In 2012, the Civility Task Force, composed of faculty and staff led the initiative for the entire faculty and staff to identify its core values. They worked deliberately and inclusively to identify values they perceived as central to the health of the MICA community. Their results are the nine values that follow. The present Core Values Committee, comprising faculty, staff and students carries forth its mission to increase awareness and determine how to best encourage them.
Professionalism
We strive across our positions on campus for a high level of professionalism in our work.
We take pride in the work we do and strive to learn all aspects of our job and perform to the best of our ability. We work hard to resolve the questions and requests of others in a timely manner. We recognize that professionalism is a contagious quality and we strive for professionalism to be systemic within our working environments. Each of us seeks to understand our individual job on campus and also recognize that each role is integral to MICA's success. We identify excellence as an important quality in supporting MICA's top‐tier ranking among art and design colleges. We take pride in our individual Department and Division as well MICA as an institution of higher education.
Engagement
We engage and interact with one other in a participatory manner as we seek to serve and support the educational experience of MICA students.
As faculty and staff, we are all invested in providing a positive student experience that helps to increase student retention and persistence and strengthens MICA's reputation. We look for opportunities to allow all staff to have opportunities for interactions with students and to learn about the educational process for fine artists, designers, and educators. We also seek engagement opportunities that allow faculty and staff across the College to meet one another and learn about the work of each Division and Department, particularly engagement that transcends technological communities and allows for human interaction. As an educational community, we also understand the importance of engagement with the larger community of Baltimore and support MICA's multifaceted efforts and initiatives to collaborate with the communities within our city.
Diversity
We seek a diverse faculty and staff population that is inclusive and respectful of everyone.
We are a community that seeks to provide equal employment, educational and social opportunities for all persons, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, size, veteran status, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation or gender identity/expression. We value and appreciate the differences that our community represents. We strive to create a welcoming and nurturing environment for all who work here; we also recognize the importance of all faculty and staff in creating and fostering a climate to help all students succeed academically. We understand that a culturally diverse population broadens our educational knowledge and creates an opportunity for a deeper appreciation and acceptance of others.
Excellence
We aspire to a level of organizational and community excellence that is reflective of MICA's worldclass academic reputation.
We recognize that in order to achieve excellence in our work and within our community, a variety of structures are needed including short and long‐term planning, exploration of new ideas, enrichment & professional development programs, accountability, and attention to health and well‐being of faculty/staff members.
Examples of MICA's commitment to excellence include in‐depth publications & web‐based communications, innovative curriculum, high expectations for student work, highly profiled collaborations & exhibitions, community engagement initiatives, and the aesthetic appeal of the campus architecture.
Community
We value a friendly and welcoming sense of community at MICA where personally meaningful, caring and respectful relationships can grow and thrive.
We strive to work together, sharing resources and knowledge, united by a common purpose to advance the educational mission of MICA. We value a community where all contributions to the college are recognized, and every member is appreciated and acknowledged for their good work. We value a community where people have the opportunity to celebrate and make meaningful occasions together. We also recognize that our community is a permeable one, strengthened and nourished by the relationships that connect MICA to the rest of Baltimore and the world.
Communication
We believe effective communication is the foundation for connecting our community.
We support each other and the mission of the college by participating in timely, thoughtful and frequent communication. We strive for transparent communication as the cornerstone of the college culture. We seek out ways to facilitate cross‐departmental communication and sharing. We recognize the role of technology for efficient communication but strongly support mechanisms that facilitate personal interactions, particularly across MICA's Divisions and Departments.
Fairness/Equality
We strive to cultivate a culture of equality and fairness where all individuals benefit from human resource processes conducive to strengthening job performance and cultivating professional development.
We believe that each member of the MICA community benefits from a collective ethos of fairness, accountability, equality, and equal access. We encourage consistent reflection and analysis about how policies and procedures can be established and applied unilaterally to create an organizational environment conducive to individual development, professional aspirations, and equality. We will provide all community members with information related to shared governance structure and policies in order that they may know how to access resources and support related to their employment at the College. We aspire to an organizational culture where all individuals and groups can engage across campus within a community of fairness and respect for one another.
Creativity
We are a campus filled with likely and unlikely artists proud to be committed to this creative institution.
Our communal creativity comes in different shapes and forms and we value the diverse creative spirit on our campus. MICA attracts people who want to be a part of an art‐making community and who understand the value of a creative education. We recognize that creativity is a central component to leading a fulfilling life and therefore we must work to facilitate opportunities for creative thinking and practice campus‐wide. If we are to value creativity, and the spirit of that which is new and important, we must embrace and sustain opportunities to engage faculty, staff, students and administration in creative practices together so that we may discover the creativity inherent in all of our collective work on campus.
Respect (Dignity)
We believe that all people at MICA deserve to be treated with respect, civility and dignity.
We value respect and believe it should be the foundation of our campus culture. Establishing a respectful campus involves a commitment from every individual to respect our campus, our community and ourselves. We seek to develop and maintain a campus culture where all people are valued, cultural and artistic diversity is celebrated, and individual differences are honored. Every member of the community must be a steward towards eliminating all forms of disrespect, and ensuring the physical and emotional safety of the entire campus.