OUTLINE FOR PLAN TO BUILD AND SUSTAIN EXCELLENCE IN STRATEGIC PROGRAMMATIC
FOCUS AREA
Date: February 28, 2005
Name of Task Force/Programmatic Focus Area Arts and Culture
TASK FORCE MEMBERSHIP
Sponsor:
Eva Mendieta
Faculty Leader:
David Klamen
Community Person:
Myron Nidetz
Deans/Directors:
Patti Lundberg
Faculty Members:
Robin Hass Birky; Raoul Contreras; Mark Hoyert; Paul Kern; Steve McShane; Gary
Wilk; Jerry Taylor
I. Program Plan Focus
The goal of Arts and Culture as a general programmatic focus is to foster scholarship, discovery, creativity,
learning and service through IU Northwest’s rich variety of course, degree, and certificate offerings, research
activities and related initiatives and collaborations with the broader community we serve—a goal central to IU
Northwest’s Mission and Strategic Plans. Integral to the liberal arts and to the general education goals of IU
Northwest, a focus on arts and culture buttresses IU Northwest’s mission to “provide education leading to a
baccalaureate and selected graduate degrees in the liberal arts and sciences and selected professional disciplines”
with “faculty, staff, and administration …committed to excellence in learning, discovery, creativity…with an
emphasis on student learning.” At the same time, “we commit ourselves to academic excellence characterized by
a love of ideas and achievement in learning, discovery, creativity, and engagement” (Shared Vision and Strategic
Plan), actualized in the establishment of Cultural Discovery and Learning as an area of academic excellence and
creation of the Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning to foster collaborations and activities that serve and
explore the many cultures of the seven-county region.
The focus on arts and culture, encompassing but not exclusively centered in visual and performing arts, regional
history, creative writing, and the exploration of local, national, and global cultures and languages, provides an
important contribution to IU Northwest, which has established as one of its two areas of excellence, cultural
discovery and learning.
Currently, campus wide, there are approximately 100 majors in fine arts, with programs in painting, sculpture,
photography, printmaking, ceramics, and graphics design. Overall the arts and humanities have approximately
205 majors. Humanities majors include programs in English, History, Spanish, French, and Performing Arts.
Interdisciplinary programs include those in Women’s Studies, African-American Studies, Latino Studies, and a
number of interdepartmental majors. The Calumet Regional Archives has preserved a rich collection of unique
and irreplaceable historical records about the region and its many cultures. The only such repository based at a
Northwest Indiana university, the Archives’ holdings are especially strong in its photographic and written
histories of the importance of steel to the region. Starting in the fall, the new Cultural Resource Center will
facilitate the wider exploration of different cultures through the use of interactive media.
Cultural activities already in place include a wide variety of events that range from the celebration of the
diversities of human experience (Día de los Muertos, Black History Month, Vagina Monologues), to the
exploration of the history of our region (Steel Shavings, Gary Midtown Historic Tour), its literary creativity
(Spirits), to establishing connections with the wider world, to name but a few (International Affairs conversations,
Global Citizenship Group, Lectures on Race and Ethnicity). Art activities include performances at Theatre
Northwest, exhibits at the Gallery for Contemporary Art and Gallery Northwest, a partnership with Children’s Art
Institute. An array of research activities, faculty grants, and performances are also sponsored every year by the
Diversity Programming Group and the Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning.
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Potential for partnerships exist with Delta State University’s Delta Center for Culture and Learning, Northern
Indiana Arts Association and its Regional Arts Council, the Northwest Indiana Excellence in Theatre Foundation,
the Lubeznik Center for the Arts, and other community and Chicago area arts and cultural organizations. For
example, the Theatre program has historically invited outside directors to direct plays, and the Emerson Dance
Troupe will again perform in IUN’s dance concert. Jazz and ballet have been offered on a limited basis.
The contribution of the arts and culture to general education goals is critical. At the core of our many programs,
some unique to the region, are the analytical, cognitive, and expressive skills needed to assimilate and advance
knowledge. An education that emphasizes arts and culture focuses on an understanding of the human condition—
past and present—and of the world in which we live. It emphasizes a humanistic and esthetic appreciation of
cultural life in which intellect, logical processes, ethical perspectives, and problem solving are key. The strong
research and creative activities of our faculty encourage students toward a life of learning and reflection.
