The School of Architecture

The mission, goals and objectives of the School of Architecture focus on creating a school where a sound professional and broad-based liberal education may be obtained, where ideas about design, urban environments, fundamental societal needs for shelter, privacy, and community, architectural history and legacies, and the discipline of architecture can flourish.  From the undergraduate program through the most advanced level of graduate study, the School aims to provide an educational experience that will equip graduates with skills and knowledge vital to improving, preserving, and advancing society and culture through participation in the disciplines of architecture, planning, and design.

Red McCombs School of Business -- Undergraduate

General Mission: Students, businesses and scholars will recognize the Red McCombs School of Business as a premier source of leading edge ideas and academic programs that are anchored in theory and impact business practice.

Specific Missions:

• Educate and develop students to equip them for a rapidly changing, creative, global, technology-enabled and, increasingly, technology-driven business environment;
• Provide every student with a memorable, life-transforming experience through dedication to the highest academic standards, the highest standards of educational delivery, and relentless pursuit of operational excellence; and
• Provide employers with a steady stream of students whose preparation for the world of business is competitive with the leading undergraduate programs in the world.

• To excel in those educational areas where comparative advantages exist and which contribute most to meeting the stated mission of the school;
• To provide a broad general education, an excellent grounding in the business disciplines and sufficient development in a major or concentration to ensure that students can make competitive contributions to organizations or ventures upon graduation;
• To ensure that all graduates are capable as well as knowledgeable and prepared to develop and assume greater responsibility throughout their careers;
• To encourage and develop an understanding of modern business culture, an appreciation of the historical evolution of business, the social and economic forces shaping business, and an ability to recognize and promote ethical and social values; and
• To encourage and support fruitful collaboration between students, faculty and representatives of the business community.

Red McCombs School of Business -- Graduate

General Mission: Students, businesses and scholars will recognize the Red McCombs School of Business as a premier source of leading edge ideas and academic programs that are anchored in theory and impact business practice.

Specific Missions:

• Develop leading edge, high-impact knowledge, methods and faculty expertise;
• Educate and develop students (and executives) to equip them for a rapidly changing, creative, global, technology-enabled and, increasingly, technology-driven business environment;
• Provide every student with a memorable, life-transforming experience through dedication to the highest academic standards, the highest standards of educational delivery, and relentless pursuit of operational excellence; and
• Significantly contribute to the success of the worldwide business community, especially business partners who collaborate with us to produce the most successful research-education-business collaborative environment in the world.

• To excel in those educational and research areas where comparative advantages exist and which contribute most to meeting the stated mission of the school;
• To develop capable as well as knowledgeable managers for the assumption of high-level management positions and for their future development and assumption of leadership positions;
• To encourage and develop intellectual curiosity, analytical and research capability, sound management decision-making processes, and the ability to plan, organize and control activities to achieve goals; and
• To encourage and support fruitful collaboration between students, faculty and representatives of the business community.

The College of Communication

The College of Communication is committed to the education of students who will value the importance of human communication in development and sustenance of personal and professional relationships while understanding the economic, political, cultural, and ethical implications associated with the development of new communication technologies and processes.  It seeks to prepare communication practitioners, critical thinkers, and effective decision makers who will assume leadership roles in a variety of communication professions, as well as individuals who will become the next generation of scholars in the communication disciplines.  The College also is dedicated to building bridges between academia and the communication professions and to creating interdisciplinary linkages with other academic disciplines at the University and institutions of higher education in the United States and abroad.

The Division of Continuing Education and Extension

"The power of education to change lives" is the core value governing the vision and objectives of the Division of Continuing & Extended Education (CEE). CEE enhances the lives of Texans educationally, socially, professionally, and economically by providing lifelong learning opportunities through responsive programs and services. CEE's goals are to help professionals advance, to offer intellectual and cultural opportunities, to pursue avenues of alumni education, to provide a common meeting ground for professors and practitioners, to help people meet their civic obligations, and to reflect the rich cultural diversity of Texas.

CEE's programming includes conferences, workshops, credit and non-credit certificate programs, symposia, special training institutes, and college credit extension courses. Courses and programs are delivered in classrooms, client-provided training rooms, and laboratories by face-to-face instruction as well as by technologically assisted instruction with a full range of distance education delivery methods. Educational services include the production of educational materials as well as planning, organizing, and coordinating instructional activities. The extensive, varied experiences of our trainers also allow us to provide consulting and facilitation services. CEE makes a considerable contribution to K-12 education in Texas through curriculum development, the University Charter School, the High School Diploma Program, the Migrant Student Program, and credit by examination offerings. CEE provides access to quality education for learners, ages six through retirement, who desire to earn credit for degrees, professional development, or personal enrichment. CEE places a strong emphasis on addressing the educational needs of older adults through Learning in Retirement (LIR) programs.

CEE strives to be an inspiring workplace, respecting and developing its employees, who then serve the best interest of each customer.

