General Education Program

Through the General Education Program, the College expresses its commitment to the ideal of liberal education that underlies its mission statement. The program includes four components: communications, liberal studies, cross-cultural studies, and disciplinary perspectives. This program prepares graduates who are broadly competent, skilled in communication, capable of analysis and interpretation, tolerant, and able to continue to learn in a rapidly changing world.

Our academic program aims to educate students so that they:

  • acquire a broad knowledge base across the liberal arts disciplines, including content and method; 
  • come to understand that facts are important primarily as evidence from which we infer meaning in the form of theories, arguments, and interpretations;
  • learn to draw on and integrate different disciplines when considering particular problems or issues;
  • learn to think critically and independently-to understand, construct, and respond to arguments, and develop a questioning, open-minded attitude;
  • learn to communicate clearly and cogently, both in speech and writing, in listening and reading;
  • acquire sensitivity and skill in interacting with different cultures and traditions, and come to understand and respect differences among human beings; and,
  • establish a foundation for their continuing education, including their intellectual, aesthetic, and moral growth, their personal and vocational development, and their understanding of themselves as citizens at the local and global levels.