Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of English at Illinois State University, which emphasizes an English Studies model, is to:

  • create a work environment that values all members as people and fosters positive morale and transparency where possible, acknowledges and honors the professionalism of all faculty, staff, and graduate assistants in our various roles, and recognizes the interdependence of our work through informal and formal discourse;
  • promote innovative and dynamic pedagogical research, scholarship, and practice in the classroom and the curriculum;
  • support through reassigned time and co-teaching opportunities interdisciplinary research and publication, while continuing to value the forms of research and publication that are appropriate to a particular field;
  • continue to articulate and revise a multi-dimensional understanding of English Studies that responds to the changing needs of our students, the field, and the world;
  • maintain our commitment to providing students with a learning environment and community that supports growth as individuals, professionals, and citizens;
  • strengthen diversity in the composition of our faculty, students, and curricular and pedagogical approaches through individual, programmatic, and departmental action;
  • secure the human resources, facilities and other resources required to support excellence in scholarship, teaching, and research.