Below is an example of a statement of LC identity collaboratively composed by members of SoGE. We decided to approach stating goals for GE by first agreeing on a sense of identity. From the LC identity we can extract a set of goals for our graduates, particularly those we should be intentional about including in GE. After the statement are some goals for our graduates. Ultimately GE Goals would be extracted from these and phrased to be assessable.
There’s no such thing as a typical “LC student”; there’s no singular “Pio experience.” But LC students are united in fostering a community of independent spirits who share a curiosity about the world and compassion for others. Often thinking of themselves as both global citizens and environmental stewards, they seek deeper understanding of their place upon this earth. While mindful of the need for a career, they choose LC knowing they will not be trained to become a useful functionary for someone else but will engage in the lifelong work of self-creation.
Honoring our students for who they are, LC’s education aims to help them in this work. We hope to broaden students’ perspectives by introducing them to the larger historical, cultural contexts for and the deeper complexities of current issues. We push our students for breadth and depth. Like Swiss army knives, our students are versatile in responding to the complex problems facing us. Pushed by the mentorship of their passionate faculty, they also strive to become experts in their chosen fields. LC is also a safe place for an identity crisis: we try not to shelter students’ current selves but to help them question who they are, their values and aspirations, in order to assist them in living their lives deliberately. As we learn how to live with one another we will hopefully become thoughtful participants in our world and embrace life’s challenges with intellectual inquiry, creativity, and charity.
Upon graduation, they may not yet have achieved all of our ideals—education is a lifelong process, and learning can be uncomfortable at times—but during their time at Palatine Hill they will have
–Stretched themselves as scholars, researchers, and artists to achieve a high degree of facility in their chosen field
–Engaged respectfully with diverse cultures and traditions
–Discussed issues after being grounded in context—local, global, and historical
–Practiced how to have a civil conversation (in real time and in writing) with someone who holds viewpoints different from their own
–Solved problems requiring the patience and diligence to analyze data and test hypotheses
–Been surprised by something they find beautiful or wonderful and be able to explain articulately and eloquently why that something invokes wonder in them
–Worked with others in tackling large problems that have no clear solutions and that require a range of disciplinary perspectives
–Reflected on why they are here seeking their education in the first place.