Because our colleges and universities are Presbyterian-related, we value learning, faith, service, and connection to each other, the Church, and the world, honoring the dignity and worth of every person.
We don’t value learning and all faith traditions represented on our campuses in spite of our church-relatedness. It is because we are church-related that we value and cherish all inquiry and welcome and encourage all faith communities.
Learning, faith, service — the order is important. We are schools, not churches, and our primary mission is education. Learning comes first. Nevertheless, as church-related institutions, we are concerned to educate whole people for the whole world. We strive to graduate students who are not only academically well-prepared but also spiritually and socially mature participants in the religious and civic communities of which they are a part.
We value our relationships with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and with other schools who share a similar relationship. We are not, and do not wish to be, identical institutions. Yet we appreciate our common connections and commitments. We benefit from our mutual relationship, we are all grateful for the historic and ongoing support of the Church, and we are committed to maintaining that relationship.
Our connection to the world is both social and environmental. We seek to serve the whole world through our service to each student. We understand ourselves to be part of a global community of teaching, learning and inquiry. We also work to exhibit, embody, and encourage environmental responsibility on our campuses and beyond. As stated above, we strive to educate whole people for the whole world.
Honoring our efforts to live out our commitment to learning, faith, service, and connection takes place in the context of our ongoing and pervasive commitment to honor the dignity and worth of all people. Our schools are resources and instruments through which the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) serves the world as we serve each of our students in all their magnificent variety and particularity.
Jeff Arnold, Executive Director, Association of Presbyterian Colleges & Universities
Let us join in prayer for:
PC(USA) Agencies’ Staff:
Laura Bryan, Manager, Financial Aid for Service, Interim Unified Agency
Ray Jones, Director, Theology, Formation & Evangelism, Interim Unified Agency
Jeff Arnold, Executive Director, Association of Presbyterian Colleges & Universities
Let us pray:
Gracious God, we are grateful for the Presbyterian emphasis on education and for the many blessings that allow Presbyterian-founded colleges and universities to faithfully serve more than 140,000 students each year. Amen.
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