritize access, affordability, and holistic student success and wellbeing in ways that ensure
equitable opportunities and inclusion for all students;
Expand and sustain FAASET (CFAA Student Engagement Team) supportive programming for students;
Increase scholarships and other financial supports to increase access to educational opportunities.
Goal 4.3 Integrate inclusive practices into educational and professional development.
Support internal and external professional development programming and resources;
Support department-level assessments and revisions to syllabi, curricula, and student learning outcomes in partnership with affiliated campus partners;
Identify opportunities to evaluate difference within existing department evaluation tools, such as student evaluations, faculty annual reviews, and promotion and tenure documents.
Goal 4.4 Identify and remove barriers to the success of underrepresented faculty, staff, and students.
Develop a data set of college-relevant metrics for evaluating recruiting, hiring, and retention of diverse faculty, staff, and students;
Amplify programming that encourages intercultural competency, dialogue and exchange.
Goal 4.5 Provide resources to the college that infuse a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Promote calendar of CFAA events, productions and programming to university and local community;
Collaborate with affiliated campus partners to expand network of resources available to faculty, staff, and students;
Collaborate with local, regional, and national partners to increase utilization of historically underutilized businesses.
Strategic Priority 5: Investing in Faculty and Staff Excellence
CFAA seeks to secure the resources and sustain the values needed to support our talented community of faculty and staff.
Goal 5.1 Emphasize innovative recruitment and sustainable retention strategies.
Diversify and resource unique recruitment strategies and retention programming efforts in the College;
Foster a support framework to scaffold appropriate opportunities for professional development and success;
Utilize data-informed metrics to plan for and manage positions to ensure fully-staffed, adequately resources, and optimally-performing teams;
Coordinate with affiliated campus partners to develop funded or endowed positions to support the mission and vision of the College and its member departments.
Goal 5.2 Identify and invest in ongoing and clear paths for career advancement.
Encourage and support professional development programming as an integral part of the faculty and staff experience in the College;
Scaffold and support opportunities for leadership development at program, department, and college levels;
Clarify and formalize supervisor mentorship programs at department and college levels;
Use annual reviews as spaces to identify and highlight career advancement possibilities.
Goal 5.3 Incentivize employee innovation and collaboration.
Coordinate and amplify innovative and transdisciplinary teaching initiatives or courses within the College;
Create and sustain small grant programs that support transdisciplinary research and creative activities;
Connect faculty and staff community through college-wide events and shared-service programming;
Celebrate faculty and staff milestones in addition to awards for excellence and program points of pride.
Goal 5.4 Foster a team-oriented community of employees committed to quality of life and work.
Amplify diversity and wellness programming opportunities in the University and in the community;
Communicate and protect wellness as an essential value of effective work/life harmony in the College community.
Strategic Priority 6: Strengthen Resilience and Sustainability
CFAA operates a holistic organizational approach to sustainability and resilience across the curriculum, through applied research and creative activities, and by significant engagement in the community.
Goal 6.1 Expand the integration of sustainability throughout the curriculum and through co-curricular experiences beyond the classroom.
Promote the embedded integration of sustainable practices across all programs of study offered in the College;
Invest in curricular programming and extracurricular opportunities aligned with the University's Climate Literacy Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP);
Amplify existing and support new transdisciplinary programs that emphasize sustainable practices.
Goal 6.2 Galvanize business and operation practices that prioritize sustainability and resilience initiatives.
Capitalize on the unique skill sets of CFAA faculty, staff, and students by partnering with affiliated university units to develop projects and deliver programming;
Develop public-private partnership opportunities that emphasize economic, environmental, social, and/or human sustainability;
Connect deep fields of specialization to the work process and products of the University by using the campus as a primary laboratory for research and creative activity.
Goal 6.3 Identify and support resilience and sustainability initiatives that complement the University's strategic priorities.
Support collaborative projects that link faculty, students, and campus entities to elevate sustainability and resilience goals;
Amplify resources and support programs to strengthen student, faculty, and staff resilience;
Determine sustainability-focused programs poised for potential growth and allocate resources to support that growth in coordination with affiliated university partners.