The College of Education

Since 1891, when the College of Education was founded, the mission has revolved around the three major priorities of teaching, research, and service to the state and the nation.  The College endeavors to point the way to educational excellence through first-class preparation programs for teachers and educational leaders, and through programs that promote the physical and psychological well being of our citizens.  The College also conducts research useful in solving pressing educational problems.  In all of these efforts, the College promotes strong collaboration with other stakeholders in the educational enterprise and strives to design model programs that can be replicated across the State to address the needs of our children, youth, and adults.

This mission is fundamental and timeless.  However, a changing world demands that the College be responsive to the needs of today’s students and to the challenges of modern society.  Today, the College pursues its mission via three relevant goals:

1.  To prepare education professionals who
 

• Perceive the economic challenges that this country faces and are committed to making America’s schools and students competitive around the world;

• Understand the social conditions that shape the lives of today’s students;

• Appreciate the diversity of today’s students and can teach, practice, and lead in our multicultural society;

• Have a deep knowledge of relevant subject matter, information retrieval systems, and educational uses of technology;

• Have a solid practical foundation through extensive field experience; and

• Are guided by strong ethical standards and are capable of shaping and transmitting the values of our society.

2.  To develop and disseminate new knowledge about the teacher-learning process through research and other scholarly activities and to make clear recommendations to the leadership of the state with regard to educational policy, planning, and practice.

3.  To build connections among the College and other educational institutions, government agencies, and private corporations in order to encourage continuing discourse on good practice, as well as to support the improvement of the entire educational enterprise.

The College of Engineering

The vision of the College of Engineering is to be the premier public school of engineering, excelling in teaching, research, and service.  This will ensure that the State of Texas will be in the forefront of new developments in research and education and the transfer of technology to industrial and commercial activities.  The mission of the College of Engineering is to contribute to the economic well-being and quality of life in the State of Texas and the nation.  The College strives to do the following:

• Deliver high quality engineering education in a cost-efficient manner;
• Prepare students to contribute and compete in the rapidly changing global marketplace;
• Create opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to develop to their full potential;
• Conduct engineering research to advance technology and achieve societal goals; and
• Provide exemplary service to the University, industry, the profession, and the State of Texas.

The College of Fine Arts

At the highest level of excellence, the College of Fine Arts prepares graduates and undergraduates for the study, practice, critique, and teaching of the arts; leads in developing the arts through research, performance, exhibition, and the creation of new works of art; and provides a deepening awareness and understanding of the arts to an increasingly diversified and broadening community at the University, regional, state, national and international levels.

The goals of the College are as follows:

• Enhance undergraduate and graduate teaching and academic programs

• Expand research, education, and public service in the arts;

• Advance interdisciplinary research and instruction;

• Expand the use of advanced technology for research, instruction, communication, and administration;

• Emphasize the creation, performance, and exhibition of original works of art;

• Continue to diversify the faculty, staff, and the student populations of the college;

• Employ the arts to foster a global awareness and an understanding of cultural diversity;

• Promote professional affiliations; and

• Maintain national leadership in arts education.

The School of Law is dedicated to the professional training of future lawyers, to the deeper understanding of law and legal institutions, and to the improved administration of justice.  The School seeks to advance these objectives through excellence in teaching, scholarship, and public service.

The School of Law is committed to providing professional legal training to an accomplished student body drawn from all regions of the state of Texas, as well as from throughout the United States.  The School continues to seek a diverse student body through such innovating programs as the cooperative agreement with the Law School Preparation Institute at UTEP.

Legal education aspires to do more than expand students’ substantive knowledge of the law; it also seeks to hone students’ analytical abilities, to improve their skills in research, advocacy, and oral and written communication, to nurture their sense of justice, and to convey a vision of their responsibilities as citizens and lawyers.  The School of Law also seeks to prepare students for practice in a world of increasingly international legal, political, and economic relations, particularly in connection with Mexico and the rest of Latin America.

The law faculty strives to advance our understanding of the law and legal institutions and their impact on the social, political, and economic life of the nation.  This scholarly mission includes reexamination of classic jurisprudential problems; doctrinal, cross-cultural, and historical analysis of law and legal institutions; application of social science tools and empirical research to law and its effects; and evaluation of law as an instrument of social change and a mechanism for the protection of rights and the resolution of disputes.

Finally, the School of Law seeks to improve the administration of justice through public service.  This involves encouraging a talented faculty to respond to many requests for aid from government agencies, courts, legislatures, and other public entities.  It also involves efforts to instill in the students the obligation to provide legal assistance to all members of society, to educate them regarding the crucial role played by lawyers in resolving issues of public policy, and to provide them with opportunities for public and pro bono service.  Clinical instruction is integral to that task. The School of Law currently offers ten clinical instruction courses, including a newly created immigration clinic.  In addition, we have reconstituted our Public Service Law Center to play a more active role in developing and coordinating public service opportunities for our students.

The College of Liberal Arts

The Liberal Arts are the nucleus of teaching and scholarship at every university.  Broadly defined as the Humanities and the Social Sciences, the Liberal Arts constitute the central core of learning at every great university, here and abroad, now and throughout the past.

