The Department's Vision
Recognized as experts in and providers of educational services in the areas of occupational and technology education, human resource development, fashion merchandising, and industrial technology.
The Department's Mission
The mission of the Department of Occupational and Technology Studies is to teach undergraduate and graduate students, conduct research, provide service, and provide leadership in the areas of occupational and technology education, human resource development, fashion merchandising, and industrial technology. As part of this mission, the faculty prepares its students for success in careers associated with their individual majors, conducts research of value to local, state and national users, provides service to local, state, national and international clients, and serves as leaders in local, state, national, and international organizations. The department is a recognized leader in the delivery of distance education. Essential to the implementation of the mission are these six fundamental premises:
- Instruction will be offered to all personnel in whatever settings necessary to meet community needs. This includes certificate programs, bachelor degrees, master degrees, doctoral students within departmental majors, and to others seeking to upgrade, renew, or develop knowledge and skills.
- Instruction will stress application to and direct involvement with community schools, business, industry, and government and be carried out in a variety of methods.
- Efforts will be undertaken to identify markets of departmental services.
- Services will be tailored to meet market needs, promotional strategies will be used to inform markets of the services available, and systems designed and implemented to serve the markets.
- The organization will remain flexible so as to take advantage of opportunities in which departmental faculty, majors, and services may be enhanced through short- and long-term partnerships both within and outside the department.
- Faculty will develop and maintain areas of expertise that are of value at the local, state, national and/or international levels. Value will be exhibited by a variety of quality work with organizations, societies, and professions.
- Students remain the primary customers of the department and will be offered a quality education in the programs and courses they choose. Additionally, the faculty will serve as academic advisors of the department's majors and endeavor to provide them with advise that is both honest and ethical.