Vision and Mission of the Institution and School of Education
University Identity and Mission
In its foundational documents, Greenville University expresses a vision of being a premier Christian liberal arts university that commits to high academic standards and welcomes an open-spirited attitude with a principled passion in its commitment to Jesus Christ. Our central purposes are embodied in statements reflecting the institution’s identity, mission, and strategic vision. They are as follows:
Greenville’s Identity
Along with being a Christian community that is committed to challenging and nurturing students, we are also dedicated to excellence in higher education, which is grounded in our liberal arts tradition and rich Wesleyan heritage. We provide an education that is characterized by open inquiry of all creation and guided by the authority of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience.
Greenville University’s Mission
Greenville University empowers students for lives of character and service through a transforming Christ-centered education in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies.
Greenville University’s Strategic Vision
Greenville University believes that God created each of our students to uniquely shape the world! Therefore, we
• Offer a transformational Christ-centered educational experience that empowers, enriches, and endures;
• Focus on the development of the whole person so that each student thrives spiritually, intellectually, emotionally, relationally, and physically;
• Inspire our students to embrace God’s Call; and,
• Give our work as worship and welcome the presence of the risen Christ to fill us, equip us, and send us.
School of Education Identity and Mission
In addition to the institutional mission, the GU School of Education has thoughtfully considered its mission and purposes in order to provide a foundational framework for our programs. This statement demonstrates some key elements of our program, such as value for human dignity, the importance of community, and the responsibility to foster meaningful learning.
School of Education Mission Statement
Greenville University teacher candidates will create classroom environments that promote cooperation and responsibility, support self-worth, affirm the dignity of all students, and stimulate learning.
School of Education Program Vision
We envision that the School of Education will produce candidates with a strong professional knowledge base of content, students, and pedagogy. With the utilization of this knowledge base, these candidates will be able to inform and assess their instructional decision-making and problem solving in a complex, dynamic learning environment.
Teacher Education Program Theme
“Preparing Teachers to serve in a culturally diverse world.”
Philosophy of Education
The foundational documents of Greenville University are clear in directing the type of learning we are to provide to students we believe to have a special purpose. Our mission demands that we “empower students for lives of character and service through a transforming Christ-centered education in the liberal arts, sciences, and professional studies.” The vision of Greenville University states that “God created each of our students to uniquely shape the world!”
Given the constant change driven by the advancement of technology, Greenville University must accomplish this mission and vision by consistently providing education to its learners in formats that include, but are not limited to, undergraduate or graduate education. Greenville University’s task is to provide a mix of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs and certifications tailored to the unique needs and callings of its students.
The university’s philosophy of education features a call for our educational objectives, based on our stated assumptions of reality, knowledge, humanness, and value, to pursue both academic and spiritual aims in an intentional effort to minister to the whole person. Therefore, the School of Education continues this effort by not only calling faculty and students to mastery and creation of knowledge and skills within a discipline but also by declaring how this advanced learning contributes to their lives and the communities they serve.
Greenville graduates distinguish themselves by understanding both knowledge and knowledge generation as an extension of the Christian pursuit of truth. Advanced learning at the graduate level, though personal, is never perceived as merely private; it is meant to be used for the common good and invested, especially, on behalf of the poor, the dispossessed, and the marginalized.
In particular, the School of Education at Greenville not only deepens the knowledge and understanding of our graduates but also seeks to further develop their traits of character in the service of professional vocation in the student’s field of endeavor. By doing so, Greenville graduate completers stand out as exemplary employees and active citizens that are dedicated to self- improvement and the general welfare of those within their spheres of influence and to the larger culture.