General Education

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 lifelong 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 education, curriculum, academic divisions, divisions of staff 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.

1. Competent communicators:
   1. Assess strengths and weaknesses in various modes of communication.
   2. Communicate effectively in various modes of communication.
   3. Utilize technology appropriately as a tool for effective communication.
2. Critical thinkers:
   1. Analyze data and events in a thoughtful and logical manner.
   2. Draw conclusions based on evidence and reason.
   3. Apply the problem solving process to make decisions.
3. Socially responsible persons:
   1. Identify and assess community issues and the ability to act on them.
   2. Understand and value diverse viewpoints.
   3. Make informed, responsible and ethical decisions.
   4. Act nonviolently on issues of injustice and prejudice.
4. Persons of biblical understanding and faith:
   1. Understand the biblical story and its primary themes.
   2. Articulate own values and faith commitments.
   3. Act on values and faith commitments.
5. Persons of wholeness and self-awareness:
   1. Identify personal gifts and strengths, as well as areas where growth is needed.
   2. Establish and maintain healthy relationships at a variety of levels.
   3. Practice healthy lifestyle choices related to body, mind and/or spirit.
   4. Develop an appreciation of aesthetics.
6. Persons of global perspective:
   1. Examine the complex relationships that make up global issues.
   2. Articulate changes in one’s worldview.
   3. Act as a good steward 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 that 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/air traffic control, aviation/flight, 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 Hesston College graduates 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.