Intrinsic to a liberal education is preparing graduates to appreciate, contribute to, and thrive in a diverse, culturally
rich, technologic and scientifically advanced society with a compelling history, and a promising future, and a
capacity for transformation. Through our teaching, research, creative arts, and professional and community
service, we engage in the vitality of Northwest Indiana.
Evaluation mechanisms involve in some cases program accreditation from national accreditation institutions. In
all cases, departments go periodically through a process of self study that involves the evaluation of a team of
outside reviewers. Other measures of excellence include not only peer-reviewed publications, but also
recognitions from peers for faculty achievements, public reviews, exhibition publications, awards and grants.
Sustained excellence in the arts and culture focus area will require providing adequate facilities and personnel for
thriving existing programs such as Fine Arts, Performing Arts and the Calumet Regional Archives. Future growth
in this focus area will involve expanding our academic offering with programs such as a BFA with fine arts and
creative writing concentrations and eventually an MFA; a BA and post-baccalaureate certificate in Women’s
Studies, a BA in Anthropology, a Latino Studies interdepartmental major, a BFA in Creative Writing, and a
Master in Liberal Studies. In some cases, the proposed growth will necessarily require additional personnel.
II. Linkages of Arts and Culture Programmatic Focus to the IUN Strategic Plan
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Current program offerings include:
BA and minor in African American Studies, English, Fine Arts, Theatre, French, History, Philosophy, and
Spanish.
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Community Development and Urban Studies
AA and minor in Women’s Studies, Anthropology, Latino Studies, and in Race-Ethnic Studies
Pending post-baccalaureate certificates in Anthropology and Women’s Studies.
Minor in Creative Writing
BS in Arts Education
Interdepartmental majors in CIS and Fine Arts for Graphic Design, African American Studies and English,
African-American Studies and Communication
Service-learning courses; Internships and other experiential learning opportunities
General education goals for understanding the value of the past and the relationship of the past to the present and
future; recognizing the many diversities of human experience, including the variety of cultures within America
and across the world, and the many other ways in which communities are made up of diverse individuals;
appreciation of the arts, including literature, music, and the fine, applied, and performing arts
Distribution curriculum course requirements in studio arts or creative writing; and in the cultural experiences of
minority people in the US or Latin American or Non-Western cultures
Masters in Liberal Studies (pending)
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Current Initiatives include:
IUN Galleries, with two galleries mounting exhibitions all year
Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning “Visiting Faculty” Grants Program and Collaborations, such as
Public Art (Sculpture Garden, Klamen Murals, Campus Public Art Displays); Calumet Regional Archives and
English project on Steel Stories; Cultural Connections Exhibitions at Hammond Welcome Center
Calumet Regional Archives exhibits
IUN’s Theatre Northwest program, mounting a full season of theatre; Children’s Theater; Kennedy Center
American College Theatre Festival; Collaborations with High School Thespian Society
COAS Annual Student and Faculty Research Conference
Vagina Monologues benefit for shelters
Diversity Programming Events
Lectures on Race and Ethnicity; Northwest Indiana Environmental Justice Partnership and Northwest Indiana for
Social Justice; The Midtown (Gary) Historic Preservation Project
Black History Month; Women’s History Month; Martin Luther King Commemoration; Noche de Celebración
American Democracy Project; Global Citizenship Group; International Affairs programs; Overseas Studies
Program
Glen Park Conversations
Publications: Spirits, Phoenix, Steel Shavings
Mary Mahoney Lectures on Disparities in Health Care
Annual film series
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Proposed New Programs include:
BFA, MFA in Fine Arts
BA and BFA in Creative Writing
BA in Anthropology
Post-baccalaureate certificate in Spanish Translation
Concentration in Music
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Proposed Interdisciplinary Programs include:
Minor and Post-baccalaureate Library Science/COAS (labor studies, minority studies, modern languages,
history)/Calumet Regional Archives
Post-baccalaureate CIS/English/Communication certificate in publishing
Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Arts Administration, Fine Arts/SPEA
BA in Women’s Studies
Interdepartmental Majors: History and Latino Studies; Sociology and Latino Studies; Labor Studies and Latino
Studies, Music and African-American Studies, Spanish and Latino Studies
Minor and Post-baccalaureate certificate in Calumet Regional History
Interdepartmental Minor in Language Awareness Program
Concentration in Arts and Culture of the Region and Chicago area.
