Mission Questions

Last Monday, I met with Dr. Price's and Dr. Jordan's ENG 101 classes and talked with them about the Mission Statement at Mississippi College. I think that our Mission Statement offers many interesting, provocative challenges. Most interesting for students are the five verbs, the five actions that the university says it will do to and for students: stimulate, promote, encourage, emphasize and reflect.

Each of those terms gives me a slightly different picture of the educational process. The college says that it will poke and prod student for intellectual development using the two "big sticks" of the core curriculum and the majors. The college will push students forward to develop spiritually, socially, emotionally and physically as well. The college will give students "heart"--in a good biblical sense of strength and courage as they pursue "meaning filled careers, lifelong learning and service to God and others." Finally the university will emphasize programs that accomplish those goals while attempting to reflect models of service itself.

These actions, of course, go beyond what most students--and most faculty--think about when they think about college. For many, it is simply an exchange of information or skills. But learning is more than memorizing body parts or accounting procedures. Development of "intellect" doesn't mean just adding information, but learning how to process, how to analyze, and how to synthesize that information. Development of spirituality means more than just chapel or Bible study; it means developing one's spirit as a motivating force. Adding social, emotional, and physical development into the educational mix each bring added challenges.

On some level, this "holistic" approach fulfills what Arthur Holmes in The Idea of a Christian College suggests when he talks about Christian education being something that prepares the whole person to meet the whole world. This holistic approach also underscores his rejection of the question, "What can I do with this," in favor of "What will this do to me." I wonder what this vision of education would do to us, to me, if we were able to implement it fully?