Mission and Values

Mission

Our mission at Stetson University is to provide an excellent education in a creative community where learning and values meet, and to foster in students the qualities of mind and heart that will prepare them to reach their full potential as informed citizens of local communities and the world.

At Stetson, the art of teaching is practiced through programs solidly grounded in a tradition of liberal learning that stimulates critical thinking, imaginative inquiry, creative expression, and lively intellectual debate. The art of learning is enhanced through small interactive classes, close student-faculty alliances, and collaborative approaches that provide the foundation for rewarding careers and advanced study in selective graduate and professional programs. We embrace diverse methodologies to foster effective communication, information and technological literacy, and aesthetic appreciation. We encourage the development of informed convictions, independent judgment, and lifelong commitments to learning that are characteristic features of the enlightened citizen. In bringing together learning and values, the University encourages all of its members to demonstrate personal integrity; to develop an appreciation for the spiritual dimension of life; to embrace leadership in an increasingly complex, interdependent, and technological world; and to commit to active forms of social responsibility.

Values

Stetson values the development of the whole person committed to engaging and building lifelong connections with the larger world through Personal Growth, Intellectual Development and Global Citizenship. To that end, the University fosters policies, practices and modes of inquiry to support and explore these values areas.

Personal Growth

Personal Growth encompasses the understanding that no single formula defines the journey to personal success, but that passion, the drive to increase self-knowledge, and the quest for balance are important tools in this process. Intercultural competence, religious and spiritual exploration, self-awareness and wellness are components of personal growth.

Intellectual Development

Intellectual Development is a commitment from the University and from students to achieve excellence in academics, to foster the spirit of exploration that drives an engaged and active mind, to cultivate rigorous methods of academic inquiry, to model and support absolute integrity, and to value creativity and professionalism.

Global Citizenship

Global Citizenship is an important part of Stetson's mission to prepare students to be informed, active and engaged citizens of both local communities and the world. Global citizenship includes University and individual commitments to community engagement, diversity and inclusion, environmental responsibility and social justice.

Excerpted from the Stetson University Catalog.