The mission statement and objectives are a result of a three-year process from 2001 to 2004. Through meetings and retreats, the following strategic was developed through discussion, deliberation and input from faculty, students, staff and alumni. The department is currently working on a three-year implementation plan as we work to make the mission statement and objectives a reality.
Mission Statement
The Asian American Studies Department’s mission is to:
- promote student learning and intellectual growth, including the development of problem-solving skills and habits of life-long education
- stimulate professional growth and development among its faculty in all areas of teaching, research and scholarship, creative work, and community service
- foster the creation of a professional community among all faculty and staff
- grow as a resource center combining critical research and community involvement
- enhance and empower Asian/Pacific Islander communities in the San Fernando Valley and beyond in the contexts of globalization and transnationalism; and,
- highlight relevant social, economic, political, legal, and cultural issues within these existing and emerging communities.
The Department particularly aspires to be a leading force through its students, staff and faculty in promoting innovative scholarship, teaching, and service learning activities that fully utilize the range of today’s technological resources in promoting educational equity, diversity and inclusiveness and in addressing the changing needs and concerns of API communities.
Program Goals
In light of this mission, we hereby adopt the following program goals for students, faculty, the department, and the larger API communities:
Students
- To achieve and advance student learning outcomes
- To establish an academic advisement program and provide strategic exit plans for students
- To build a diversity of student organizations and a collectivization of studení organizations
- To participate in Study Abroad Programs
Teaching, Research and Scholarship
- To enhance pedagogy and methods of teaching
- To provide support for innovative research and cutting-edge scholarship
- To participate in K-12 teacher training projects
Community
- To improve access for low-income, first-generation, and/or transfer students
- To build and enhance service learning and community service
- To become a resource center for the API communities on and off-campus
Department
- To increase enrollment and build the major/minor and an MA Program
- To create a nurturing environment for faculty and staf
- fTo enhance faculty and student relationship through institutionalized activities and programs
- To foster interdepartmental as well as extramural collaborations and projects