About Us

Mission

The mission of the School of Professional and Applied Sciences, Leadership Studies, and Counseling is to develop undergraduates and graduates prepared to be leaders, educators, and counselors, who understand, respect, and support human diversity and to graduate citizens who serve their communities through the promotion of education, the support of counseling and the ability to lead.

Philosophy

The faculty of the School of Professional and Applied Sciences, Leadership Studies, and Counseling believes in guiding, motivating, and nurturing student learning, through an integrated liberal arts education enhanced by rigorous professional studies at the undergraduate level and through intensive research-based programs at the graduate level. All graduates are encouraged to engage, lead, serve, and educate through varied experiential opportunities, and learning-based curricula, including engagement in and service to a global community.

Goals

University of Lynchburg’s School of Professional and Applied Sciences, Leadership Studies, and Counseling is committed to preparing educated professionals of strong character and balanced perspectives who become productive members of a diverse global community and who demonstrate the following goals and dispositions:

1. Demonstrate a breadth of content knowledge based on a strong liberal arts program and focused inquiry in academic disciplines
2. Possess a depth of professional knowledge based on rigorous coursework and multiple diverse practical experiences
3. Possess strong character and balanced perspectives, and understand, respect, and support human diversity

In addition, each licensure area has the following goals:

Teacher candidates will:

1. Demonstrate the ability to engage and motivate students by planning effective instruction based on their knowledge of how all children learn
2. Design instruction based on needs and intended student outcomes
3. Demonstrate the ability to create successful learning environments
4. Demonstrate the ability to analyze assessment information to support instructional practices

School counselor licensure candidates will:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of all aspects of professional functioning including history, roles, organizational structures, ethics, standards, and credentialing
2.  Expand the understanding of the cultural context of relationships, issues, and trends in a multicultural society
3. Gain an understanding of the nature and needs of persons at all developmental levels and in multicultural contexts
4. Cultivate an understanding of career development and related life factors
5. Convey an understanding of the counseling process in a multicultural society
6. Develop both theoretical and experiential understandings of group purpose, development, dynamics, theories, methods, skills, and other group approaches in a multicultural society
7. Extend the understanding of individual and group approaches to assessment and evaluation in a multicultural society
8. Acquire an understanding of research methods, statistical analysis, needs assessment, and program evaluation

Leadership graduates:

1. Develop, advocate, and enact a shared mission, vision, and core values of high-quality education and academic success and well-being of each student.
2. Act ethically and according to professional norms to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
3. Strive for equity of educational opportunity and culturally responsive practices to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
4. Develop and support intellectually rigorous and coherent systems of curriculum, instruction, and assessment to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
5. Cultivate an inclusive, caring, and supportive school community that promotes the academic success and well-being of each student.
6. Develop the professional capacity and practice of school personnel to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
7. Foster a professional community of teachers and other professional staff to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
8. Engage families and the community in meaningful, reciprocal, and mutually beneficial ways to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
9. Manage school operations and resources to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.
10. Act as agents of continuous improvement to promote each student’s academic success and well-being.

All graduates will:

1. Demonstrate an awareness of the need for service to stakeholders in communities at home and abroad using clear communication, ethical guidelines, and professional confidentiality
2. Demonstrate the ability to collaborate with stakeholders to identify and solve problems as leaders in schools and communities

Conceptual Framework

Faculty, staff, and students are aware of the conceptual framework: Engage, Lead, Serve, and Educate (ELSE) and its interwoven characteristics. The underlying assumptions of the conceptual framework are as follows:

Engage

We define engagement on several levels. We view engagement as the key to learning and teaching. If students are engaged in learning in all situations whether teaching or learning themselves, there is a greater chance they will be motivated or motivate others to learn. Engagement is also in reference to faculty, staff, and students engaging in service and learning activities outside of the classroom and experiencing knowledge-building opportunities. Engagement also indicates that individuals are aware of the many different cultures and create an understanding affirming of diversity.

Lead

The ability to lead requires an understanding of what leadership involves and the knowledge of the many forms that leadership may take. We believe the opportunities for leadership are boundless and should be included and encouraged at all levels of our students’ education.

Serve

The term serve in the conceptual framework is intended to remind faculty, staff, and students of the purpose and responsibility of education. It is especially meaningful as we educate teachers, counselors, and leaders. These professions are expected to serve others in various capacities. As a faculty, it is our purpose to create significant learning-based instruction for our
students that includes opportunities for those students to practice the skills they are learning through service to others. Experience allows us to put theory into practice.

Educate

We define education as the process of acquiring knowledge that allows students to engage, lead, and serve. Knowledge refers to the understanding of theory, content, methods, and technologies of a field of study. Educate implies that the knowledge will be extended to others. Educating means understanding the developmental process of children, adolescents, and adults within various groups, including families, schools, communities, and cultures. Educate implies that the faculty, staff, and students engage all learners to combine knowledge of the client and knowledge of content within the diverse cultural, social, and institutional context.