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Transformational Scholarship

Transformational scholarship is the application of scholarship to the social issues and needs of the world, rooted in, and critically informed by faith. Further, it is research that serves to bring about change in the character of individuals and how they relate to and engage the world around them.

In order to achieve transformational scholarship, all forms of scholarship (including discovery, integration, and teaching) are supported and encouraged; rigorous academic inquiry and learning remain a component of all courses of study.

The scholarly process at Azusa Pacific University serves as an ongoing endeavor of both faculty and students that has a direct and lasting impact on learning. The multi-faceted products of those scholarly activities demonstrate excellence, reflecting the strengths of each discipline as well as the individual gifts and strengths of our faculty and students. Our academic programs include those delivered by innovative, state-of-the-art methods such as distributed learning.

Vision in Action

Please let us know how you have found the Academic Vision 2016 exemplified by emailing provost@apu.edu.

Five-Year Goals

Recommendations:

A. Recognition and valuing of scholarship and research

  1. Publicly recognize and incentivize quality scholarly productivity.
  2. Actively support the seeking of external scholarships, awards, and accreditation that support faculty and student scholarship and research.
  3. Develop measures and assess the application of scholarship and research on student learning outcomes.
  4. Support graduate and undergraduate student research by establishing incentives, recognition, and reward systems for student engagement, and productivity in scholarship and research.

B. Internal and external support and funding for faculty and student scholarship

  1. Develop policies for evaluating teaching workloads in order to create an environment that allows time for the development of scholarship and research.
  2. Develop creative opportunities to promote and fund research.
  3. Vigorously support and incentivize the development of proposals for extramural funding that enhance opportunities for faculty and students to engage in scholarly interaction and research.

C. Interdisciplinary interchange

  1. Create a place that fosters opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange between faculty.

D. Develop infrastructure to support research, teaching, and grants

  1. Remit a significant portion of the indirect/administrative reimbursements to the schools to incentivize future scholarly activities.

E. Alternative degree structures and delivery systems for education

  1. Develop academic programs and delivery systems that are responsive to diverse and changing student needs.

Academic Vision 2016 Task Force: Transformational Scholarship

Chairs: Ilene Smith-Bezjian, DBA, dean, School of Business and Management
Kevin Reimer, Ph.D., associate professor of graduate psychology

Fred Garlett, Ed.D., dean, Center for Adult and Professional Studies
Marianne Hattar, DNSc, associate dean, School of Nursing
Duane Funderburk, DMA, dean, School of Music
Susan Ney, associate professor of art
Keith Reeves, Ph.D., professor of biblical studies
Aja Tulleners-Lesh, Ph.D., dean, School of Nursing, facilitator

Center for Adult and Professional Studies | School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences | School of Business | School of Education
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | School of Music | School of Nursing | School of Theology