Mission, Goals & Institutional Student Learning Outcomes
The Mission Statement of the College for Creative Studies is as follows:
The College for Creative Studies nurtures the creativity that is vital to the enrichment of modern culture. The College educates visual artists and designers, knowledgeable in varied fields, who will be leaders in creative professions that shape society and advance economic growth. The College fosters students’ resolve to pursue excellence, act ethically, embrace their responsibilities as citizens of diverse local and global communities, and learn throughout their lives. The College engages in community service by offering opportunities for artistic enrichment and opening career pathways to talented individuals of all ages.
Purposes and Goals
The College strives to be a creative institution, consistent with its name and mission. To that end, it periodically examines itself through a strategic planning process that clarifies its purposes and articulates its goals for the future. The 2012 Strategic Plan identified, and the 2017 Strategic Plan reaffirmed, a vision and four principles that guide the College’s activities. Following are those vision and goals statements:
Vision
Through relentless creativity, we will educate students to be the best artists and designers in the world.
By expanding our collaborative commitment to quality, innovation, financial soundness, social responsibility and ethical practice, we will enhance the College’s contributions to our students and the community and assure its long-term vitality.
Guiding Principles
Student Experience
We will provide an exceptional supportive experience to all students at every touchpoint, to enable and encourage them to reach their highest potential.
Faculty/Staff
We will create an environment that attracts, supports, develops and inspires a world-class faculty and staff.
Programs
We will develop and sustain innovative academic programs to ensure CCS is always at the forefront of creative education and practice.
Social Responsibility/Community
We will expand upon our culture of engagement with diverse constituencies to enable our students, employees, alumni, partners and community to flourish.
Learning Objectives
The faculty of the College have articulated the general objectives of a CCS education in the form of Institutional Learning Outcomes and the criteria of the various majors have been aligned with these Institutional Outcomes. The Institutional Learning Objectives are as follows:
CCS graduates will be able to:
- THINK: Demonstrate critical thinking characterized by experimentation, inquiry and theoretically informed social, cultural and historical awareness.
- CREATE: Synthesize knowledge and skills in the conceptualization and realization of creative expression.
- COMMUNICATE: Articulate ideas and visual concepts in writing, presentations, and professional practice.
- INNOVATE: Frame visionary responses to evolving social, cultural, and economic needs and opportunities.
- CONNECT: Engage as responsible, ethical, and climate-conscious citizens of diverse, local, global and professional communities.
- LEAD: Demonstrate leadership through appropriate research, methods, design and professional conduct.
Freedom of Expression
The mission of the College for Creative Studies asserts that we embrace excellence, ethical action, and social responsibility in all aspects in the practice of art, design, and scholarship. To adequately support this mission, CCS must preserve freedom of expression in all its forms. Freedom of expression is essential to basic human dignity. It ensures that members of the CCS community (students, faculty, staff and guests invited by the College) are at liberty to develop their creative abilities to the fullest extent.
CCS supports the rights of its community members to research and create using all forms of expression. It supports the right to express one’s views publicly as well as privately at venues and in activities both on and off campus.
The CCS community recognizes that creative expression by its very nature may be provocative. To encourage healthy debate, members of the CCS community and guests must demonstrate respect for the right of others to express views which they find disagreeable or offensive. Likewise members of the CCS community must be sensitive to the various audiences who may encounter their work.
That being said, CCS also notes that this freedom is not absolute. In certain circumstances, the institution may restrict expression, for example, that violates the law, is harassing or defamatory, invades substantial privacy or confidentiality interests, or does not meet curatorial standards. Moreover, the institution may reasonably regulate the time, place, and manner of expression to ensure that it does not disrupt the ordinary activities of the College.
