Saint Michael's is dedicated to the precepts of its founders—the Society of Saint Edmund—and continues “to affirm the institution’s commitment to the values of higher education as understood within the Roman Catholic tradition” (ACCU Bylaws, Article II, Section 1). While these efforts will always be ecumenical in spirit and practice, it will be public that the institution supports a Catholic perspective on life and the world. The College will work diligently with the Society to maintain a campus ministry that reflects this commitment and provides students with a wide range of opportunities that encourage personal spirituality and altruism.
The shared vision for Saint Michael's is to be a nationally known residential college, where a liberal arts education is grounded squarely in the excellence of the humanities disciplines and also includes academic offerings that encompass the arts, social and natural sciences, information systems, communications and management studies, and an array of interdisciplinary programs that will prepare the current generation of students to be effective in 21st-century global work environments. The faculty, who are teachers and scholars, and Saint Michael’s dedicated staff will be engaged in the complete life of students, who will reside on campus for all four years.
The transformational residential learning experience at the College will incorporate opportunities presented by the surrounding region in Vermont and, thus, will include a conscious integration of nature, ecology and the environment as well as many of the distinctive features of the state’s social and cultural milieu. At the same time, because of a longstanding tradition in international education, Saint Michael’s will continue to bring students from other countries to campus to enhance the multicultural experience for all and will encourage all students to engage in study and/or internships abroad as part of its educational commitment to global preparedness for its graduates.
The vision is shaped by core values held collectively by members of the Saint Michael’s community, to which the institution will adhere while managing the challenges of fundamental changes in higher education. These values remain: a focus on student learning to develop the whole person as an individual and member of a larger community; an expectation of increasingly high academic standards; advancement of values-based education; the practice of open and civil discourse; respect for the fundamental dignity and worth of each person; and fulfilling the responsibility of good citizens in an age of cultural diversity and internationalization.
Realization of the vision will be governed by the following operational principles: definition of a clearly articulated institutional identity; attention to the changing external environment; individual and collective responsibility for outcomes; unfailing adherence to ethical practices; results-oriented disposition for systemic analysis and evaluation; cross-functional collaboration, development and implementation; integration of technological innovation; fiscal and managerial accountability; and strategic positioning for competitive advantage.
Therefore, in its fourth iteration, this statement remains a dynamic guide for achieving Saint Michael’s strategic vision. The inventory of objectives to be attained cannot be comprehensive, but Vision 2010 does provide the basic institutional strategies that will govern this work and be revised constantly, as faculty, staff, trustees and students—jointly—lead Saint Michael's in challenging each member of the community to become a contributing citizen of the world. The College is committed to making the education it offers affordable, contemporary, technologically advanced and preparatory to a fulfilling life.
Vision 2010 extends through the institution’s next re-accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) in that year. A strategic plan for the remainder of the decade will be developed in 2006.
I. Foundation and Future in Faith: Saint Michael's College fulfills its educational mission in an environment faithful to its Catholic tradition, reflected in the history and ministry of the Society of Saint Edmund.
II. Academic Excellence: Saint Michael's is a leader among liberal arts colleges by virtue of its dedicated faculty, who exemplify a serious commitment to excellence, adherence to rigorous teaching standards, openness to pedagogical innovation (inclusive of technology), appropriate contributions to scholarship, and service and leadership in the academic community. They embrace faculty-student research and other teaching, scholarly and professional endeavors that place student learning at the center of their work. In turn, the College encourages inventive and creative programs and pedagogy.
III. Centrality of Students: The Saint Michael's experience is grounded in the philosophy of a residential community engaging the whole student—intellectually, physically, emotionally and spiritually. This guiding principle drives all College plans, initiatives and activities. Simultaneously, multiple efforts must be undertaken to make the residential life experience congruent with academic goals established for students. The systemic and meaningful integration of residential life with the academic community must be seamless to provide a comprehensive approach to student learning and behavior.
IV. Strength in Community: The Saint Michael's College community—characterized by diversity, open and civil discourse, and a profound respect for the fundamental dignity and value of each human being—is a model for responsibility and citizenship in a global society.
V. Fiscal Responsibility Through Resource Acquisition and Accountability: Under the aegis of the Board of Trustees, Saint Michael's will continue to monitor tuition dependency, increase affordability through aggressive and targeted resource acquisition, and exercise sophisticated management practices in its service to all stakeholders. The College will also keep pursuing efforts in institutional advancement to enlarge the endowment in order to make scholarships available to students and to fund new initiatives.