Thomas A. Storch, Dean
The largest and most broadly based academic unit of the University,
the College of Arts and Sciences fulfills the central purpose for
which the University was chartered in 1893:
"To provide the best and most efficient manner of imparting...a
liberal education and thorough knowledge of the different branches
of literature, science and the arts."
A liberal education gives students the means to test ideas, beliefs
and facts. It empowers them to a variety of academic disciplines that
will broaden and deepen their perspectives and enable them as educated
citizens to continue the learning process. It teaches them how to
apply what they have learned. By studying the ways of thinking and
expression that are intrinsic to the arts, humanities, and social
and natural sciences, students are prepared in scientific methods,
critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, and cogent expression, and
are helped to develop intellectual skills, humanistic understanding
and aesthetic appreciation. Such an education increases the usefulness
of career planning and specialization by laying a foundation for lifelong
values.
A particular strength of the College is the breadth of its disciplines
and programs. This breadth makes possible a varied and flexible curriculum
that advances both general programs and specialized education on the
undergraduate and graduate levels. Another strength is the quality
of the faculty. Its members have a distinguished record of teaching,
publication, service to professional societies and national organizations,
and participation in consulting, extension and outreach programs.
Their commitment to undergraduate liberal education is demonstrated
by the quality of the graduates the College has produced. The pre
professional education received here has enabled The University of
Montana graduates to compete successfully for admission to graduate
schools across the nation. A third strength of the College is its
commitment to students as they pursue their academic studies at the
University. This is reflected in close student/faculty relationships
and in the continuous attention given by the College to the effect
that policies, procedures, programs, and faculty and administrative
structures have on students' educational experience.