Dr. Wanda G. Brockington
Interim Dean
The College is composed of eight departments, seven of which are academic. The College of Liberal Arts consists of ten undergraduate and six graduate degree programs which are housed in the departments of: English and Foreign Languages, History and Interdisciplinary Studies, Mass Communications, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, and Visual and Performing Arts (which houses Music, Fine Arts, and Drama/Theater).
The non-academic department housed in the College is the University’s radio station, WNSB. Graduate programs include: Criminal Justice, Media and Communications, Visual Studies, Music, Urban Affairs, and Clinical Psychology.
Mission
The mission of the College of Liberal Arts is to provide a transformative education that enables students to maximize their potential to become creative, independent thinkers and lifelong learners who adapt and contribute ethically to evolving national and international societies.
The College of Liberal Arts impacts every student who enrolls at Norfolk State University. Every student completes the general education core, sixty percent of which is housed in the College of Liberal Arts. Exposure to liberal arts is essential for educated persons. Through the general education core, the College of Liberal Arts provides breadth and depth in the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for well-prepared graduates to join the community of educated persons.
Students in the College of Liberal Arts have access to a wealth of learning experiences. The College offers students opportunities to understand and appreciate world cultures as reflected in languages and the arts; enhance communication and interpersonal skills; and prepare for careers supported by studies in the liberal, creative, performing, and media arts.
The social sciences deal with the relationships of mankind. Whether from an economic, political sociological, psychological or historical perspective, the social sciences focus on understanding and responding to the human condition.
Within the context of the University's strategic plan, the overall goals of the College of Liberal Arts are to:
- Provide liberating education for students that is conducive to lifelong learning.
- Impart knowledge, strengthen communication and quantitative abilities, and enhance research and inquiry skills in the various subject matter areas.
- Develop habits of independent thought and critical thinking.
- Promote attitudes of understanding, respect, and tolerance for one's own culture and the cultures of other peoples.
- Engender in students an appreciation of the moral and ethical components of life.
- Define educational standards that address the changing paradigms and diverse needs of students in a changing global society.
- Provide a highly qualified pool of graduates for the global workforce.
- Contribute to the social consciousness and cultural enrichment of the community through the provision of programs, exhibits and workshops in the arts, humanities, and social sciences.