Gerald A. Fetz, 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.