University Objectives

Pittsburg State University is a multi-purpose state-supported university whose primary objective is to offer strong undergraduate and graduate educational programs to those in its service area. Sound higher education should enhance the best intellectual, social, and personal development of the university community. Moreover, it must provide professional and vocational training of high quality. The university is committed to the basic concepts of democracy and to the democratic processes in solving common problems at all levels of government and in all areas of contemporary society.

The academic and activity programs of the university are designed to enrich and improve the state, national, and international cultural heritage; to assist all individuals to contribute to the common good of society by developing personal integrity and vocational competence; and to encourage the development of the individual's creative ability. To achieve its mission the university recognizes six main areas of educational endeavors. Each area described below has its own aims and objectives and contributes in a significant way to the mission of the university.

The university must provide sound higher education for students at all levels of the instructional program. It is essential that Pittsburg State University maintain those educational programs and instructional practices which historically and by consensus are part of the mission of the university. At same time, the university must continue to develop new educational concepts, new academic and related programs, and new techniques of instruction which provide for the contemporary needs and interests of students and society.

General Education

General education is that academic study and those activities which should be common to all members of the student body, especially in the achievement of undergraduate degrees. The essential objective of general education is to educate the individual student to be a rational and humane person--one who will use rational procedures in daily life; who will be motivated to continue self-study in a world of accelerating change; who knows and understands how to use effectively accepted scientific and intellectual processes; and who will appreciate and enjoy the best cultural values and activities. The main characteristics of the general education program can be attained through study in a wide variety of departments and academic disciplines and in some respects includes what is commonly described as liberal education.

Liberal Arts and Sciences

Liberal education provides for a comprehensive back-ground and concentrated investigation in one or more specialized fields, intending thereby to develop that receptivity to new ideas which stimulates intellectual curiosity and leads to learning as worthwhile in itself. The liberal arts and sciences curricula also prepare students for professional careers and for graduate work in one of the academic disciplines. The purposes of a liberal education are as follows: to impart knowledge and develop intellectual concepts; to develop the capacity to cope with various kinds of knowledge to define a problem, analyze it, seek out relevant factual information for its understanding and to place problems in their proper historical, philosophical, and ethical perspective; and to teach how to extract from the knowledge bank what is relevant to a student's purposes and to teach the use of such knowledge in a discriminating and constructive way.

Professional and Pre-Professional Education

The purpose of professional education is to develop the competencies of individuals so that they may meet the demands and requirements of modern occupations and professions. Two types of interrelated basic experiences are necessary for the achievement of maximum competency: first, a thorough background in general education, and secondly, an adequate preparation in an area of specialization. The realization of these objectives involves the acquisition of a broad cultural background in the arts and sciences, and understanding of the fundamentals of a particular profession, or field of interest, and the development of the necessary skills required in a specialty within the field of concentration. Professional preparation of this nature is significant to the individual and enables the individual to make maximum contribution to our economic society. Professional education academic programs are available in the areas of business, education, and the technologies. Pre-professional education provides a broad base of liberal arts and sciences oriented toward a profession requiring an academic program in addition to the two or four-year curriculum. These programs prepare students for further educational experiences in law, education, engineering, medicine, dentistry, veterinary, and agriculture.

Graduate Education

Graduate study is designed for the qualified student who desires to increase competence in a chosen field and who wants to broaden intellectual interests and abilities. It endeavors to develop judgment, deepen knowledge, and strengthen inclination to self-education. By guiding the student in the methods of advanced study and formal research, graduate education attempts to inculcate a respect for scholarship and to stimulate the proper use of the research and scholarship of others.

Continuing Studies, Community Services, and Research

The university attempts to serve individuals, business, industry, and the professions of this area by providing facilities and leadership. It organizes and promotes conferences, institutes, workshops, and credit or non-credit courses for professional development, cultural, and a vocational purposes. It affords cultural enrichment of the area through the sponsorship of lectures, musical and dramatic productions, art exhibits and workshops. It also encourages study and research by means of reduced teaching loads for research, faculty summer stipends for research, sabbatical leaves, and by providing space and facilities for research projects sponsored by agencies outside the university.