Liberal Arts at Hesston College, Why a Liberal Arts Education?, General Education at Hesston College, Outcomes, Plan of Courses in General Education, Academic Degrees Offered at Hesston, Transferring Hesston College Courses, Assessment of Student Learning
Mission and Purposes; Educational Philosophy, General Education, Degrees, and Assessment; Accreditation, Memberships, and Educational Facilities
Statement of Philosophy
Liberal Arts at Hesston College
Hesston College’s liberal arts curriculum is based on the belief that there are two equally important questions about an education: “What can I do with it?” and “What will it do to me?” Hesston College prepares graduates for successful careers, but more importantly, it prepares persons of character to think deeply, communicate clearly, and serve meaningfully. Both the church and the world need well-rounded persons who, regardless of profession, make sound personal and public decisions.
Hesston College seeks to produce graduates who dedicate their intellects, passions, and skills to being agents of peace in the world. In the original language of the Bible, the word for peace means universal flourishing, completeness, the way things are meant to be. Of course, the world is far from the way it is meant to be, but we believe Hesston College graduates can make a positive difference.
Why a Liberal Arts Education?
Liberal arts education at Hesston aims to free people to understand themselves, to evaluate ideas, to think clearly, and to serve as disciples of the servant Christ. Hesston College’s motto is “The truth shall make you free.” Jesus said, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). As a person lives out the teachings of Jesus, the ability to understand truth grows along with a person’s character. A person who is liberally, as in generously, educated is free to live confidently in the world. A liberal arts education cultivates the human capacities of mind, character, and soul. It educates students to be creative, literate, and responsible citizens and leaders.
A liberal arts education leads learners to an integrated view of knowledge. Such an education draws from one discipline to inform another, connects learning to contemporary life, and places knowledge from individual disciplines into a broad perspective. Students affirm their relationships to one another and to the Creation. In a fragmented world whose citizens long for a coherent view of life, Hesston College challenges its graduates to make a positive difference. Students study across disciplines to develop a holistic view of life and prepare to participate in fulfilling God’s purpose for humans in this world. Our board, faculty, and staff share a Christian faith as expressed in the Confession of Faith in a Mennonite Perspective (Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1995). We believe that a Christian is a follower of Jesus and a participant in Christ’s church and mission.
General Education at Hesston College
Hesston College offers students a well-integrated, comprehensive general education in the liberal arts. General education is the portion of the liberal arts curriculum in which all students engage. General education at Hesston College is at the center of a curriculum designed to examine the totality of what it means to be human. Different disciplines offer diverse perspectives on how humans construct meaning. The task of general education is to prepare students for purposeful participation within a rapidly changing world and church. The following areas of emphasis characterize general education at Hesston College:
- Developing skills that mark an educated person
General education courses teach students skills in close reading, creative and critical thinking, logical reasoning, effective written and spoken communication, and mathematical and technological competence. - Engaging big questions of life
General education courses offer opportunities for students to engage questions such as the following: Who is God? What is the basis for ethics and values? What does it mean to be human and to live in community? Who have we been, and where are we going? What is the nature and value of the physical world? How can we deal positively with paradoxical and diverse ideas? - Integrating knowledge, faith, service, and community
Required general education courses teach students the importance of life-long learning and prepare them to practice choices for healthy living. The “Hesston experience” involves a faith-based education within a community where worship, study, service, and participation in the arts, athletics, and recreation are all essential elements in students’ growth.
Outcomes
The general education curriculum, academic divisions, and student life programs offer opportunities for students to develop as competent communicators, critical thinkers, socially responsible persons, persons of biblical understanding and faith, persons of wholeness and self awareness, and persons of global perspective.
Competent communicators:- Write clear, well-organized texts using appropriate documentation
- Deliver clear, well-organized speeches in a variety of contexts
- Communicate well in interpersonal as well as public settings
- Use technology appropriately as a tool for communication
- Listen to, hear, and understand messages communicated by others
- Analyze data and events in a thoughtful and logical manner
- Draw conclusions and solve problems based on evidence and reason
- Demonstrate understanding of the information used
- Recognize competing theories and ideas within a discipline
- Integrate the common principles and themes of various disciplines
- Modify behavior based upon learning and clear thinking
- Resolve conflicts non-violently
- Solve problems cooperatively
- Understand and value diverse viewpoints
- Make informed, responsible, and ethical decisions
- Confront prejudice and injustice
- Take positive, meaningful action
- Tell the biblical story and its primary themes
- Articulate the Anabaptist biblical hermeneutic
- Apply the biblical message to contemporary themes
- State their faith relative to the Bible
- Act in accordance with their faith
- Identify gifts, strengths, and areas where growth is needed
- Understand, own, and tell their own story appropriately and effectively
- Practice commitment to something significant beyond themselves
- Believe that they have power and can exercise it appropriately
- Establish healthy relationships at a variety of levels
- Practice healthy lifestyle choices, conscientiously caring for their bodies
- Comprehend the connectedness of global affairs
- Discuss current world events and issues
- Articulate how their life experiences compare to a broader world context
- Participate effectively in intercultural settings
- Articulate changes in their worldview
- Act as good stewards of the environment
Plan of Courses in General Education
Hesston College aims for coherence in the general education curriculum through two simultaneous approaches:
- A group of common courses which introduce students to the experience of academic community, while reflecting on subjects central to Hesston’s vision and values
- A distribution of courses from the broad stream of the liberal arts, such as history, literature, the biological and physical sciences, humanities, and the social sciences
Academic Degrees Offered at Hesston
Hesston College’s educational program is designed to meet a variety of student needs. Hesston offers Associate of Arts (A.A.) and Associate of Science (A.S.) degrees for students interested in the first two years of a liberal arts program, various pre-professional programs, and other fields of study requiring four-year degrees.
Students with specific career interests who plan to spend two years in college may choose to pursue an Associate of Applied Arts and Sciences (A.A.A.S.) degree to prepare for employment or further educational experiences in the following areas: aviation, Bible and youth ministry, business, computer information technology, early childhood education, nursing, and pastoral ministries.
Transferring Hesston College Courses
Hesston College prepares students for engagement in life-long learning opportunities. Most graduates of Hesston College transfer to four-year accredited institutions, although other programs or levels of education may be their educational destination. Hesston College is committed to continual assessment and improvement of academic programs and to maintaining and developing articulation agreements with four-year institutions to which our students typically transfer.
Assessment of Student Learning
Hesston College is committed to improving both the process and outcomes of teaching and student learning/growth through the systematic assessment of students’ academic achievement and personal development. Assessment of student learning and development is guided by the Hesston College mission, purposes, and philosophy. Assessment results are used to improve the academic curriculum, teaching, and student life programs. Hesston College believes that true excellence lies in the college’s ability to enhance students’ intellectual, personal, and spiritual development and to make a positive difference in their lives. To establish reliable results for transfer, general education courses are assessed on a regular basis for their capacity to meet the typical requirements in future programs of study.