Why is the College of Arts and Sciences so Special at NCU?

The College of Arts and Sciences is the stepping stone to your future, refining your talent and taking you to the next level. The challenge for many students at North Central University in Minneapolis, MN is they don’t know what “CAS” is, or how often they interact with what could be considered the most impactful college within NCU. It is time for students to know why they should be proud to be a part of CAS.

NCU is a private university and a liberal arts school with diverse programs and degrees outside of its known Assembly of God pastoral, worship and ministry-related programs. The central hub of liberal arts programming for the university is the College of Arts and Sciences. But chances are, if you ask a CAS major what “school” they are part of, they might not know for sure.

An Education Beyond Classes

CAS is made up of Education, Psychology, Social Work, Communication, Journalism, English, Math, Biology and American Sign Language (ASL) programs. It is a vast college with a large number of majors and endless learning opportunities. “We have such a broad reach and cover so many different topics, CAS is an essential part of NCU,” said Dr. Andrew Schuttinga, director of Psychology. “Students need CAS to flourish as a professional and CAS courses, though required, are not just filler classes. They make students into a well-rounded individual when they join the workforce.”

The College of Arts and Sciences department heads want students to know exactly what makes CAS special. They want to make studying liberal arts at NCU an experience worth remembering well beyond graduation. Desiree Libengood, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences said, “CAS is the largest college within NCU. So, CAS has to approach how they take care of their students differently than any other college within NCU.” Students in other colleges at NCU typically connect with their “school” at a high level, like business, theology, music, etc.

Libengood continued, “CAS students are going to find a home in their departments, like English, biology, communications, etc., easier than identifying with CAS as a whole. For example, education students highly identify with the School of Education and their cohorts. Communication majors highly identify with the School of English and Communication.” 

The Hub of Liberal Arts

Every NCU student takes a variety of CAS classes as part of their general education coursework. Dr. Gail Weinhold, director of the School of Education, explains, “The College of Arts and Sciences is the central hub of a liberal arts education. No matter what major an NCU student has, they have to take CAS courses because general ed’s are a requirement. In comparison, not every student at NCU has to take a business, computer science or music course to graduate.”

Libengood shares that everyone in CAS has a home, and she is always looking for ways that the different departments in CAS can interact and work together on things. Love Your Neighbor is one of those initiatives, a student-run website that shares stories of students and professors working on projects that connect students with the community in various ways. 

And in the post-COVID era, CAS is planning more events to engage students. In future years, CAS students can look forward to a “Research Day,” where all CAS majors get to showcase their research in the atrium, as well as continued curriculum improvements. Libengood explained that department heads and professors are always looking for new majors, new programs and new online classes to serve students better. 

For students considering an education at NCU, CAS will be an important part of their liberal arts education. As NCU’s largest school, the College of Arts and Sciences is making greater efforts to know and engage students. And also, to make sure students know CAS.

College of Arts and Sciences (CAS)

The College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota provides a world-class, liberal arts education. The College of Arts and Sciences is the stepping stone to your future, refining your talent and taking you to the next level. Components you can expect to see as a CAS student include experiential learning, 1-on-1 experiences, hands-on work and job placement/ opportunities. For more information regarding our programs: Education, Psychology, Social Work, Communication, Journalism, English, Math, Biology and American Sign Language (ASL) click here. 

Love Your Neighbor Initiative

Love Your Neighbor (LYN) is an Initiative based out of North Central University’s College of Arts and Sciences, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Love Your Neighbor website is a student-led, student-organized and student-developed site designed to showcase student accomplishments, opportunities and achievements within CAS. The development of students goes far beyond the classroom. NCU provides an urban environment in which experiential learning and faith coexist to shape students into real difference-makers. For more information on LYN click here.

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