Mission Statement
“Historically committed to meeting the changing needs of women, Stephens College prepares students to become leaders and innovators in a rapidly changing world. Stephens engages lifelong learners in an educational experience characterized by intellectual rigor, creative expression and professional practice, in an environment supported by accomplished faculty and dedicated alumnae. Graduates of Stephens are educated in the liberal arts, professionally prepared and inspired by our tradition of the Ten Ideals as core values that enrich women’s lives.”
— Adopted November 2010
Ten Ideals
Inherent in the culture at Stephens College is
the tradition of the Ten Ideals, which originated in 1921. Each year,
10 students whose activities represent the overall ideals of Stephens
College are selected as personifications of individual Ideals.
1983 through today:
- Respect for our own dignity and the dignity of
others, embodied in a sense of social justice
- Courage and persistence
- Independence, autonomy and self-sufficiency
- Support for others through the willingness to
take and give criticism, acceptance and love
- Sensitivity to the uniqueness and fragility of
the natural world of which we are part
- Responsibility for the consequences of our choices
- Belief in our changing selves and in our right
to change
- Creativity in the spiritual and aesthetic dimensions
of life
- Intelligence that is informed and cultivated, critical
yet tolerant
- Leadership which empowers others
From 1921:
- Courtesy
- Forcefulness
- Health
- Self-discipline
- Reverence toward the Spiritual
- Honesty
- Love of Scholarship
- Service
- Cheerfulness
- Appreciation of the Beautiful
