Executive Summary of the Art Department Review (Fall 2014)
The Art Department was reviewed by two external reviewers—both art professors—and one internal reviewer from another discipline. Together they looked at a number of significant factors related to the department, including learning outcomes, syllabi, enrolment numbers, student surveys, and many other things. They also met with every member of the department, a number of art students, the dean, the provost, and other relevant party members. Their review was very thorough.
The report was very positive. It praised the department for its excellent instruction and administration of the program. It highlighted the strong relationship the department has developed with the local art community for the benefit of its students. It appreciated the development of the new and energetic Art Students Group (Learning Community). It also noted that the department is functioning well and has a solid foundation for continued improvement.
The report made a number of recommendations: to hire another tenure track faculty member in the department; to make some minor adjustments to several courses; to add some new courses; to collaborate with the new Media Studies Program in developing courses; to address some maintenance needs in the art studio; to build on the strong engagement with the local arts community; to develop the website and publicity for the program; and to seek new grant/funding opportunities.
The department’s response to these suggestions was very positive. Taking into account the resources available, they plan to implement most of the recommendations within the next couple of years. Hiring an additional faculty member and adding a lot of new courses are not completely feasible at the moment.