The Liberal Arts have a twofold purpose:  To explore and transmit the traditions of humane learning and skills that have informed the actions and thoughts of educated people across time, place, and life circumstances; and to provide students with the analytic tools and expository abilities that are required in the modern world to meet and master the challenges presented by a global environment of increasing interaction and rapid change.

The Graduate School of Library and Information Science

The Graduate School of Library and Information Science prepares students for stewardship of the world’s accumulated knowledge and its effective use.  A credo of the School is “Transforming Information into Knowledge:  Changing Lives.”  The School prepares its graduates to enable individuals and organizations to realize their goals through access to information.  Research, scholarship, innovation, and leadership focus on improving the organization, transfer, and preservation of knowledge in all its forms.

The School’s graduates serve highly diverse clientele in nonprofit and for-profit markets as librarians, Internet specialists, information managers, archivists, learning resource personnel, researchers, educators, consultants, and entrepreneurs.  Through education and research, the School strives to promote scholarly and professional excellence and to provide leadership to the information professions in Texas, the Southwest, the nation, and the world.

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs

The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs is one of the nation’s leading institutions of graduate public affairs education.  The School’s Master’s and Ph.D. programs provide graduates with the knowledge and skills to work effectively in key positions across all levels of government as well as the private and not-for-profit sectors.  As a national and international public resource, the LBJ School performs vital service functions, including research for government agencies, professional development for government executives, and conferences for a wide range of groups interested in public policy issues.

The LBJ School is meeting changes in the public policy environment by providing a curriculum that emphasizes leadership, human resource and financial management, social policy, technology policy, nonprofit management and globalization.

The College of Natural Sciences

The College of Natural Sciences perceives its mission to be multifaceted:  To provide an excellent, research-based education in science and mathematics that emphasizes student success; to foster discovery of important new knowledge through research; and to create an intellectually and scientifically enriched environment that supports the economic and technological development of Texas.

Goals pursued by the College in fulfillment of this mission include sustaining a pre-eminent faculty that comprises effective, committed teachers and cutting-edge researchers; attracting to the study of science a diverse cross-section of the finest undergraduate students in the state and elsewhere; recruiting, supporting, and training outstanding graduate students who function as partners with the faculty in research and instructional efforts; creating and maintaining state-of-the-art research laboratories, equipment, and facilities; and promoting significant scientific advances, in collaboration with industry and government through the operation of organized research units and multidisciplinary consortia.

The School of Nursing

The purpose of the School of Nursing is to prepare generalists in professional nursing practice at the baccalaureate level, specialists at the master’s level, and nursing researchers at the doctoral level.  The faculty includes experienced, renowned teachers and researchers who embody the belief that the nursing profession is vital to the public good.  Faculty members promote excellence in nursing scholarship; contribute to the body of nursing knowledge; and offer educational, consultative, and other health-care services to the community.  The teaching, research, and service programs emphasize the promotion, maintenance, and restoration of health in illness or wellness contexts, as well as in health policy formulation.  Excellence in nursing is achieved by thoughtful use of the nursing process and attention to clients’ needs and values.  Further, nursing affirms the intrinsic dignity and worth of every person as a composite of unique genetic and cultural attributes with diverse physical, psychological, and social needs.

The College of Pharmacy

The mission of the College of Pharmacy is to provide quality education and training for undergraduate and graduate pharmacy students who will serve society as competent practitioners, scientists, professional leaders, and responsible citizens.  A directed mission of quality constitutes the basis for the College’s commitment to scholarship, student achievement, graduate and post-graduate professional and scientific education, faculty development, leadership, and advancement of the profession of pharmacy.

The goals of the College of Pharmacy derive from its mission as a component of the University, its responsibilities as a professional school, and its faculty’s collective commitment to a leadership responsibility in pharmacy education, research, service, and the evolution of a stronger profession.

The School of Social Work

The mission of the School of Social Work at the University is to provide professional education and leadership in social work practice, research, and service to promote social and economic justice, enhance social welfare, and build strong community-university partnerships.  This mission is consistent with the University’s mission and overall goals as reflected in the School’s focus on excellence in professional education; the advancement of social work research and the understanding of social issues; the enhancement of human services at the community, state, national, and international levels; and the promotion of cultural diversity and social and economic justice at all levels of society.

In carrying out its mission, the School emphasizes collaboration with professional organizations, other academic disciplines, alumni, other members of the social work community, and public bodies.  Ethical, culturally sensitive and scientifically based practice is promoted in all school endeavors.  The teaching, research, and service programs provide a framework for the development of leadership in the social work profession and in the management and delivery services.  The School of Social Work is a strong ambassador of the University to communities throughout Texas.

Office of Graduate Studies

The Office of Graduate Studies of the University supplies the support necessary for the University to provide graduate and post-baccalaureate professional programs.  The office also offers an environment in which faculty and students develop new knowledge to benefit the state of Texas and the world community.

Updated June 1, 2000.

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