2012-2013 General/Graduate Catalog - Expires August 2018

WELCOME

We welcome you, the student, to Truman and hope that during your time here you will be prepared for the world around you.

VOLUME CVII

August 2012

2012-2013 ACADEMIC YEAR GENERAL/GRADUATE CATALOG EFFECTIVE DATE

This General/Graduate Catalog becomes effective on August 18, 2012. It is published for informational purposes and should not be construed as the basis of a contract between a student and the University. Every effort is made to provide information that is accurate at the time the General/Graduate Catalog is prepared. However, regulations, policies, fees, curricula, courses, and other matters contained herein are subject to change at any time during the period this General/Graduate Catalog is in effect.

Truman State University Values

VISION

Truman will be America’s premier public liberal arts and sciences university.

OVERARCHING STRATEGY FOR ATTAINING VISION

Truman will become a more learning-centered institution. It will challenge its students, teacher-scholars, and staff to develop their personal and intellectual talents to the fullest, and it will use the most effective and innovative practices to produce graduates from all segments of society who will be creative, socially responsible leaders and engaged world citizens.

TRUMAN’S VALUES

Truman demonstrates dedication to the liberal arts education of our students by

Focusing on students and their personal, social, and intellectual growth within a supportive and challenging environment;
Cultivating a diverse, engaged community of high achieving students, faculty, and staff;
Providing affordable access to an exceptional education;
Committing to continuous improvement through assessment;

in order to prepare citizens for the intellectual and ethical challenges of the global community.

MISSION STATEMENT

Truman State University is committed to the advancement of knowledge, to freedom of thought and inquiry, and to the personal, social, and intellectual growth of its students. The University strives to identify and maintain a recognized standard of excellence in all of its educational activities.

The mission of Truman State University is to offer an exemplary undergraduate education to well-prepared students, grounded in the liberal arts and sciences, in the context of a public institution of higher education. To that end the University offers affordable undergraduate studies in the traditional arts and sciences as well as selected pre-professional, professional, and masters level programs that grow naturally out of the philosophy, values, content, and desired outcomes of a liberal arts education.

The highest goals of a liberal arts education are to ignite the individuals curiosity about the natural and social universe and then aid him or her in developing the skills and personal resources to channel knowledge into productive, satisfying activity. In pursuing these goals, the University seeks to cultivate in its students:

intellectual integrity, celebration of difference and diversity, informed ethical values, and courageous aspiration toward the best for oneself, ones family, ones society, and the world;
a sense of the joys and uses of creative and critical thought, including skills of intellectual problem-solving through effective reading and research, clear writing, and articulate speech; and
the willingness and ability to exercise personal and intellectual leadership in his or her chosen field of endeavor.

The University will achieve its mission through emphasizing and supporting excellence in teaching, in pure and applied research, and in public service consistent with the educational emphasis and goals of the University. In fulfilling this mission, Truman State University recognizes its duty to:

maintain a student-centered and student learning-centered living and learning environment that will attract, nurture, and challenge diverse, outstanding students;
prepare its students to succeed in rigorous professional and graduate programs;
provide a physical environment and support services that will help members of the University achieve their educational goals and enhance their social and physical development, and that will further serve as a source of pride to the University, the alumni, the community, and the state;
offer services to the community, the region, and the state in the areas of research and public service that are natural outgrowths of the academic mission of the University, and strive to ensure that the University serves as a cultural resource for the broader community of which it is an integral part;
develop and maintain sources of public and private support, and merit such continued support through public accountability for the quality of its programs and the utilization of its resources; and
provide appropriate encouragement and recognition of each member of the University community who contributes to the fulfillment of the University’s goals.

GRADUATE CHARACTERISTICS

Truman graduates are creative, socially responsible leaders and engaged world citizens. They are responsible, informed, and compassionate. Upon graduation, they will have the tools and characteristics that will enable them to be active, successful participants in their worlds. They will be known to:

ask questions and passionately seek knowledge;
strive for personal integrity and professional excellence;
demonstrate courageous, visionary, and service-oriented leadership;
act ethically, responsibly, and with reflective judgment;
appreciate ambiguity and thrive in unfamiliar rapidly changing situations;
understand and articulate well-reason arguments;
welcome and value new and diverse perspectives;
live emotionally and physically health lives; and
give generously of their time, talents, and financial resources to causes in which they believe.