Mission Statement:
James D. Yarbrough, dean emeritus of the College of Arts and Sciences, and originator of the Blount Undergraduate Initiative
"It is my belief that a liberal arts education, which includes the humanities, the arts, the social sciences, and the natural sciences and mathematics, is the best preparation for the future. For no matter how much the world may change in the coming years, reading, writing and arithmetic will still be the basis of dealing with the world. And history, sociology, psychology, philosophy and the sciences, to mention just a few, will give an educated person an edge in a job and, more importantly, an edge in living. Today's student must acquire the habit and the discipline to organize information systematically, to develop concepts, and to apply them. Thus, the most valuable tool for tomorrow is the ability to think critically and creatively."
"We must emphasize the ability to analyze, not just to memorize. Our emphasis should be on understanding, not just on acquiring information, and on integrating information to move from accumulating facts to knowledge. This is gained through study and experience. Henry Adams, an historian and teacher in the late 19th century, said it this way: "Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts."