Ultimately, students learn to cultivate a sensitivity to the arts by engaging carefully formulated critical faculties. For all students, no matter what their level of involvement, their professional aspirations, or their career ambitions, the arts require mastery of intellectual content and specific mental and physical capabilities. This mastery leads to literacy in the discipline which can, in turn, lead to a lifetime of self-motivated inquiry in the arts. Students thus find their study of fine and performing arts a rigorous part of their undergraduate curriculum and an enriching experience which will continue to grow long after graduation from the College. The College also maintains the Conservatory of Fine and Performing Arts, which serves those members of the community who wish to study in the areas of dance, theatre, or music but who are not matriculated students at the College.
Conservatory students range in age from pre-school through adult.
The study of the humanities is at the heart of a liberal arts education for two important reasons. First, it looks backward to our varied cultural heritage and forward to our future, giving us a sense of community. Second, it hones our critical thinking and communication skills, giving us the foundation necessary for leadership and service within that community. In celebrating our differences, we discover what humanity has in common. The Division of Humanities includes the disciplines of classics, English, history, modern foreign languages, philosophy, and religion.