AIS MISSION, VISION, AND CORE VALUES
PREAMBLE
Founded in 1979, the Association for Interdisciplinary Studies is the U.S.-based international professional association devoted to interdisciplinarity. Interdisciplinarity integrates the insights of knowledge domains to produce a more comprehensive understanding of complex problems, issues, or questions.
AIS MISSION
The Association for Interdisciplinary Studies promotes the interchange of ideas within a diverse community of scholars, teachers, administrators, and the public regarding interdisciplinarity and integration.
AIS VISION
Interdisciplinary approaches and the integration of insights from diverse communities will be used to address complex problems. Interdisciplinarity will be an integral and durable component of scholarly research, higher education, and public policy.
AIS CORE VALUES
For its members and the higher education community in general, the Association
Promotes the interchange of ideas among a diverse community of scholars, teachers, administrators, and the public regarding interdisciplinarity and integration; - Advocates best-practice techniques for interdisciplinary teaching;
- Advocates best-practice techniques for interdisciplinary research;
- Advances the exploration of key terms and seeks out new theoretical models that further the understanding of interdisciplinarity and integration;
- Sustains the development of real-world applications of interdisciplinarity and integration;
- Encourages explorations of the relationships between interdisciplinary theory and practice;
- Encourages high quality interdisciplinary curriculum development at both the undergraduate and graduate levels;
- Sponsors the development of standards for interdisciplinary program accreditation;
- Offers best-practice methods for assessing interdisciplinary programs and coursework;
- Encourages the development of administrative structures, personnel policies, and financial models in higher education that support interdisciplinary teaching and research;
- Promotes the scholarship of interdisciplinary and integrative teaching and learning;
- Supports the development of strategies for strengthening the role of interdisciplinarity and integration within (and beyond) the Academy;
- Documents the importance of interdisciplinary and integrative studies for higher education and society in general.
Based in the United States, AIS has always had international participation and is a diverse, inclusive organization. AIS encourages inclusive international and global conversations on the subjects listed above. AIS actively seeks out the full range of available perspectives in order to gain the richest and most comprehensive understanding of complex issues. It is incorporated as a non-profit educational association in the State of Ohio.
AIS pursues its mission in a variety of ways, including
- An annual conference which encourages a diverse range of presentations on any of the subjects listed above;
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A journal that provides a forum for scholarly treatment of these subjects; A newsletter and listserv that facilitate a less formal conversation, as well as providing information on events and programs of interest;
- A website that provides a refereed collection of resources. These resources include issues of its journal and newsletter, directories of interdisciplinary programs, lists of recommended publications in each of the areas listed above, a refereed list of recommended course syllabi as well as SOITL resources, a jobs listing, and assessment instruments;
- Various social media such as Facebook and Twitter;
- An Honor Society for Interdisciplinary Studies;
- An elected Board of Directors that supports these various activities.