FADP Mission, Vision, and Values

Texas Tech University offers a one-of-a-kind multidisciplinary program leading to the Ph.D. in Fine Arts. Students in the Fine Arts Doctoral Program first obtain a foundational core of knowledge from multidisciplinary courses in Art, Music, Theatre, and Philosophy and then specialize in a specific area of visual or performing arts.

FADP Mission

The mission of the Fine Arts Doctoral Program is to offer a unique multidisciplinary education in Art, Music, Theatre, and Philosophy; provide a comprehensive approach to doctoral study of the arts and of aesthetic principles; and foster leadership in the arts for institutions of higher education, for the benefit of regional culture, and for the enrichment of society as a whole.

FADP Vision

The vision of the Fine Arts Doctoral Program is to achieve regional, national, and international recognition for its disciplinary and multidisciplinary innovation and excellence, for its preparation of effective leaders for creative academic and administrative positions, and for its provision of a stimulating and inspiring environment to those who wish and are qualified for advanced and innovative education in the arts.

FADP Values

The core values of the Fine Arts Doctoral Program include:

FADP History

Established in 1972, the Fine Arts Doctoral Program (FADP) is administered within the College of Visual and Performing Arts, effective September 2002.
Its philosophical origins can be traced to leadership provided by Eugene Hemmle, an administrator in the music division, who embodied the notion of engagement across the arts. Approximately thirty years ago, the foundation of the doctoral program in Fine Arts established an intellectual environment that enhanced the connections inherent to the disciplines of Art, Music, and Theatre. Then and now, this program capitalized upon the multidisciplinary roots of study in the arts, embracing core study in all three disciplines, coupled with focused study in one particular specialization. Its multidisciplinary nature prompted administration by the Graduate School and later, by the College of Arts and Sciences, since all three major units constituted parts of that large and complex college.

Thomas Langford, a specialist in English, was instrumental in founding the FADP and stated its basic principles in an evaluation of the program after its first decade. "It is frequently acknowledged that the future of the arts and their impact on society in general depend on the recognition that the arts are one in their benefits to humankind, in their need for public support, and in their claim to a significant place in all formal educational curricula. Although there will always be a place for highly specialized study at the graduate level in each of the arts, the field also has an urgent need for the development of leadership that will reflect awareness of the mutual problems and the impact on society of all the arts. At the college, community, state, and national levels, informed and well-trained leaders with broad understanding of the current place and future significance of the arts in public life can do much to fulfill the potential envisaged by such federal breakthroughs as the National Endowment for the Arts." Full text here. [Langford, T., Kincaid, C., Marple, H., Texas Tech Journal of Education, vol. 9, no. 2, spring 1982]

On a small scale, the doctoral program has provided a structure that functioned in lieu of a college-level structure and has impelled the creation of a new College of Visual and Performing Arts at Texas Tech University. With the establishment of that college, the FADP and its governance at last have come to rest within a most compatible and appropriate home. Now numbering over 225, FADP alumni bolster college and university aspirations for national and international prominence by such activities as hosting Music from Chautauqua for Public Radio International, painting as a designated Taos Living Treasure, and serving as Artistic Director/ Conductor for the prestigious Linz Festival in Austria.