AVILA UNIVERSITY SlNCLJ9I6 Undergraduate Catalog 2004-2005 Digitized by the Internet Archive 2016 in https://archive.org/details/avilacollegeundeavil_O 2 Avila University Correspondence Persons wishing further information should write, telephone or e-mail: Office ofAdmission Avila University 11901 Wornall Road Kansas City, Missouri 64145 816-501-2400 [email protected] Visitors are welcome at the university. While it is advisable to make appointments in advance, the Office ofAdmissions will be happy to arrange a tourofthe campus for visitors during the regular office hours which are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. This catalog is not to be construed as a contract. The university reserves the right to change fees, tuition, or other charges; add ordelete courses; revise academic programs; oralterreg- ulations and requirements as deemed necessary. Avila University offers both equal education and equal employment opportunities. Avila University 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Academic Calendar 4 General Information 5 Introducing the University 6 Mission Statement 6 Purposes 6 Value Statements 7 History ofAvila University 7 Philosophy 8 Campus Buildings 8 Library 9 Academic Technology Facilities 10 Faculty 10 Student Body 11 Accreditation 11 Membership 11 Campus Policies 13 Campus Life 19 Student Affairs 20 Student Development Activities 26 Student Policies 30 Admission/Expenses 33 Admission 34 Financial Regulations 41 Financial Aid 49 Academic Information 53 Academic Programs 54 Academic Policies 61 Undergraduate Programs/Courses 73 University Curriculum 74 Programs and Courses ofInstruction 81 Administration/Faculty 183 Addresses forAccrediting Agencies 195 Index 197 Map 202 4 Avila University ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2004-05 Fall, 2004 FirstYear Seminar Classes Begin August 23 Day/Evening Classes Begin August 25 Labor Day Weekend September 4 - September 6 Weekend Classes Begin September 10 Avila Day/Fall Break October 13 - October 17 Thanksgiving November 24 - November 28 Finals Week December 13 - December 16 Spring, 2005 Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday January 17 Day/Evening Classes Begin January 18 Weekend Classes Begin January 28 Easter/Spring Break March 17 - March 27 Finals Week May 9 - May 12 Commencement May 13 - May 14 AVILA ADVANTAGE ACADEMIC CALENDAR 2004-05 Fall Term August 23 - December 16, 2004 Spring Term January 3 - April 23, 2005 Summer Term April 24 - August 21, 2005 Avila University 5 GENERAL INFORMATION 6 Avila University Introducing Avila University Avila University is a Catholic, four-year, co-educational university with liberal arts and pro- fessional programs. It is situated on 48 rolling acres in south Kansas City, Missouri. Avila University was founded in 1916 and is sponsored by the Sisters ofSt. Joseph ofCarondelet. From its modest beginnings, Avila has become a flourishing, comprehensive university offering a variety ofdegree programs. Founded as the College ofSt. Teresa, the college grew and expanded to a larger campus in 1963. It was at this time that the college name was changed to Avila to honor St. Teresa of Avila. In 2002, Avila College became Avila University, a name reflecting its growth and development as an institution of higher educa- tion. Avila University’s commitment to excellence, to service ofstudents and the community, to quality education ofspirit, mind and body, and to growth ofthe whole person is deeply root- ed in its Catholic heritage and in the lives and beliefs ofthe founding Sisters ofSt. Joseph. Students, faculty and staff at Avila University provide a supportive, caring yet challenging environment in which students receive close personalized attention with a student-faculty ratio of 12:1. A strong emphasis is placed on integrating the liberal arts into all programs so as to prepare students for a lifetime ofpersonal fulfillment and career growth. Carefully-planned courses in the humanities, arts, natural and social sciences are designed to develop each student’s ability to think critically, analyze written material and write and speak effectively. At Avila University, students acquire those skills necessary for success in a chosen career as well as preparation for graduate or professional studies. Mission Statement ofAvila University Avila University is avalue-basedcommunity oflearning. Catholic, co-educational and spon- sored by the Sisters of St. Joseph ofCarondelet. In a climate respecting the worth and dig- nity of each individual, the university provides liberal arts, professional undergraduate and graduate education for students’ responsible life-long contributions to the contemporary world, (adopted 1986-87) Purposes ofAvila University • Pursue academic excellence by providing an educational experience rooted in the Catholic tradition and in the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph, both of which emphasize collaboration, examination ofsocialjustice issues, responsiveness to needs ofothers, and respect for the worth and dignity ofeach individual. • Offer liberal arts and professional undergraduate and graduate