Urban Studies, BA and PBC
Proposed Initiatives include:
Collaboration with Gary for the development of an art community
Expand African American Studies Art & Culture dimension: IUN-Gary Afro American Choral Ensemble (Spring
2006), Black Student Union Campus-Community Newsletter, Minority Studies Hour (Local cable TV)
Visiting Scholars Program: artists, creative writers; playwrights, directors, humanities scholars, etc
Urban Studies collaborations/partnerships
Delta Center for Culture and Learning collaborations/partnerships
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Theatre Festival, Music Festivals
Program that leverages Chicago and NWI arts and culture opportunities
Online cultural resource center
University Park ecological park and botanical gardens
Potential partnerships with NWI Symphony and Chorus, community theatre troupe, dance group, music ensemble
Linkages to IUB International Affairs
Interdisciplinary Medieval Lecture Series
Possible collaboration with Arts Administration program (SPEA)
Contribution of Arts and Culture Programmatic focus to IU Mission Differentiation
IUN differentiates itself through strategic priorities in unique identity, campus climate, and pursuit of excellence.
a. Arts and Culture and Unique identity
IU Northwest is unique in its role as an Indiana University institution of higher learning serving seven
counties over one thousand square miles. Further, its uniqueness resides in its strategic focus on two areas
of academic excellence, cultural discovery and learning, and sustainable regional vitality, and in its
commitment to diversity as a critical component of academic excellence. IUN is the only regional
university with a Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning, with a mission to facilitate the academic
work of the arts and culture disciplines in promoting discovery, scholarship, creativity, learning, and
service to our communities. The Center, with an independent governing Board of campus and community
members to provide direction and create partnerships, is unique in the region. The Calumet Regional
Archives is one of the richest resources for the history and culture of steelmaking in the nation,
including immigration/migration to the area and the establishment of organized labor in the Chicago
district. The Archives' collections also trace the parallel trend of the rise of environmentalism in this
heavily industrialized region. Decades of collaborations between the Calumet Regional Archives and the
IUN History department has resulted in the creation of a collection of unique publications that document
the rich history of and life in the Calumet region.
No other regional public university in the region can claim a baccalaureate in fine arts, with two galleries
offering multidisciplinary art exhibitions each year. No other regional public university in the region can
claim an academic theatre program nor degrees in Women’s Studies, Latino Studies or Anthropology.
Founded in 1968, IUN’s BA in African American Studies was one of the first baccalaureate programs in
African American Studies in the nation; the Latino Studies program has already reached its 25th
anniversary. In 2002, IUN began a unique in the region four year Anthropology track within the BA
Sociology program, which has already attracted 20 majors. IUN Women’s Studies program was founded
in 1988. In 2001, IUN was the first alternative satellite campus to host the all campus Women’s Studies
Undergraduate Research Conference, with more than 100 participants form six other IU campuses.
IUN has funded a rich program in free, public events focused on diversity, drawing speakers, performers
and artists of national prominence throughout the academic year. Our programmatic focus and cocurricular initiatives in arts and culture meet mission differentiation goals by proposing viable masters
degree programs (MFA, MLS) and conversion of AA degrees of critical importance into BA degrees
(Women’s Studies, Latino Studies). Further, the arts and culture area focus fosters cross-disciplinary and
strong cooperative educational and cultural opportunities for students, faculty, and community. No other
public institution of higher learning in our region can offer such an integrated programmatic focus with
such a rich array of opportunities.
