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USF's promise to its students
USF promises its students: - Learning in the Jesuit Catholic tradition of educating persons to their full human potential and challenging them to wrestle with the fundamental questions of purpose and meaning;
- An academically excellent education that offers the knowledge, skills, values, sensitivities and motivation to succeed in a chosen profession, field or career and contribute to a more humane and just world for all;
- A direct, informed, global or local experience of the human condition that heightens awareness of the world's inequities and suggests a moral framework for decision-making;
- Opportunities to enjoy the diverse and multiple opportunities available in San Francisco, a world-class city on the edge of the Pacific Rim;
- A campus culture that promotes engagement, embraces technology, supports friendships, fosters appreciation for the arts and encourages an enjoyable, healthy and responsible style of living and learning together;
USF offers all of the above in a context that allows students to complete their undergraduate degree in four years and professional and graduate degrees in the time specified by the program.
What are examples of opportunities only available in SF?
ReplyDeleteI love the last statement...I believe that only through a university environment that invites and fosters relationships amongst its students can we truly realize the special gift that USF can be.
ReplyDeleteI think this statement needs a lot more context. It makes sense to me, for sure, but it also feels very familiar (maybe too familiar): like the already existing Vision, Mission, and Values statement; or the USF 2028 document. So is this just a re-packaging of what we already have?
ReplyDeleteAlso, what is the basis of these "promises?" If USF fails to deliver on a promise, what is the consequence? The student gets a refund? USF pays for the student's new tuition and fees at the student's new transfer school destination? The student can take a leave of absence with a guarantee of re-admission later?
My thoughts about the bullet points:
ReplyDelete#1) Why is this an "option?" What are a student's other options? Completion of a degree in 10 years? Also, this promise doesn't feel distinctive to me: don't all higher education institutions basically promise that you will get a degree if you are admitted? And I think our current 4-year graduation rate is too low to be offering this promise right now.
#2) Also does not feel very distinctive to me. I think the fundamental questions posed here are common to all higher education (private or public; Jesuit Catholic or not) - we expect adult students to learn in the coursework and also grow and develop as human beings but the struggle to define one's identity and purpose and vocation and place in the world is something that many people (college/university students or not) experience as a natural consequence of "growing up."
#3) With the exception of the last phrase "...contribute to fashioning a more humane and just world for all" this promise also does not feel very distinctive to me. In fact, I feel like most of the top-tier research universities in the U.S. would make similar promises
#6) Why would we only foster appreciation for the arts and not an appreciation of economics or science or literacy or languages or athletics also? I could see emphasizing the arts if we had an established partnership with for example, the SF Symphony, Opera, and Ballet (which would take advantage of and highlight our place in this incredible city we live in and the "urban classroom" we are lucky to have), but we don't. So can this promise be expanded or generalized in some way?