College of Fine Arts

Margaret Merrion
Dean

Jim Hopfensperger
Associate Dean

Academic Units:
Art
Dance
Music
Theatre

The mission of the College of Fine Arts is to provide scholarly activity, creative experiences and research that inform and support instruction, performance and exhibitions. In addition, the College must provide the resources that will allow students to become effective performers, artists, educators, practitioners, scholars, researchers and specialists in their chosen disciplines. These professionals will be sensitive and experienced in working with diverse populations in schools, arts organizations, communities and families. Critical to the mission are the constant evolution of effective instruction for students; the exploration of meaningful and ever-changing aesthetic issues; educational and artistic partnerships throughout the region; and national and international outreach that enriches the lives of all. Further, the College of Fine Arts embraces a public purpose to elevate the human condition through the arts.

The Goals are:

to graduate students who will be artist-practitioners in the various art forms;
to train teachers who will perpetuate the strong traditions of the arts;
to train therapists to use the arts in a healing capacity;
to prepare scholars who will continue to disseminate historical and theoretical information;
to foster an appreciation of the arts among general university students, who will constitute the growing body of people whose lives are enriched by the arts;
to contribute to the cultural life of the university and the greater Kalamazoo community;
and to expand our outreach nationally and internationally.