GENERAL
INFORMATION
1. A Short History of American University
American
University was established in the District of Columbia by an Act
of Congress approved on February 24, 1893, primarily as a result
of the efforts of Methodist Bishop John Fletcher Hurst (1834‑1903).
Bishop
Hurst and his colleagues were concerned with building an institution
that would meld the strengths of the German universities with
the strengths of the existing university system in America.
As their plans developed during the early years, they began
to conceive of American University as:
• a privately‑supported university financed principally by
the membership of the churches of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
which had founded many colleges and universities in the early
years of American history;
• an internationally-minded institution where scholars from across
the nation and throughout the world would gather to dedicate their
combined efforts to advance and disseminate
knowledge; a center of higher education and research activities
which, while independent of the
government, would draw freely on the intellectual and scientific
resources of the nation's capital
to supplement and extend its own capabilities;
• an institution which would contribute to the general cultural
life and development of the Capital in much the same manner that
state‑supported universities in other world capitals contributed
to their communities.
After
more than two decades devoted principally to securing financial
support, the University was officially dedicated on May 15, 1914. The first instruction began on October 6 of
that year, when twenty‑eight students were enrolled (nineteen
of them graduate students, nine of them special students who were
not candidates for a degree).
The First Annual Commencement, at which no degrees were
awarded, was held on June 2, 1915.
The Second Annual Commencement was held on June 2, 1916,
and the first degrees (one master's degree and two doctor's degrees)
were awarded.
During
the next ten years, instruction was offered at the graduate level
only, in accordance with the original plan of the founders. In the Fall of 1925, the College of Liberal
Arts (subsequently named the College of Arts and Sciences) was
established. Since that date, both undergraduate and graduate
degrees and programs have been offered by the University.
The
present structure of the University began to emerge in 1949. The Washington College of Law became part of
the University in that year, having begun in 1896 as the first
coeducational institution for the professional study of law in
the District of Columbia. Shortly thereafter, three departments were reorganized
as schools: the School of Business Administration, subsequently
named the Robert P. and Arlene R. Kogod College of Business Administration
(1955); the School of Government and Public Administration (1957);
and the School of International Service (1958). From 1965 to 1977,
the College of Continuing Education existed as a degree‑granting
college with responsibility for on‑ and off‑campus
adult education programs. The
Lucy Webb Hayes School of Nursing provided undergraduate study
in Nursing from 1965 until 1988. In 1972, the School of Government and Public
Administration, the School of International Service, the Center
for Technology and Administration, and the Center for the Administration
of Justice (subsequently named the School of Justice) were incorporated
into the College of Public and International Affairs.
In 1988, the College of Public and International Affairs
was reorganized to create two free‑standing schools: the
School of International Service and the School of Public Affairs,
incorporating the School of Government and Public Administration
and the School of Justice. The
School of Communication became independent from the College of
Arts and Sciences in 1993.
2. The
University and the United Methodist Church
The
development of the University has been supported by many sources,
but particularly important has been The United Methodist Church. As the result of an amendment to its Charter
by the Congress of the United States on August 1, 1953, the University
became closely associated with the General Board of Higher Education
Ministry of The United Methodist Church, which makes an annual
contribution to the University.
Active management of the corporate affairs of the University
is vested in the University's Board of Trustees.
American
University is non‑sectarian in its educational philosophy
and academic programs. The
United Methodist Church, recognizing the integral place of religion
in human experience, seeks to provide optimum opportunity for
religious development on its campuses. But it always has taken care to guarantee the
values of academic freedom. The
faculty and student body of American University represent a diversity
of religious as well as academic and national backgrounds and
experiences. The Board of Trustees has delegated to the faculty
basic responsibility for the academic programs of the University.
3. Statement of Common Purpose
In
November 1994, the University Senate and the president recommended
and the Board of Trustees approved the following Statement of
Common Purpose for American University.
Statement Of Common Purpose
The
place of American University among major universities with first‑rate
faculties and academic programs grounded in the arts and sciences
is secured by its enduring commitment to uncompromising quality
in the education of its students.
But its distinctive feature, unique in higher education,
is its capacity as a national and international university to
turn ideas into action and action into service by emphasizing
the arts and sciences, then connecting them to the issues of contemporary
public affairs writ large, notably in the areas of government,
communication, business, law and international service.
Recognized
for its emphasis on personalized teaching and experiential education,
the University provides for the direct involvement of faculty
and students in the institutions and culture of the most important
capital city in the world. Since its founding by an Act of Congress
in 1893 as a private, independent, coeducational institution,
under the auspices of The United Methodist Church, American University
has been a national and international university.
This is reflected in the scope
of its teaching and research programs and the diversity
of its faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and student body, today
representing 145 countries. The University actively encourages
a commitment to public service, inclusive participation in University
governance, equity and equal access, and an appreciation of diverse
cultures and viewpoints. Its
commitment to social justice, its ability to respond to the needs
of a changing world while retaining its core values, and its capacity
to turn to educational advantage the resources of the nation's
capital are hallmarks of the institution.
The
University distinguishes itself through a broad array of undergraduate
and graduate programs that stem from these primary commitments:
•
Interdisciplinary inquiry transcending traditional boundaries
among academic disciplines and between administrative units;
•
International understanding reflected in curriculum offerings,
faculty research, study abroad and internship programs, student
and faculty representation, and the regular presence of world
leaders on campus;
•
Interactive teaching providing personalized educational
experiences for students, in and out of the classroom;
•
Research and creative endeavors consistent with its distinctive
mission, generating new knowledge beneficial to society;
•
Practical application of knowledge through experiential
learning, taking full advantage of the resources of the Washington,
D.C. metropolitan area. \
The
central commitment of American University is to the development
of thoughtful, responsible human beings in the context of a challenging
yet supportive academic community.
4. Academic Freedom at American University
American
University endorses the Statement of Principles on Academic
Freedom and Tenure issued jointly in 1940 by the American
Association of University Professors and the Association of American
Colleges. The principles with respect to tenure set forth in that
document are incorporated in the relevant entry in Section 12
of this Manual. With
respect to academic freedom, the principles in effect at American
University are best described in the words of the 1940 Statement,
as follows:
(a) The teacher is entitled to full freedom in research
and in the publication of the results, subject to the adequate
performance of his/her other academic duties; but research for
pecuniary return should be based upon an understanding with the
authorities of the institution.
(b) The teacher
is entitled to freedom in the classroom in discussing his/her
subject, but should be careful not to introduce into his/her teaching
controversial matter which has no relation to the subject.
Limitations of academic freedom because of religious or
other aims of the institution should be clearly stated in writing
at the time of the appointment.
(c) The college
or university teacher is a citizen, a member of a learned profession,
and an officer of an educational institution.
When the teacher speaks or writes as a citizen, s/he should
be free from institutional censorship or discipline, but his/her
special position in the community imposes special obligations.
As a man/woman of learning and an educational officer,
s/he should remember that the public may judge his/her profession
and his/her institution by his/her utterances.
Hence s/he should show respect for the opinions of others,
and should make every effort to indicate that s/he is not an institutional
spokesperson.
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