The College of Arts and Letters is committed to extending knowledge of the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The College celebrates its students' desire for learning and its faculty's commitment to scholarly and creative research within and across disciplines. It plays a major role in Old Dominion University's evolution as a comprehensive research institution of higher education. Through the myriad accomplishments of its students and faculty, moreover, the College enriches the communities it serves.

The College plays a fundamental role in preparing students for their future lives as engaged and responsible citizens. It cultivates intellectual honesty, ethical behavior and a commitment to justice. The College accomplishes its teaching mission for all the University's students by:

developing the essential skills of critical reading and thinking, of effective oral and written communication, and of technology proficiency;

providing core knowledge in the arts, humanities and social sciences for all undergraduates;

fostering local & global awareness and sensitivity to the breadth and diversity of the human condition, including the roles of gender, race, ethnicity, religion/spirituality and culture;

and supporting a broad array of cultural experiences that deepen their lives and those of the academic and larger community that surrounds them.