Mission, Vision + Ideals

Our Mission:

Learn. Grow. Lead.

 

Our Vision:

Inspired by its tradition as an undergraduate women’s college, Stephens College engages lifelong learners in an educational experience characterized by intellectual rigor, creative expression, and professional practice, supported by accomplished faculty, talented staff, and engaged alumnae/alumni. Graduates of Stephens College are educated in the liberal arts, informed by diverse perspectives, and committed to lives of leadership, integrity and service.

 

Our Values: The Ten Ideals

Inherent in the culture of Stephens College is the tradition of the Ten Ideals, which originated in 1921 and which represent the core values that enrich and inspire our lives. Each year, 10 students (“The Ten”) are selected as personifications of individual ideals. The Ten are revealed at Honors Convocation, a long-standing campus tradition that celebrates outstanding students, faculty and alumni. 

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