What Matters Most, according to faculty and staff
The following information lists the comment notes developed during the table conversations in response to the question, “What matters most?” The comment notes were clustered into the areas identified below.
Relationships (14 notes)
- Friendliness
- Community
- Out-of-classroom interaction with students
- Ongoing relationships and connections with parents, alumni, church
- Relationships
- Alumni response that is positive
- Relationships with students
- Importance of relationships
- Connectedness and personal touch
- Student relationships – all departments
- Life-changing relationships
- Relationships: faculty-student, faculty-faculty, staff-faculty, staff-student
Embracing Emotional, Intellectual, Cultural Differences (5 notes)
- Environment that supports developing diverse relationships
- Respect for the many aspects of diversity on campus
- Respect for each individual’s talents/gifts
- Learning from and with international students
Student Success, Growth and Change (10 notes)
- Evidence of growth
- Gaining self-confidence
- Maturing and mentoring
- Transformational environment that transcends age
- Long-term growth of students in all areas of life (“planting oaks”)
- Students of all abilities are encouraged to succeed and grow
- Transformation
- Opportunities of influence on the lives of our students
- Opportunity to be part of growth in people’s lives (faculty, staff, students)
- Equipping people
- Environment that facilitates personal growth in holistic ways
- Sense of identity and distinctiveness
Striving for Excellence (7 notes)
- “Light going on” with students
- Affirming each other helps establish and maintain high standards
- Sense of accomplishment
- Student discovery/application of learning
- Creativity
- Affirmation externally and internally
Serving/Working Together (15 notes)
- Working toward common goal
- Enthusiasm for being part of this place
- Affirmations—joy/gratification
- Importance of each person’s role
- Valued as employee
- Belief in mission – sense of teamwork
- Teamwork and working together toward a common goal
- Affirmation of each other; lack of territoriality
- Collective effort
- We are affirmed and valued in the work we do
- Empowerment of staff/faculty/students
- Value and empowering positions and people
- Personal satisfaction and affirmation about working here
- Part of something larger than our own individual effort
Not Just a Job, but a Ministry (9 notes)
- Faculty/staff personally invested and care about its values
- Satisfaction of touching their lives at Hesston College and the rest of their lives
- We can teach values and see them reflected back to us by our students
- Trust, accountability and the accompanying autonomy that trust and accountability provide; also integrity
- All can have positive impact on students
- All employees interact with students
- Tremendous opportunities for ourselves and our students
- Intangible benefits of serving here
Community (8 notes)
- Supportive community
- The student!
- Being supportive community
- Students
- Community as mission
- Community support (on campus and beyond)
- Desire to connect with others in a significant and meaningful way
Christ-Centered Community (6 notes)
- Christian atmosphere
- Underlying Anabaptist faith and values—framework that shapes everything
- Anabaptist theology
- Service
- Intentional community
Start
Here, Go Everywhere