Mission Statement
The Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences (GSASS) is dedicated to the fundamental principle that the role of higher education is to develop and nurture a creative, civil, and life-sustaining society. We believe the support for and presence of the arts and social sciences provide a foundation for the human capacity to evolve. We practice transformative teaching and learning supported by interdisciplinary thinking. Our faculty and programs promote civic engagement, advance the health of whole persons and whole communities, address the healing of trauma, and utilize the arts to educate, to examine our world, and to envision future possibilities. GSASS professional programs and learning communities educate students to provide services to meet the needs of diverse populations and underscore the importance of ecological literacy and social justice in today's world. This work emphasizes personal identity and integrity as key to professional competency and effectiveness; it acknowledges and reinforces the relationship between the person and the local, national, natural and global community.
Commitment to Diversity
The purpose of the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences Diversity Committee is to support the GSASS community in addressing issues of power and privilege in our programs so that all students, faculty and staff can learn and work in a safe, productive, and supportive environment that values individual difference; to promote awareness of multiple world views and lifestyles; and to support the University's broader diversity efforts.