Gateway to Service

Service

Statement of Mission

Objectives

Service
It’s not just a word at Columbia Union College. It is a way of life, built into the curriculum and the classroom and lying at the core of the dreams that shape the institution.

When we say CUC is the Gateway to Service, our teachers lie very close to the core of what we mean. They introduce into their classes opportunities for students to benefit from our location and mission and see the adventure of learning at the nation’s capital as a distinct opportunity to shape the future through helping students find the future that is uniquely theirs.

Another key element in this mix is the distinctive spiritual atmosphere on campus, which sees spirituality not just as an individual devotional experience (as important as that is), but also through an interface with the world of ideas and a desire to make a difference in the world through service and through a ministry of hope.

Ultimately, it is the graduates from Columbia Union College who verify the reality of our commitment. They make a difference by the choices of careers they make and by the ways in which service becomes part of their adult lives, long after they have left college. Many of our majors, like business and communication, make a service component part of their core requirements. And many of our students connect with specific kinds of ministries while on campus—and then go on to continue similar service activities after graduation. In this, they are making the world a better place, one student at a time.

Our graduates will tell you that a Columbia Union College education prepares students for a career in the real world and helps them develop the skills, experiences, and perspectives that lead to success in whatever career they decide to pursue. Internships and job placement opportunities are a significant and important part of the entire academic program at Columbia Union College. Our location near the nation’s capital affords our students opportunities for unique internships or job placement in government, media, healthcare, the arts, business and finance, law, and more.

Statement of Mission

Columbia Union College is a learning community committed to the Seventh-day Adventist Christian vision of excellence and service. This cosmopolitan institution challenges students to seize the opportunities for learning in the nation's capital in order to become moral leaders in communities throughout the world.

Objectives
CUC students upon graduation will demonstrate competencies in the following areas:

Spiritual Identity

They will understand the basic spirituality that is the heart of the college’s Mission and Statement of Community Ethos. They will be committed to a belief and value system that results in responsible moral choices and the care of the body, mind and spirit.

Communication

They will be able to communicate effectively through reading, writing, speaking and listening and become proficient in the use of electronic modes of communication.

Analytical Skills

They will be able to absorb and synthesize information and to problem solve through interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation and self awareness.

Effective Citizenship

They will be aware of the characteristics and needs of a diverse community, will understand the value of contributing time and effort to achieve community goals, and will accept responsibility for personal actions. Their behavior in the community will reflect the importance of creating and maintaining a safe, orderly, healthy and attractive environment.

Team Work

They will be able to participate either as a member or leader of a committee, task force, board, or other group project in generating and achieving its collective goals.

Aesthetic Appreciation

They will be able to recognize, distinguish, and understand the nature and value of fine and performing arts, as well as the aesthetic heritage found in a variety of cultures.

Discipline-specific Competency

They will be able to show competency in a major field of study and will understand the relationship of their particular discipline to the general education core of their liberal arts training.

Columbia Union College, in all these ways and many more, is truly the Gateway to Service.