b. Arts and Culture and Diversity Priorities of IUN:
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IUN differentiates itself by advocating diversity as a critical component of academic excellence. Academic
programs such as Minority studies, Modern Languages and Women’s Studies are academic cornerstones in IUN’s
strong commitment to promote the understanding and acceptance of diversity among humans, beginning with
individual difference and proceeding to such characteristics as race and ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation,
religion, physical and learning ability, class and other socioeconomic factors. IUN’s commitment to the study of
various languages and cultures, and the significance of gender helps create graduates who have access to other
ways of looking at the world. This experience provides an intellectual tool and a means to broaden cultural
awareness, to foster dialogue and understanding, and to gain an appreciation for cultural diversity. Minority
Studies, Modern Languages and Women’s studies faculty actively participate and contribute to campus events and
performances that go well beyond the scope of the classroom and significantly contribute to create a campus
climate that values diversity and encourages the study of culture. Beyond specific academic programs, the Center
for Cultural Discovery and Learning has established itself as a locus of exploration of the diversity of the human
experience, with special emphasis on regional cultures.
c. Arts and Culture and Campus Climate:
IUN’s priorities for diversity and campus climate conducive to lifelong learning includes goals to expand cocurricular and academic opportunities in arts and culture, designed to enhance our overall quality of life--through
student life programs such as the creative writing and arts annual Spirits and the student newspaper Phoenix;
through its exhibits at the art galleries, Calumet Regional Archives and library; through theatre offerings and
diversity programming--among other initiatives. Aligned with degree programs are initiatives such as Minority
Studies outreach (Noche de Celebración, Black History Month), Steel Shavings, gardens with botanical signage
and plans for botanical garden designation, continued restoration of prairie and wetlands project, and other cross
disciplinary and collaborative efforts. A major proposed initiative involves a multimillion dollar investment in
facilities for sustained excellence in arts and culture.
d. Arts and Culture and Pursuit of Excellence:
Arts and Culture programs are the core of Cultural Discovery and Learning, one of IUN’s two designated areas of
excellence.
Arts and Culture support of Strategic Outcomes:
Arts and Culture is an integral component in IUN’s successful completion of the eight (8) Strategic Outcomes:
while the specific curricula and programs that comprise this area necessarily address the pedagogical and
cognitive nature of the first four outcomes, enhancing existent offerings and building collaborative and innovative
ones will successfully guide us in our move toward the latter four.
Outcome 1: The programs and curricula addressed in the previous sections manifest and foster a full sense of
academic excellence defined by a love of ideas and achievement and engagement in learning, scholarship,
discovery, creativity, and service.
Outcome 2: The curricula and programs incorporate teaching and learning experiences that will prepare our
graduates for lifelong learning, ethical practices, successful careers, and effective citizenship, including as they do
a range of artistic and creative components that embrace the myriad of learning styles, creative endeavors, and
cultural constructions of knowledge comprising our existence. Such an education enlarges our cognitive and
behavioral capacity for lifelong learning and performance as citizens.
Outcome 3: Building strong curricula and programs and recognizing the variant types of excellence that exist and
that we can foster necessitates valuing and respecting the individuals who learn, teach, and work in this
environment as well as valuing and respecting the individual and collective nature of their aspirations and growth.
Outcome 4: Rather than focusing on one type of artistic or cultural perspective, the Arts and Culture
programmatic focus recognizes the rich diversity of human experience, creativity, and knowledge; therefore, this
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focus has at its heart a commitment to diversity that will influence our academic programs, recruitment and
retention of campus constituents, and employment practices and professional development. A commitment to
diverse learning and creativity as well as diverse cultures creates a deeply rooted climate of inclusion.
Outcome 5: Fiscally responsible and flexible, the collaboration and interdisciplinary nature of this programmatic
focus capitalizes on existing resources and strengths, and the areas of growth indicated here seek new
opportunities for programs and their funding in support of the Vision.
Outcome 6: Arts and Culture falls within the parameters of the area of excellence designated as “cultural
discovery and learning,” therefore allocating resources to sustain and grow curricula, programs, and services in
the area of Arts and Culture partially fulfills this outcome.
Outcome 7: All of the programs and services discussed above focus on student-centered principles, meeting the
needs of and expanding the cognitive horizons and abilities of our student population through innovative,
collaborative pedagogies, curricula, and services.
Outcome 8: Extending the Arts and Culture initiatives and focus into the surrounding seven counties, IUN will
offer courses, degrees, and programs that will meet the needs and interests of the various populations who reside
and work in these regions.
