A clear mission statement is a critical starting point for programmatic assessment.

 

Mission statements should help answer the following questions from both a faculty and student point of view:

• What will professors try to teach students?
• How does the program integrate with the College (and CUNY) as a whole?
• What will students be expected to do?

 

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The CUNY Mission

CUNY traces its beginnings to the founding in 1847 of the Free Academy, which later became The City College, the first CUNY college. According to New York State Education Law, CUNY is "supported as an independent and integrated system of higher education on the assumption that the University will continue to maintain and expand its commitment to academic excellence and to the provision of equal access and opportunity for students, faculty and staff from all ethnic and racial groups and from both sexes.

The CSI Mission

The College of Staten Island, one of the 11 senior colleges of The City University of New York, is, like the University, committed to both access and excellence. This double commitment is especially critical given CSI's status as the only public college on Staten Island and the one instance in which CUNY is represented in a borough by one unit alone. The College offers the associates degree in selected areas, a comprehensive range of baccalaureate programs, selected master's programs, and, in cooperation with the CUNY Graduate Center, doctoral programs.
The College of Staten Island's remarkable campus, with its superb laboratories, studios, and classrooms, serves the pivotal endeavors of teaching and research that promote discovery and dissemination of knowledge while developing human minds and spirits.
The College's faculty, administration, and staff practice their commitment to educational excellence as they instill in students preparing to enter their chosen careers an enduring love of learning, a sensitivity to pluralism and diversity, a recognition of their responsibility to work for the common good, and an informed respect for the interdependence of all people.

The CSI General Education Mission

The responsibility for General Education at CSI is shared among the academic disciplines. In meeting the objectives of General Education, students learn to:

• read and respond critically to challenging texts and to write clearly and expressively;
• understand through the study of mathematics and laboratory sciences how scientific knowledge is made;
• comprehend social science perspectives on individuals and societies;
• engage in a critical study of literature and the arts;
• gain proficiency in a foreign language and knowledge of its cultural contexts;
• understand historically and comparatively the United States and the world;
• analyze issues in the context of cultural diversity.
  

General Education also serves as an introduction to more specialized kinds of knowledge. Students finish General Education courses with the competencies and skills that enable them successfully to complete courses in their majors in both associate’s and bachelor’s degree programs.

Department/Program Missions

Business Department:

"The Business Department offers a rigorous education in professional subjects and fosters an appreciation of the global business atmosphere as well as an understanding of business practices in the United States."

Chemistry Department:

"The Chemistry Department at CSI offers courses for students who plan to major in the physical as well as the life sciences. A major in Biochemistry and Chemistry leading to the bachelor of science degree is offered and are approved by the American Chemical Society (ACS). The course offerings are intended to promote scientific reasoning, to develop lab skills and prepare the student for graduate and professional schools as well as employment in industry. Although we offer advanced degrees (through the CUNY Graduate Center), undergraduate education is our primary mission."

Education Department:

"Consistent with its role as a department within a college committed to both access and excellence of post-secondary education, the faculty of the Department of Education of the College of Staten Island/CUNY recognizes as our mission the education of undergraduate and graduate candidates to become effective and dedicated members of the educational community. We are committed to providing the breadth and depth of knowledge required to stimulate our candidates' growth as professional educators in an environment conducive to personal development as well. We are committed not only to academic excellence informed by research of the faculty but also to providing an education that by example and instruction excites and motivates, addresses ethical standards, fosters critical thinking, respects differences, acknowledges creativity, challenges existing beliefs and assumptions, encourages flexibility and sensitivity, and develops expertise in the process of teaching, learning, and educational leadership. We are committed to integrating theory and practice to address classroom realities as well as societal demands and expectations. We are committed to emphasizing the significant role teachers and school administrators play in the development of students into persons able and willing to participate fully in our democratic society."

English Department:

"The English Department of the College of Staten Island fosters intellectual curiosity, creative activity, and personal development through the study and production of literature and language. Our faculty offers courses to guide the interests of a diverse student body and assist their participation in civic life by exploring a significant range of literary voices, critical traditions, historical periods, and scholarly innovations. Our core goal is to cultivate students’ ability to study and engage with the complex cultures in which they live."

History Department:

"The Department of History at the College of Staten Island is a community of professional historians committed to excellence in teaching and research. The primary teaching mission of the department is the undergraduate major; secondly, the department is committed to the general education of the college's undergraduates; and finally, it offers the master's degree. Our faculty of specialists train students in specific skills related to our discipline and provide geographic, thematic, and chronological coverage of the past from a global perspective. Our mission to the major reinforces general education objectives of critical thinking, reading, writing, and communication skills. Our master's program trains graduate students in advanced historical methods of research and analysis and provides in-depth seminars that reflect diverse specialties in the department. Our faculty take seriously our responsibility to mentor students. As a community of scholars committed to free inquiry and critical thinking, we aim to help students gain a sophisticated knowledge of history and the professional skills of historians. We foster the professional development of our faculty by supporting their research, publication, involvement in professional associations, and participation in the programs of the CUNY Graduate Center."

