Reflections on the Vision of Westmont College
The Westmont Mission Statement identifies five core principles that guide every aspect of our work: liberal arts, Christian, residential, undergraduate and global.
As a liberal arts college, we seek to launch students into a lifetime of learning so they may become the people God created them to be. Professors nurture in students a genuine enthusiasm for asking rigorous questions and seeking meaningful answers. There really is no other educational experience like small classes with great minds wrestling with profound thoughts.
But equipping great minds is not enough; we must also cultivate character. At the heart of our mission as an educational institution lies an unwavering commitment to our Christian faith. What our world needs is not a shrill recitation of narrow ideas, but a robust expression of our deepest convictions engaged in conversations that really matter.
We have the privilege of entering into all that our culture presents and caring enough about our world to improve it. There is something so attractive about discovering that we can be good and great at the same time. We have expended some of our greatest efforts in creating a residential community where faculty live close to campus. It’s important that interaction between professors and students occurs easily and consistently. Integrating the way we live and the beliefs we hold with our intellectual endeavors represents an important part of the Westmont experience.
Concentrating entirely on undergraduates helps us keep classes small and relationships between faculty and students strong. Every ounce of who we are focuses on this wonderful period of life when we make so many of the decisions that shape our ongoing journey. We want to be fully attentive to all that our students are experiencing and learning.
Finally, the rising tide of our global economy makes it imperative that we develop a worldview that can move easily within and between the various cultures and societies that make up our world community. In the years ahead, we expect the expressions of Westmont around the world to assume even greater importance. We want our graduates to leave with a heightened awareness and understanding of the world in which we live.
As our students grow intellectually, spiritually and personally, they prepare to succeed in whatever they do —and to live life with purpose, integrity and joy.