Alignment with Quality of Life Indicators
Richard Florida, a renowned urban planning academic, has long focused on a city’s ability to revitalize itself
through its vibrant arts and cultural opportunities, attracting a creative workforce. Gary is poised to become just
such a community, with development opportunities for downtown apartments and lofts close to the South Shore
line, offering an economical and diverse community in which to live and work, one made vibrant with a hip music
scene and a plentitude of fine and performing arts and other cultural opportunities in the three counties close to
Lake Michigan: Lake, Porter, and LaPorte. It is conceivable that Gary can become as much an economically,
racially, and culturally diverse a community as Wicker Park in Chicago.
Alignment with Student Centered Principles:
Directly impacts principle number seven which emphasizes student well-being through offerings in discovery,
learning, enrichment in arts and culture. In addressing principle number eight, this collaborative cross-disciplinary
focus will provide a wide variety of opportunities for students to be involved in campus life and enrichment
activities that will broaden their educational experiences.
III. Structure of the Programmatic Focus
“Arts and Culture” is not only defined by our degree programs, but also by various focuses and activities that
spread across much of the university. Clearly, some academic programs are solidly “Arts and Culture,” yet
creating and sustaining a thriving Arts and Culture program at IUN means an openness to the history of the region
and capitalizing on the particular strengths of our campus. Because of this, it is not possible to find a single
model for our consideration of “best practices.” Instead, various areas on campus can be compared to various
national models that highlight our current strengths and identify weaknesses.
The Fine Arts Department considers IU Bloomington’s, and IU Southeast’s BFA programs examples of
what facility upgrades and faculty additions may put us on stable ground. However, IUN has some
considerable differences/strengths from other IU campuses. Because of our proximity to Chicago and our
faculty’s research activities, IUN’s Fine Arts department has taken a progressive direction on curriculum
and considers the University of Illinois as a fitting academic model. IUN Fine Arts faculty members
exhibit internationally, have works in the most prestigious museum collections, have completed
nationally visible public commissions, and are engaged with the visual and aesthetic history of Gary, yet
they have no research facilities and inadequate student facilities. The IUN Fine Arts Department has no
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regional competition from other public universities and has grown from 7-9 majors in 1980 to
approximately 100 without adding a single full-time studio faculty member. The still-growing demand
for Fine Arts courses exceeds our facilities and faculty and leaves us currently unable to serve an eager
body of prospective students. Additionally, IUN has Indiana’s most diverse population and brings
valuable multicultural opportunities to our campus. These factors, coupled with the still-growing demand
for Fine Arts offerings helps to delineate what aspects of our Arts programming needs support.
The Performing Arts Department looks to Indiana University- Purdue University Fort Wayne and the
School of Visual and Performing Arts as a model of an IU campus with excellent facilities and faculty.
The IUN Performing Arts Department has no regional competition from other public universities. Our
proximity to Chicago enhances the quality of our production emphasis. The Performing Arts Department
serves a diverse population and annually brings 10,000 to 15,000 community members to IUN through its
ambitious schedule of performances, workshops, and seminars. The theatre faculty and students have
received awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for their production work.
This productivity and recognition has come despite inadequate staffing and facilities. The play
production component of the theatre degree places great time demands (outside the classroom contact
hours) on the faculty and staff in the program. Additional faculty and staff are needed to provide the
students with these important production (lab) experiences. Most of the local high schools have facilities
and equipment far superior to those found in the Tamarack Hall theatre space. A state-of-the-art theatre
(300-400 seats), “black box” student theatre (150 seats), scene shop, music recital hall (300-500 seats), a
1200 seat concert hall, rehearsal studios, design studios, dance studios and music practice rooms would
greatly enhance the quality of our production work and our ability to recruit students to the program. It
would also permit the expanding of performing arts programming in areas such as music without draining
resources from the already existing theatre degree program. A large concert hall would encourage the
Northwest Indiana Symphony and other organizations to perform on campus.
The Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning will work with the Arts and Culture focus area in many
ways. The Center’s mission is to foster scholarship, research, creativity, learning, and community
partnerships that explores and tells the story of our regional cultures through diverse perspectives and
forms of expression. In addition to the Center’s Visiting Fellows project that awards grants to IUN faculty
each year, the Center will promote the work of faculty and academic units working in cultural discovery
and learning by seeking grants and other resources, including partnerships with community groups. Its
goals include fostering interdisciplinary studies; securing funding for an external Visiting Scholars/Artists
program for faculty in arts and culture that will be housed in academic disciplines but doing research in
the Center; an online cultural resource center and clearinghouse for cultural events; public art projects;
diversity programming events; the Children’s Art Institute; partnerships with visual and performing arts
groups and cultural groups in the region; and, building “architecturally significant” facilities to house fine
and performing arts studios, classrooms, concert space, the Calumet Regional Archives, ethnic and other
cultural centers, versatile exhibition and meeting spaces, state of the art technology, versatile space for
receptions and other public gatherings, and links to botanical gardens and restored wetlands and prairies.
The mission of the Calumet Regional Archives is to collect, preserve, and make available records from
organizations and individuals to document the history of Indiana's Calumet Region for use by students,
scholars, and the general public. Archives collections provide information on the history of the arts and
music; African-Americans, Latinos, and other ethnic groups; education; environmentalism; health;
industry (particularly the steel industry); labor; politics; recreation; women; and many additional topics
pertinent to the history of northwest Indiana.
Regional archival repositories exist throughout the United States. Some of the best examples are the Earl
Hayter Regional History Center at Northern Illinois University, the Urban Archives at Temple University,
and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Area Research Centers network. On campuses where the
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archives is tied into a program, the Public History model is often used, offering courses in archives
management, museum studies, and oral history, along with internships and practica in the campus
archives or local respositories, such as those used in the Public History major at IUPUI.
A good example of a minor program is the Minor in Archival Studies and Community Documentation at
Brooklyn College, part of the CUNY system. It includes courses in archival management, oral history,
and two internships, along with coursework in topics such as urban anthropology and the history of New
York City. At IUN, a similar minor could be offered in Calumet regional history, such as an
interdisciplinary local history minor consisting of archives management, oral history, internships in the
Calumet Regional Archives, a local history course (such as the current History of Indiana and others) and
appropriate courses from other relevant disciplines, such as Minority Studies, English, Communications,
and Labor Studies. Specific requirements will be tailored to the specific interests of the student.
Because “humanities and culture” encompass a broad range of disciplines, isolating “best practices” in
terms of specific degree programs is difficult at best. We can, however, locate more general concepts and
practices that we should follow as we examine the programs and initiatives highlighted in former sections
of this document. In a 2003 address to the council of College of Arts and Sciences Deans, President
Herbert states, “We must participate in efforts to transform our society as it evolves in the face of rapidly
changing economic and social realities, increasingly generated by significant changes at a global level,”
and he asserts that colleges of arts and sciences are the “places where we join with our students in
conserving, transmitting, questioning, and transforming the values of this society.” Citing the Carnegie
Challenge 2000: Liberal Arts Education for a Global Society and Martha Nussbaum’s Cultivating
Humanity (two additional sources for best practices), Herbert points to four key elements of a liberal
education, which we can use to examine our specific programs in the humanities and culture area:
“global understanding, citizenship, and community engagement, preparation for a 21st-century knowledge
economy and enlightenment about the human condition.” The humanities, specifically represented by
History, Modern Languages, Minority Studies, English and Women’s Studies, remain fundamental to any
focus on culture IUN seeks to develop. In particular, students need a sense of regional, national, and
global history; a deep awareness and knowledge of the global nature and use of dialects and languages; a
knowledge, respect for, and appreciation of the rich cultural and ethnic diversity that comprises our
human existence; an understanding and awareness of the profound effect variant literatures have in
exploring the human condition; and the ability to examine that condition through the lens of race, class,
and gender. Another source we can use to examine our humanities offerings is the Association of
American Universities’ Reinvigorating the Humanities: Enhancing Research and Education on Campus
and Beyond, which includes ten specific recommendations related to humanities teaching, scholarship,
and outreach and exemplary “successful practices” from universities in support of each recommendation.
The English Department can look to nationally ranked undergraduate Creative Writing programs such as
those at the University of Michigan, the University of Denver, and Bowling Green University for best
practices. The English Department presently offers 5 courses in creative writing (3 undergraduate and 2
graduate) taught by a tenured member of the Department and by two professional writers from the region.
