Other Academic Unit Guidelines
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Goals and Mission of the College
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Mission Statement of the College
The College educates and fosters creative and responsible individuals to study, understand, design and enrich the built environment.
The College supports research, disseminates knowledge and collaborates with communities and public organizations.
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College Goals
- Offer a broad range of academic experiences and preparation for careers in the environmental design professions and their allied fields.
- Promote faculty and student research and creative activities within a vibrant intellectual environment.
- Serve the communities of Northeast Ohio and beyond.
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College Objectives
- Create an academic environment that promotes intellectual and professional development.
- Develop and maintain a commitment to excellence in teaching.
- Foster an environment that supports critical scholarship and creative activity.
- Provide programs and courses which meet the educational and technological demands of disciplines represented in the College.
- Develop and maintain public outreach.
- Expand awareness, understanding and direct experience of world cultures.
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Organization of the Academic Program
The College offers undergraduate programs in Architecture, Interior Design, Architectural Studies, and graduate programs in Architecture and Urban Design.
The graduate programs in the College culminate in an accredited Professional Master of Architecture, a post-professional Master of Architecture, a Master of Urban Design, and dual degree programs in business and urban design.
The following Mission Statements represent each of the four areas of study within the College:
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Architecture Program Mission Statement
The Architecture Program at the University enables students to acquire and apply knowledge that contributes to the betterment of our physical environments. Within a balanced curriculum of technology, visualization, history, theory and design studio coursework, the program offers a platform for scholarship, constructive discourse and debate. Northeast Ohio’s rich history and dynamic urban landscape serve as a setting for academic learning and the study of “real world” conditions. By placing equal emphasis on the poetics and pragmatics of construction and design, the curriculum inspires experimentation, collaboration, discovery, critical thinking and innovation. The program fosters academic excellence and prepares students to be responsible and accomplished architectural professionals.
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Interior Design Program Mission Statement
The Interior Design Program at the University is dedicated to the understanding, development, and improvement of the physical environment and the protection of the public.
To support this mission, the Interior Design program seeks to promote the following goals and objectives.
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Goals
- Foster intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, and professional responsibility through a multidisciplinary approach.
- Promote an open dialogue of ideas, critiques and diversity of views in the educational process.
- Promote excellence through rigor in academics.
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Objectives
- Encourage exploration to examine and solve situations affecting individuals and environments physically, socially and psychologically.
- Develop an accountability of the global impact of professional practice on resources and on social and cultural systems.
- Promote collaboration with other disciplines locally, regionally, and globally.
- Support the mission of the University and the College.
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Architectural Studies Program Mission Statement
The Architectural Studies [ARCS] Program offers a liberal arts based education on the current trends of design-related studies by linking contemporary architecture practice and theory to knowledge of urbanism, environmentalism, literature, media, cultural theory, art, science and technology, as well as philosophy, economics and political science. The program, which leads to a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies, prepares graduates to seek employment in the construction and development industries, develop careers in cultural theory or pursue a three-year graduate professional program in architecture, as well as a variety of other professional programs in areas such as landscape architecture, urban planning, law, and business.
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Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative
The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) is the combined home of the College’s graduate program in urban design and the public service and research activities of the CUDC. The graduate program offers a professional degree in architecture with a focus on urban design, as well as a Master’s of Urban Design for students with a prior professional qualification in a design discipline. Certificate programs are also available.
The CUDC is a community service and research organization with a professional staff of designers committed to improving the quality of urban places through technical design assistance, research and advocacy. Supported by the Ohio Board of Regents' Urban University Program and the College, the CUDC offers architectural and urban design expertise in the service of urban communities, design professionals, and the planning and public policy work of the state universities in Akron, Youngstown and Cleveland.
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Student Advising, Conduct, Privacy and Academic Complaints
Students, both undergraduate and graduate, and their academic needs are of primary importance to the College and the Faculty. Students may be requested to participate as non-voting members in the College’s standing and ad hoc committees where students' viewpoints are useful and appropriate. Student appointments to committees are made by the Chair of the respective committee in consultation with the Associate/Assistant Dean(s) for Program(s) and the Faculty members involved in and affected by a specific committee's work. All student appointments to College committees are reviewed and approved by the Dean.
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Advising
General advising at the undergraduate level is provided through the Office of Academic Advising Services (OAAS). Student advising is undertaken by the Advisors assigned by OAAS for each program within the College.
Faculty members are expected to counsel undergraduate and graduate students on the nature of the academic programs within the College. Faculty members should be prepared to provide guidance and insight on coursework, the value of academic and professional preparation, and the overall structure and organization of their specific undergraduate or graduate programs.
The primary responsibility of the graduate faculty is to ensure that the requirements of the specific graduate degree program are met. Graduate faculty members may be asked by a graduate student to direct his/her Master’s thesis or capstone project. The Graduate faculty member then notifies the Graduate Coordinator of his/her agreement to serve who in turn notifies the Associate/Assistant Dean(s) for Program(s). The Advisor, in conjunction with the thesis or capstone committee and studio faculty member, supervises the student in the direction and completion of the research, written thesis or capstone project.
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Student Academic Misconduct
University’s Administrative policy regarding student cheating and plagiarism is included in the University Policy Register. (See, University Policy Register 3342-3-01.8)
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Student Grievances and Academic Complaints
The University’s policies and procedures which govern student grievances and student academic complaints are included in the University Policy Register. (See, University Policy Register 3342-4-02.102, 3342-02-3 and 3342-8-01.4)
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Transfer Credit
The Associate/Assistant Dean(s) for Program(s) is responsible for the evaluation of undergraduate transfer credit and may consult with a Faculty member who teaches the specific course or courses at issue. Questions of transfer credit for other subject areas should be referred to the College office.
Graduate transfer credit is evaluated according to the process described in the current Graduate Catalog. Graduate transfer credit may be accepted if the criteria are met and the Graduate Coordinator, Graduate Studies Committee, and the Associate/Assistant Dean(s) for the Program(s) approve the transfer credit
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Privacy of Student Records
The Associate Dean in coordination with the Associate/Assistant Dean(s) for Program(s) is responsible for ensuring that all Faculty and staff of the College comply with all laws and University Policies which govern the privacy of student education records, including but not limited to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).
These regulations require, among other things, that all Faculty members keep thorough academic records and forbid the posting of grades by name, social security number or any other system which might identify a student with her/his education record. For further information, contact the University’s Office of Legal Affairs.
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Student Evaluations
All courses are evaluated each semester, including summer sessions, using the approved Student Survey of Instruction (SSI). Faculty members are provided by the College staff the packet of SSI evaluation materials two (2) weeks prior to the end of classes. A student volunteer within each class administers the SSIs according to the printed directions on the envelope, and submits the sealed and signed envelope to the assigned staff person in the appropriate program. Under no circumstances are Faculty members able to view or influence the evaluation process. Violations of this policy must be reported to the Dean and the Dean shall enter a written record of the violation into the Faculty member’s personnel file. This record shall be taken into consideration in all reappointment, tenure, promotion, and - Faculty Excellence Awards decisions.
The Dean’s Administrative Assistant arranges for the appropriate scoring of SSIs according to the approved group norms for the various programs. SSIs are not available to individual Faculty members until after grades are submitted to the Registrar. SSIs and the results are maintained in the Dean’s office with copies distributed to the Faculty member in a timely manner for review.
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