About the School

Vision Statement

The School for Professional and Continuing Studies envisions a distinctively different 21st-century learning community where our students, staff, faculty, and the individuals and organizations we serve generate knowledge, address critical societal challenges, and thereby advance the greater global good.

Mission Statement

The mission of the School for Professional and Continuing Studies is to invest in the academic, leadership, and personal enrichment of students, staff, faculty, and the individuals and organizations we serve. We create a continuum of educational opportunities and learning spaces that support degree attainment, life-long learning, professional development, leadership excellence, and service to the region.  

Core Values

Community

Ours is a network of support where we strive to create authentic connection, embrace whole person inclusion and celebrate a deep sense of belonging among ourselves and those we serve.  We are a community where lifelong learning is at the center of all we do.  It is a place where students, staff, faculty, individuals, and organizations are welcome, seen, heard, respected and celebrated.

Diversity 

The SPCS is committed to providing educational access and opportunities for all people, while demonstrating our commitment to the inclusion of historically underrepresented groups. Diversity is vital to educational excellence and inquiry, and our students, staff, faculty, and the individuals and organizations we serve, should reflect the diverse community in which we live. Respecting our learners’ lived experiences, and adapting to their needs, promotes more effective learning, fosters a sense of belonging, and better prepares individuals for an increasingly pluralistic society. 

Advocacy

The SPCS serves as a champion and advocate with and for our community of learners. Our efforts focus on lifting the voices and lived experiences of the students, staff, faculty, individuals and organizations we serve to inform programming decisions, policies and procedures and our daily work practices. We ground our advocacy efforts in the unique needs of our community.

Service

The SPCS delivers adaptive support and resources in active collaboration with our broader community, promoting a sense of life-long growth and boundless learning. We are committed to assisting the development of the whole person by providing exceptional service through open communication, compassionate effort, and accountability to our students, staff, faculty, and the individuals and organizations we serve. 

SPCS Goals

 

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice: Enrich our learning and work environments by ensuring an accepting, inclusive community that attracts and retains diverse students, staff, faculty, and individuals and organizations who benefit from our work, weaving our DEIJ values and goals into all we do.

Transformational Impact: Deepen and expand the impact of our work by providing our community of learners with physical spaces, adaptive and responsive educational opportunities and transformative relationships and resources that support life-long learning.

Continuum of Learning: Creating a continuum of educational experiences and learning spaces that support reflection, degree attainment, life-long learning, professional development, leadership excellence, and service to the region.

Resource Development & Fundraising: Build a philanthropic mindset* that develops long-term connections between the SPCS and the learners, alumni, and donors that sustain our work.  We aim to generate opportunities to engage donors and supporters in ways that align with their passion and interests and affords opportunities for growth.

* Philanthropic mindset is the explicit recognition and intentional actions of all members of the SPCS team in support of engaged philanthropy.  The mindset recognizes that everyone plays a unique role in donor engagement, relationship building, communication, gift solicitation, recognition, cultivation and stewardship.  Our collective efforts create a culture and environment where donor generosity is met with mission-aligned opportunities, appreciation and donor-centered care.

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