In their Exit Interviews, students frequently request the addition of variant writing courses,
publishing/editing courses, and creative writing courses. In comparison to the best practices of other
programs, the IUN English Department offers courses similar to those required for a BFA in these strong
programs, and we have a student literary publication as do most BFA programs (Spirits); however, these
programs have a larger number of faculty who specifically teach creative writing, the various areas of
creative writing upon which those faculty focus is greater, and they offer visiting writer series or courses.
Thus, to develop a BFA in Creative Writing according to best practices, the English Department would
need to hire additional faculty specializing in creative writing to provide a broader focus on genres of
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fiction writing, to offer courses on editing and publishing creative writing, and to develop a visiting writer
component.
IUN currently has a number of faculty teaching and researching in linguistics-related areas: two in
Modern Languages, one in Anthropology, one in English, and two in Psychology. Building on the
linguistic, sociolinguistic, cultural, and anthropological expertise and courses currently offered as well as
the forthcoming Cultural Resource Center, we can form an interdisciplinary minor in Language
Awareness or Linguistics following the best practices of the North Carolina State University model, a
nationally recognized program that requires only five (5) courses in areas that we currently offer or in
which our faculty have the expertise to teach: introduction to linguistics, grammar, history of the English
language, dialects of American English, dialectology and second language acquisition, sociolinguistics,
and anthropological linguistics. In addition to consulting the best practices of a program like North
Carolina State, we would need to examine the research on language awareness curricula, a pedagogical
approach that develops an understanding of how language works in society as well as concepts addressed
in first and second dialect and language instruction. Not only does such a program meet the specific needs
of the diverse population of Northwest Indiana, a population that speaks a myriad of dialects and
languages, but it would also represent a unique offering to the region.
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Faculty and staff needs not met
Regional History: another faculty line for American History is critical.
Latino Studies interdepartmental major: Latino Studies faculty line with a concentration in culture and the
humanities.
Calumet Regional Archives: additional staff necessary to sustain appropriate maintenance and growth.
BFA: graphic design and studio faculty.
BFA in Creative Writing: fiction/non-fiction faculty.
BA in Anthropology: another faculty line.
Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning: staffing capacity for grantsmanship and partnerships.
Performing Arts: another faculty line for acting and directing; staff costume lab supervisor
IV. Process to Sustain Excellence
A. Facilities Needed
 Research space and equipment for faculty in Fine and Performing Arts and additional studio space to meet current
needs of Fine Arts and Performing Arts students.
 New additional space to meet the growth of the Calumet Regional Archives.
 Immediate Transitional Fine Arts studio and Performing Arts facilities and equipment to meet our current demand
until we can get a new permanent facility. $10 million dollar investment in Tamarack Hall. Alternatively, a new
cultural and arts building housing Calumet Regional Archives, arts and humanities programs, and co-curricular
programs, costing ~$30 million.
 The Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning’s growth is currently limited by physical (1 ½ carrels) and
personnel constraints (only an executive director and half a program assistant).
B. Budget, Grants, Faculty Development
 The budget will be tied to the feasibility studies.
 Faculty from the various disciplines in Arts and Culture will work with the sponsored programs office and the
Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning to secure focus specific funding.
 New opportunity exists for grants through the IU New Frontiers in the Arts and Humanities Programs.
C. Assessment
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Systematic plan of ongoing evaluation for continuous improvement based on measurable criteria of “excellence”
(to be developed by Outcome 6 committee 2005)
Evaluation should include input from students, faculty, alumni and external constituents; evaluation may take the
form of periodical self-study processes that include the visit of outside reviewers.
Program accreditation by applicable state and national accrediting bodies.
Arts and Culture programs are already a focus of the Center for Cultural Discovery and Learning, which has a
governing board and established goals and evaluation criteria.
Normal program prioritization review process
V. Next Step in Implementation and Communication
A needs assessment should be conducted to determine the need for the MFA, the BFA in Fine Arts and Creative
Writing, the BA in Women’s Studies and Anthropology, and the Latino Studies interdepartmental major.
The aforementioned programs need to go through the process described in Outcome #5 which states, “The
program prioritization process will have established a way to address introduction of new programs. . .”
Aggressively market the focus of Arts and Culture
Group offerings in the Bulletin under Arts and Culture