CORE VALUES

Our core values are:

• A basic knowledge of the biological sciences is essential for all citizens.

• Such knowledge is best communicated by a diverse faculty and curriculum.

• Biology faculty are responsive to the needs of a number of external constituencies that include students, colleagues, the University and the community.

We feel these values are best upheld by:

• A commitment to the premise that the Teacher-Scholar model, as described locally to include excellence in teaching as well as the Scholarship of Discovery, the Scholarship of Integration, the Scholarship of Application, and the Scholarship of Pedagogy, defines the primary role and major activities of IUP faculty.

• A broad definition of departmental citizenship to include service, duties, rights and privileges of students, faculty and staff as the foundation of a learning community.

PURPOSE

The purpose of the Department of Biology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania is to integrate modern pedagogy with active scholarship in order to provide students with the breadth of knowledge that is essential for an informed, educated person and with excellent preparation for a successful career in their chosen field of endeavor.

MISSION

The mission of the Biology Department is to prepare all of our students to achieve success in some area of the biological sciences and/or to make scientifically informed decisions as citizens in the 21 st Century. We do this by providing them with a challenging, diverse curriculum that emphasizes active, hands-on, experiential learning, involving field experiences and contemporary technology as appropriate. We believe that this broad approach is essential to a strong education in biology and that important learning experiences take place outside formal class activities. We understand, and strive to communicate to our students, the diversity of the science of biology and we emphasize the relevance of interactions with colleagues in other departments and universities, involving cooperative scholarly and teaching activities, as well as interactions with other disciplines. Scholarly and community outreach to external constituencies such as the K-12 community and the general public are important components of our mission.