About Us

A large college with a family feel

Who We Are

The College of Liberal Arts is a community of arts, humanities, and social science scholars who study the cultural, social, environmental, and historical context in which we live, and examine what it means to be human.

Our students and faculty share a commitment to the well-being of the human community, the natural environment in which we live, and to the inspiration of the human spirit.

Departments
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Our Mission

Through our research and scholarship, we add to the world’s body of knowledge and artistry. This provides a comprehensive liberal arts education so that students can navigate their individual and communal paths through the human experience.

Our Vision

Central to every CSU student's collegiate experience, the College of Liberal Arts aspires to play a leading role in our University's distinctive 21st century land-grant mission.

Our Values

As a College, where our disciplines help us learn to appreciate and integrate the dichotomies in life, we value

  • Research and scholarship, which develops wisdom
  • Learning that is continuous, interactive, and cooperative
  • Empathy to understand others
  • Active engagement with our communities and the world
  • Equity of access

By The Numbers

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
6,+
MAJORS
CONCENTRATIONS
MINORS
GRADUATE STUDENTS
+
GRADUATE & PHD PROGRAMS
FACULTY MEMBERS
+
ALUMNI
+

Strategic Plan

The College of Liberal Arts strategic plan is our shared mission until 2021 and was generated from plans submitted by each department, with input from the dean’s office leadership team.

The strategic plan has three pillars that inform the College’s direction and decisions:

  • Purposeful learning
  • Impactful scholarship
  • Meaningful engagement
Read the strategic plan overview
Students raise their hands in participation at a Center for Public Deliberation event

Diversity Plan

GOAL 1: Improve recruitment and retention of traditionally marginalized faculty

Actively support efforts to increase recruitment and retention of faculty from marginalized and excluded populations in the College of Liberal Arts.

  • Identify departments that will participate in the “cluster hire” of 3-5 faculty in pursuit of diversity and inclusion. Under the leadership of Senior Associate Dean Bernasek, departments who participate in the cluster hire will collaborate on developing best practices in search processes, work together to create job descriptions and job ads, develop plans to encourage collaboration among faculty in research and teaching, and provide intentional mentorship with an eye towards retention.
  • In required application materials, ask applicants to include a statement of how they have and will contribute to diversity and inclusion efforts.
  • Include in job qualifications for Tenure Track hires intentional statements about department goals with respect to diversity and inclusion.
  • Establish a faculty mentoring program within the college and, in conjunction with campus partners, plug into or create affinity groups.

 

GOAL 2: Improve retention of marginalized students

Actively support efforts to increase retention of students from marginalized and excluded populations in the College of Liberal Arts by improving cultural climate.

  • Continue to work with faculty and ASCs in departments on awareness and mitigation of achievement gaps for underrepresented students.
  • Encourage and incentivize participation in professional development opportunities such as the Faculty Institute for Inclusive Excellence and the Creating Inclusive Excellence Programs.
  • Implement workshops to enable discussions and provide resources about how to enhance the learning environment from an inclusive and intersectional perspective.

 

GOAL 3: Create college-level Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

Create 50% college-level position to coordinate efforts for faculty recruitment and retention and inclusive pedagogy and practices.

  • Write the position description by Fall 2018.
  • Conduct the search during the Fall 2018 semester.
  • Hire the Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusion for Spring 2019.

History of the College

Colorado State University’s College of Liberal Arts has existed under its current name and structure since 1992, but the liberal arts have been essential to the University since its first class in 1880. Read more about the history of the College and how we continue to advance the human experience.

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