Mission Statement

The mission of St. Andrews Presbyterian College is to educate its students to be knowledgeable and imaginative servant-leaders well prepared for a lifetime of learning, leadership and service in an ever-changing and interdependent world.

The College fulfills its mission by:

• Engaging students with a curriculum informed by the values and intellectual traditions of its Presbyterian heritage, inspired by the openness of the liberal arts and sciences, and realized in dialogue among students and faculty

• Enabling students to develop a depth of knowledge and expertise in a chosen field of study, balanced by a breadth of knowledge that is interdisciplinary at its core, global in its scope, and practical in its application

• Encouraging students to strive for excellence in all aspects of their lives, through academic and co-curricular programs, with a due regard for physical, mental and spiritual well-being

• Empowering students to break down intellectual, cultural and interpersonal barriers in order to become creative, engaged and contributing world citizens

St. Andrews Community of Learning

St. Andrews Presbyterian College is a four-year, church-related, co-educational liberal arts and sciences institution, serving traditional and non-traditional students from diverse national, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The College offers residential and nonresidential undergraduate degree programs, certification programs, and special training programs. One of the first campuses designed to be accessible, St. Andrews takes particular pride in its historical commitment to accommodating students with physical disabilities.

St. Andrews works to break down intellectual and interpersonal barriers. In its academic programming, the College builds bridges across disciplines, developing students’ abilities to understand the multiple perspectives necessary for addressing complex problems. Members of the faculty work cooperatively as teachers and advisors while maintaining a commitment to scholarship and professional development in their disciplines. Through its integrated core curriculum, the College seeks to graduate informed, articulate individuals, able to live and work productively in an expanding global community. Major programs further provide students with a depth of knowledge and with proficiency in the tools and techniques of at least one academic field, supplemented by an awareness of the questions of value implicit in all vocations.

As a College of the Church, St. Andrews embraces values deeply rooted in the Christian tradition: respect for the dignity of all persons, responsibility toward our natural and social environments; openness toward dialogue with other spiritual traditions. True to the historical Presbyterian commitment to intellectual inquiry, St. Andrews views critical exploration in all disciplines as compatible with faithful living, insisting that faith without knowledge risks fanaticism, and knowledge without faith risks cynicism.

St. Andrews understands genuinely successful academic communities to be inclusive and student-centered. Responding to the needs of diverse learning constituencies, the College offers educational and residential environments which enhance the academic enterprise through an array of career, technological, and other support services. Due regard for healthy life-styles and physical well-being is encouraged through athletic programs and the core curriculum. The College builds bridges to communities and the world of work beyond the campus, promoting experiential and service learning through internships, community service activities, and international travel/study opportunities.

Finally, St. Andrews builds bridges to the future, believing that both institutions and individuals require openness and flexibility to adapt to rapid change. The College therefore engages in systematic self-evaluation in order to maintain dynamic and relevant programs. It further encourages all members of its community to practice habits of lifelong learning and personal growth.

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