programs grounded in scholarship with well defined educational outcomes which emphasize communication and thinking skills, knowledge, and personal, social and spiritual development of each student. • Strive forexcellence through responsiveness toon-going assessment, evaluation, and self- reflection. Avila University 7 • Promote student learning by emphasizing teaching-learning strategies which actively engage the student in the learning process. • Foster development ofthe whole person for life-long learning and service to the contem- porary world through curricular and co-curricular programs. • Serve a community of learners - primarily from the midwest - with diverse back- grounds and needs by providing a variety ofeducational formats. • Address the broader educational needs of the greater Kansas City area by exploring, ini- tiating, and supporting partnerships within the community, (adopted 1996) Value Statements ofAvila University The Avila Community Values . . . • Excellence in teaching and learning • The Catholic identity ofthe university • The sponsorship and contributions ofthe Sisters ofSt. Joseph • The worth, dignity and potential ofeach human being • Diversity and its expression • Commitment to the continual growth ofthe whole person • Interaction with and service to others (adopted 1988) History ofAvila University The Sisters of St. Joseph were founded in LePuy, France, in 1650 to serve their neighbors by responding to the needs of society. In 1836, six Sisters arrived in America and traveled up the Mississippi to St. Louis, Missouri, and settled in a small town south ofthe city known asCarondelet. These women established several schools and were soon known as the Sisters of St. Joseph ofCarondelet. In 1866, five Sisters came to Kansas City and opened the first private high school for young women, St. Teresa’s Academy. In 1916, the academy administration chartered the first pri- vate college for women in Kansas City, the St. Teresa College, and offered a two-year pro- gram leading toanAssociateofArts Degree. Fifteen years later, St. Joseph’s Hospital School ofNursing became affiliated with the college and nursing students were enrolled in basic sci- ence and humanities courses. In 1940, the college was expanded to a four-year liberal arts college with professional pro- grams in nursing, education and business. It was fully accredited by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in 1946 and was called the College of St. Teresa. The college established Kansas City's first baccalaureate degree program in nursing in 1948 and was accredited by the National League for Nursing in 1966. Additional programs in allied health, social work, and special education were developed to complement strong pro- grams in the liberal arts. 8 Avila University The growth ofthe college resulted in a move to its present campus in 1963, which is locat- edin suburban South Kansas City, three miles from Interstate435. Seekingto serve adiverse population, the college became co-educational in 1969, established graduate programs in business, education and psychology in 1978 and began Kansas City’s firstWeekend College in 1984. Owing to its continued growth as a comprehensive institution of higher learning during the 1990s, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs, Avila be- came, in 2002, Avila University. Since its founding in 1916, Avila University has been committed to excellence in teaching and learning in an environment that respects the uniqueness of each person and stresses responsible service to others. Philosophy ofAvila University Avila University, sponsored by the Sisters ofSt. Joseph ofCarondelet, is an academic com- munity dedicated to education in the liberal arts and the professional areas. Avila is a Catholic university that seeks to foster the intellectual, spiritual and social growth of its members. The university community includes individuals with a diversity ofreligious convictions. The administration, faculty, staff and students work together to create an environment wherein the quality ofChristian hope permeates and enlivens an objective search for truth. Avila students are encouraged to develop values which enable them to grow in freedom and responsibility as they respond to contemporary, social and moral issues. The Avila community provides an atmosphere offaith and support in which members may gain insight into themselves, their relationship with God, and their place of service in the world community. Avila University Campus Avila University is just minutes off an interstate highway network and is convenient to Kansas City’s many attractions. Its fourteen buildings are situated on 48 acres in suburban South Kansas City and include residence halls; a fieldhouse; a sports complex for baseball, softball and soccer; the library; theatre; chapel and classroom facilities. Campus Buildings/Centers Blasco Hall (1963) Administrative Offices, Admissions, Student Resource Center. O’Rielly Hall (1963) Primary academic building with science laboratories, computer classrooms, lecture hall and classrooms. Carondelet Hall (1965) Residence Hall and computer laboratory.