Grinnell College is a community for the development of intellectual and moral character through study, discussion, and practice of the liberal arts. Seeing knowledge as an end to be pursued for its own sake, but recognizing also a responsibility to cultivate justice and charity in human relations, the College helps its members to free themselves from the bonds of ignorance, habit, prejudice, and apathy.
Both in its residential life and in its academic program, the College supports personal responsibility, free inquiry, and the exercise of critical thinking, and encourages its members to appreciate all forms of human creativity, to respect and value the diversity of human culture, and to understand the ways in which scholars and artists have conceived of and examined the human condition.
Our goal is to graduate men and women of great intellectual ability, character, and autonomy; knowledgeable, curious, and open-minded; proportioning their beliefs to the quality of the supporting evidence and reasoning; writing and speaking clearly, fluently, logically, and persuasively; trying always to act wisely and humanely, with sound judgement, sympathetic understanding of the values and perspectives of others, and close attention to relevant facts and principles; and, when in positions of authority, applying their understanding and ability for the common good.
For a more detailed statement of the College's principles, values, and practices, see ``Core values of Grinnell College'' (http://www.grinnell.edu/President/ffe/ccviedef.htm).
Revised draft (March 27, 2001)
Original draft (March 21, 2001)
To comment on the proposed mission statement, send e-mail to stone@cs.grinnell.edu.
This document is available on the World Wide Web as
http://www.cs.grinnell.edu/~stone/mission-statement/camellia.xhtml
created March 21, 2001
last revised October 21, 2001