This represents a shift from an emphasis on instruction to an emphasis on learning. While the focus is on student learning, all members of the university community will be engaged in ongoing learning and development. Appalachian students of the 21 st century will arrive with diverse academic interests and will demonstrate strong intellectual ability, personal motivation, and leadership potential. They will be skillfully recruited, thoughtfully chosen, and provided with essential financial assistance. Students cannot be taught enough information for a lifetime.
Information changes rapidly and increases at rates faster than at any other time in history.
All university programs thus must stimulate students to become lifelong learners. Appalachian's graduates will know how to access information and how to think. They will know how to engage new situations, solve problems independently, and employ their analytical and critical thinking skills to create and innovate in the globally integrated society of the 21 st century. Appalachian's graduates of tomorrow will learn not only how to earn a living but also how to live life as productive, contributing members of the emerging global society. They will contribute to the civic life of the human community and to the stewardship of the natural environment.