About Hesston College, Mission Statement, Vision, Values, Statement of Purposes
Mission and Purposes; Educational Philosophy, General Education, Degrees, and Assessment; Accreditation, Memberships, and Educational Facilities
About Hesston College
Hesston College, a two-year college founded in 1909, is located in Hesston, Kansas, 35 miles north of Wichita. The college has an enrollment of approximately 425 students who come from about 26 states and 15 countries including Canada. It has a faculty-student ratio of 1:12. Owned by Mennonite Church USA, Hesston College is governed by the Hesston College Board of Overseers. Board members are appointed by the Mennonite Education Agency and the board of overseers.
Mission Statement
Hesston College, the two-year college of Mennonite Church USA, educates and nurtures each student within Christ-centered community, integrating thought, life, and faith for service to others in the church and the world.
Vision
Hesston College graduates change the world as they serve through their vocations, churches, families, and individual commitments to follow Christ.
Hesston College is a transforming community where students, faculty, and staff dedicate their intellect, passion, and skill to a future where:
- Hope replaces despair
The poor are clothed and fed
The sick are made whole
Peace replaces war and conflict
Justice replaces oppression
Creation is renewed
The gospel is proclaimed.
To make this vision a reality:
- We will strive for excellence in all we do. We will measure our results and aspire to greatness in all areas of college life.
- Our graduates will be fully prepared to take the next steps in their education, professions, and relationships.
- All academic and student life programs will be infused with the values of Christian community, stewardship of gifts, and service to the world.
Values
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Excellence
- Aspire to high performance in all courses, programs, and activities, measuring our results with accepted standards of achievement.
- Learning
- Give and expect each other’s best efforts in teaching and learning. Encourage creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking.
- Christian Community
- Invite students to follow Christ and to create Christ-centered community on campus.
- Culture
- Celebrate differences in backgrounds and cultures and make every effort to learn from each other.
- Relationships
- Create space and time to develop relationships so that faculty, students, and staff learn together.
- Creativity
- Strive to break through to new ways of learning and service.
- Stewardship
- Care for the financial, physical, spiritual, and emotional resources entrusted to us. Serve as stewards of the environment and work to develop sustainable facilities and practices.
- Joy
- Model lives of joy, eagerly working hard to achieve, and welcoming humor and fun along the way.
- Transparency
- Share information regarding our performance, finances, and future plans within the organization, with our supporters, and with those we serve.
- Caring
- Act with compassion and honesty, extending dignity and respect to all.
Statement of Purposes
The purposes of Hesston College are to:
Promote student learning and development through
- A general education core and other courses that culminate in the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree and satisfy lower division requirements for transfer to selected baccalaureate programs.
- Academic courses and enrichment programs that emphasize the scholarship of integration and student learning in the areas of biblical understanding, global perspective, critical thinking, self-awareness, communication, and social responsibility.
- Student life programs, academic services, and enrichment activities that promote development of the whole student (academic, personal, physical, social, and spiritual).
Facilitate vocational and career development through
- A general education core and other courses that culminate in the Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences degree and prepare students with knowledge and performance competencies required for immediate employment in selected careers.
- Academic advising and career services that assist students to adequately plan and prepare for their selected careers and guide those who are uncertain about future career choices.
Prepare future leaders who actively participate in the life and work of the church and display a commitment of service to others through
- A Christ-centered community where students are guided toward the model of Jesus Christ, encouraged to grow in their faith, and empowered to view themselves as agents of change.
- Student leadership opportunities throughout the first two years of the college experience in academics, athletic activities, dramatic productions, worship planning, student recruitment, residential life, etc.
- Service-learning opportunities in a variety of curricular and extra-curricular activities.
- Experiences that expand students’ vision of the Mennonite Church, its values and tenets, its people, and its programs.