Southwestern University’s Mission Statement 

Southwestern University, under the auspices of the United Methodist Church, is committed to undergraduate liberal education involving both the study of and participation in significant aspects of our cultural heritage, expressed primarily through the arts, the sciences, the Institutions, and the professions of society. As a teaching~learning community, Southwestern encourages rigorous inquiry and scholarship, creative teaching, and the expression of free human life. The University seeks to involve the student in finding a personal and social direction for life, developing more sensitive methods of communication, cultivating those qualities and skills which make for personal and professional effectiveness, and learning to think clearly and make relevant judgments and discriminations.

Officially adopted by the faculty and the Board of Trustees in 1972, amended in 2001, 2008, and 2011.

 

Southwestern University’s Core Purpose

Fostering a liberal arts community whose values and actions encourage contributions toward the well-being of humanity.

Southwestern’s Core Values

• Cultivating academic excellence.
• Promoting lifelong learning and a passion for intellectual and personal growth.
• Fostering diverse perspectives.
• Being true to oneself and others.
• Respecting the worth and dignity of persons.
• Encouraging activism in the pursuit of justice and the common good.

 

The Pirate’s Credo

As a community:

• We reject intolerance, racism and all forms of oppression.
• We acknowledge the harm of discrimination and endeavor to repair it.
• We confront ignorance with education.
• We work for equity and justice.
• We celebrate the beauty and strength of our differences.