Department of the Library:

"The CSI Library supports the educational mission of the College of Staten Island and the research needs of its students, faculty, and staff by collecting, preserving, and providing access to scholarly materials in a variety of formats. Consistent with the teaching mission of the College, the Library assists students in becoming information competent, critical thinkers, and life-long learners. Toward this end, the Library provides quality information resources and research facilities which foster curriculum-based student-centered teaching and learning."

Department of Media Culture:

"The Department of Media Culture is committed to providing students with a critical understanding of film, media, and communications. We integrate studies in history, theory, and criticism with practical experiences in production technique and creativity as well as external field experience, allowing our undergraduate majors to concentrate in the critical study of cinema or cinema production, media studies, corporate communications, journalism, or design and digital media. Our curriculum is devised to provide students with the skill sets and analytical abilities to become innovative professionals in the film, video, television, radio, public relations, advertising, design, and publishing fields, as well as other industries focused on the creative use of emerging and traditional media. We are also committed to introducing general education students to the rigors of studying film and media as we believe this knowledge is crucial to a comprehensive and multidisciplinary liberal arts education. In our Masters Program in Cinema and Media Studies students undertake a challenging two-year curriculum that spans core knowledge in media history, theory, criticism, and production with the aim of ushering cinema and media studies into a new era of global intellectual and innovative exchange and preparing students for PhD programs in cinema and communications, as well as other related disciplines in the humanities and social sciences."

Department of Modern Languages:

"Consistent with the College of Staten Island's mission to foster international education, the Department of Modern Languages' mission is to further international understanding and cultural diversity among our students through the study of languages, literatures, and cultures of our interconnected world."

Performing and Creative Arts:

"The mission of the Performing and Creative Arts department has at its core the creation of a nurturing environment where the students of the College of Staten Island/CUNY can learn the profound value of the arts in their various forms. We offer majors and minors in Studio Art, Art History, Dance, Music, Photography, and Theater, with classes that range from creative, personal practice to critical analysis. Each program includes a wide range of General Education courses designed to welcome all students to an encounter with the arts that will, hopefully, indelibly enrich their lives, no matter what profession they pursue. The Department's outstanding faculty of scholars and artistic practitioners is committed to cultivating in students wishing to embark on careers as creative artists, performers, critics, scholars, and educators, the critical thinking skills and sense of discipline, professionalism, and collaboration necessary to excel in a changing and competitive world. We strive to provide the rigorous training and compassionate mentorship that will enable students to leave CSI as culturally literate adults, imbued with the sense of imagination, wonderment, exploration, and deep engagement that is at the core of all artistic endeavors."

PEP Department - Economics:

"Economics is an academic discipline that is central to the offerings of all major universities. As at most universities, economics plays an essential role in the general education required of all undergraduates, extending well beyond our undergraduate majors to essential courses in the core curriculum required of all CSI students, especially those majoring in business. At the College of Staten Island, it is the fundamental mission of the Economics faculty of Department of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy to contribute to the advancement of knowledge in our discipline, to share that knowledge with our students, and to disseminate that knowledge with policymakers and leaders in the public, nonprofit, and business communities."

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Missions Statements of Offices and Special Programs

Center for International Service:

"The Center for International Service, established in 1976, promotes the internationalization of academic life and provides programs and services to foster an awareness of the interdependence of nations, the value of diversity, and the importance of international understanding."

Institutional Research and Assessment:

"The Office of Institutional Research and Assessment strives to support a 'culture of evidence' at the College, where the processes of evaluation, planning and change are supported by valid and reliable information."

Parking Services:

"The Office of Parking Services is responsible for ensuring that every student, faculty and staff member and visitor to the college who chooses to park and/or operate a motor vehicle on the CSI campus does so in accordance with college policy. The office oversees the sale of parking decals through the vehicle registration program and the enforcement of the college’s parking policies by Public Safety and Parking Services personnel through the issuance of Traffic and Parking Summonses."

Public Safety:

"The mission of the Office of Public Safety is to provide a safe and secure campus for our college community. We strive to maintain an environment in which the primary educational mission of the college can be realized. Each member of the Office of Public Safety is committed to providing their services with the highest degree of integrity, concern and respect for individual rights."

Registrar:

"The Office of the Registrar, as a member of the Enrollment Management Division, performs essential roles in promoting the academic mission of the College of Staten Island.
The Office maintains the accuracy, integrity and security of all academic student records, and ensures full compliance with all applicable federal, state and university regulations.
The Office is dedicated to the delivery of quality service through collaboration, innovative technology and efficiency of process in a customer service focused environment."

SEEK (Search for Education, Elevation and Knowledge):

"SEEK's primary mission is to assist in providing equality of higher education to students who otherwise would not have such access. The effort is intended to increase the level of education, social capital, and workforce expertise within our community."

Technology Systems:

"The mission of the Office, consistent with that of the College, is to advance the use of technology in all aspects of the College's operations, so as to strengthen support services, teaching, and research. It also directs the Office of Information Technology (OIT)."