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PROMOTE A CULTURE OF RESEARCH, INQUIRY, & DISCOVERY

As one of a small number of “research colleges,” Smith combines the teaching mission of an undergraduate liberal arts college with a vigorous research culture. This research culture is evident in the awards and honors bestowed on faculty, the volume of sponsored research on campus, and the production of scholarly publications and other creative works. Students throughout the college’s academic programs are engaged in independent research, in assisting faculty research, participating in community-based learning projects, and excelling at the performing and visual arts. Students in the engineering program work collaboratively on design teams to address real problems.

Smith is well-positioned to distinguish itself by integrating inquiry-based learning into teaching and the curriculum. Through research, creative endeavors, and performance arts, the college emphasizes the importance of original intellectual contributions. Students and faculty apply their knowledge and skills to problems and issues, formulating questions and analyzing arguments and results. We see these experiences, including the mentor-student relationship, as essential to our liberal arts mission. Through them, students develop the critical capacities they need to be successful in their academic, professional, and personal pursuits.

Smith has the potential to continue to educate outstanding thinkers and problem solvers if it is willing to invest further in research and student-faculty collaboration. We can involve our students more broadly and extensively in research, making it a focal point of our curriculum. Currently, there are substantial contrasts across the divisions in the availability of research opportunities, and our current honors and independent study options may not be serving our students as well as they might. We should consider a variety of experiences, such as hands-on projects in classes, opportunities for student-faculty and peer interactions, and connections to community service.

Areas for Exploration

	How well do we support faculty and student research at Smith and how well do we recognize research or inquiry-based learning on campus?
	How do Smith faculty in various divisions or departments view research and inquiry-based learning opportunities available to students?
	How do the research opportunities available to Smith students compare to the opportunities for undergraduates at other colleges and universities?
	How do research opportunities at the undergraduate level change the academic experience and career choices of students?
	How do current levels of staffing and types of facilities and equipment provided support or limit our research efforts?
	What emerging opportunities in academic and administrative technology should the college pursue to ensure that capabilities in this area maintain pace with changing needs?

Potential Strategies Emerging from Campus and Alumnae Discussions

	Require every student to complete an independent project at some point in her junior or senior year.
	Require every major to have an integrative experience.
	Broaden student engagement with research and independent work earlier in their college careers by expanding STRIDE-like opportunities to more students.
	Create opportunities for students to work on research teams, utilizing alumnae networks where possible.
	Identify curricular initiatives and structures that promote inquiry-based learning and increase faculty-student interaction, either one-on-one or in small groups.
	Identify shorter-term research experiences for students in their first two years at Smith to build skills in preparation for larger projects in their majors.
	Create explicit links between research projects and community-based service projects.

	Next: Encourage Purposeful Engagement with Society’s Challenges >

The Planning Process

Re-imagining the
Liberal Arts at Smith

Strategic Directions

Strengthen essential student capacities

Promote a culture of research, inquiry,
& discovery

Encourage purposeful engagement with society’s challenges

Deepen students’ awareness &
appreciation of
other cultures &
global issues

Prepare women for rewarding lives in a rapidly changing world

Support & promote environmental sustainability

Open doors to
women of promise

Extend Smith’s
impact on the world

Committee on
Mission & Priorities