Institutional Purpose Committee


Minutes of the Meeting of
March 31, 1999

 Present: Kalinowski, J. Steehler, R. Minton, Garren, Marsh, Zorn, Cissel, Lambert

Assumptions that will guide our work for developing a purpose statement for the College were discussed. Some points of agreement were:
  • Use components of the current purpose statement where appropriate.
  • Incorporate key focal points from the Centers of Distinction plan (e.g., service learning, co-curricular involvement)
  • Be both descriptive and bold (e.g., set out what ought to be happening) about the Roanoke College experience.
  • Be succinct. Try to create a purpose statement (or key components from the Statement) that everyone can embrace and remember.
  • Include some new "tones" in the statement:
    . . . like "forward looking perspective"
    . . . like "institution that seeks innovation, change and opportunities to refresh itself"
    . . . like "grounded in our history but creating our future"
  • Consider creating both a "motto" and a statement of purpose
  • Make sure the key purpose statement components are assessable and that Institutional Stated Goals and Curriculum Goals align with it.
Key issues we feel we need to discuss, about which we need to seek faculty/student/other input and possibly add to (or somehow accommodate) in our purpose statement and/or our process:
  • Our institution's intention regarding non-undergraduate education programs (e.g., graduate, continuing education, Elderhostel and other programs)
  • Church relations
  • Diversity of student body and faculty
  • Strengthen the "commitment to service" clause in the statement of purpose
  • The advantages of our physical setting
  • e.g., physical environs

(We seem to feel that much is good in the current statement but that we may wish to incorporate other components.)

Possible processes for proceeding:

We agreed that input from faculty/students/others is important and that we would like to seek it early on in our process via:
  • Department/student group meetings as point of contact: Send an emissary from our committee to dept. meetings to discuss, seek feedback and assess faculty feelings, etc.
  • Large group meeting with breakout discussions
(We tended to favor the department/student meeting method at at this time)
Next meeting and tasks: Wednesday, April 7, 8:00-9:00 a.m. Faculty House
Agenda tasks:

1. Each of us will draft our individual ideas concerning the institutional purpose. Bring copies (13). We will discuss these.

2. I will gather examples of other purpose statements from other institutions (to be examined after we have discussed our own ideas).