Grinnell College is a community for the development of intellectual and moral character in undergraduate students through study, discourse, and practice. Our mission is to educate students in the liberal arts, to help them free themselves from the bonds of ignorance, habit, prejudice, superstition, and apathy, and to cultivate in them a sense of social responsibility, so as to qualify them for the different professions and for the honorable discharge of the various duties of life.
To these ends, we commit ourselves to several principles:
The primacy of learning and teaching. The primary responsibility of our students is to learn; of our faculty, to teach; of our administrators and staff, to create and sustain an environment conducive to learning and teaching.
Academic freedom. We guarantee academic freedom to our faculty and students, as to both the form and the content of our courses. We encourage students to design their own programs of study, with the assistance of faculty advisers.
Freedom of speech and discussion. Members of our community may inquire into and discuss any topic, however controversial, freely, openly, respectfully, and without prejudice. We expect our initial views to be questioned and challenged and are willing to participate in the shared mission even when we do not achieve unanimity.
Free access to works of scholarship and art. Members of our community have access to works of scholarship and art in the College's libraries and galleries, at College-sponsored public lectures and performances, and through the Internet. We do not charge admission fees for College events.
Respect for diversity. We respect intellectual and social diversity. We welcome the diversity of ideas and perspectives that arise from differences among the members of the community in color, gender, geographic and national origins, socio-economic and cultural legacies, sexual orientation, physical disabilities, and systems of belief.
Social action. We recognize the educational value of programs that promote social justice and the common good. We support summer and academic-year internships, break programs, and volunteer work, including community service, both locally and nationally.
Personal interaction. We encourage direct and personal interactions among members of the community. In particular, faculty and students do not encounter each other only in the classroom, but work together closely in various settings, such as office hours, independent projects, workshops, and laboratory research.
Residential learning. Recognizing that learning is not confined to the classroom, we encourage students to reside on campus for most of their four years. We provide facilities and support for on-campus student organizations, publications, musical ensembles, plays, and competitions.
Need-blind admission. We admit students who have strong academic potential without regard to their ability to pay, and promise to meet the full demonstrated institutional financial need of all admitted and continuing students.
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/tulip.xhtml
created March 21, 2001
last revised October 21, 2001