VISION
Washington Adventist University produces graduates who bring competence and moral leadership to their communities.
MISSION
Washington Adventist University 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.
10 PRINCIPLES OF WAU’S CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE
- Commit to excellence
- Measure the important things
- Build a culture around learning
- Build a culture around service Create and develop leaders
- Focus on student, faculty and staff satisfaction
- Expect accountability
- Align behaviors with goals and values
- Communicate at all levels
- Recognize and reward success
OBJECTIVES
Upon graduation, in accordance with its mission to develop competent moral leaders, WAU students will demonstrate competencies in the following areas:
COMPETENT
Critical Skills and Information Literacy
• Be able to find, evaluate, absorb and synthesize information
• Be able to solve problems through interpretation, analysis, evaluation, inference, explanation and self-awareness.
Discipline-specific Competency
• Be able to show competency in a major field of study.
• Understand the relationship of their particular discipline to the General Education core of their liberal arts training.
MORAL
Spiritual Identity
• Understand the basic spirituality that is the heart of the university’s Mission and Statement of Community Ethos.
• Be committed to a belief and value system that results in responsible moral choices and care of the body, mind and spirit.
Aesthetic Appreciation
• Be able to recognize, distinguish and understand the nature and value of beauty, both natural and humanly constructed, as well as
the aesthetic heritage found in a variety of cultures.
LEADERS
Communication
• Be able to communicate effectively through reading, writing, speaking and listening.
• Become proficient in the use of electronic modes of communication.
Effective Citizenship
• Be aware of the characteristics and needs of a diverse community.
• Understand the value of contributing time and effort to achieve community goals.
• Accept responsibility for personal actions.
• Exhibit in the community which will reflect the importance of creating and maintaining a safe, orderly, healthy
and attractive environment.
Teamwork
• 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 goals.
STATEMENT OF COMMUNITY ETHOS
Washington Adventist University operates under the auspices of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The institution’s distinctive passion is learning.
By making learning a pleasure and a joy and by linking scholarship with service, the faculty, students and those who support them, intend to develop competence for moral leadership as well as competence for work.
We embrace and attempt to live by, the following ideals:
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FAITH - We value faith in God and celebrate the goodness of creation, the dignity of diverse peoples and the possibility of human transformation. Through worship and shared experiences, we uphold spiritual integrity and help one another to achieve it. |
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MIND - We value the enhancement of the mind through enthusiasm, excellence and honesty in learning. In both study and conversation, we honor the consideration of ideas and the increase of understanding. |
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RESPECT - We value safety, respect and courtesy as every person’s need and right. To assist one another in learning, we attend, in particular, to making our environment hospitable to study. |
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SERVICE - We value generosity in both attitude and practice and consider higher education to be both a training and an opportunity for service. |
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BEAUTY - We value beauty and order - in the buildings, on the grounds, in ourselves. We take responsibility for the look, the sound and the feel of our campus. |
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HEALTH - We value the health of body, mind and soul and encourage each other to eat, rest and exercise for maximum benefit to our entire being. |
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GROWTH - We value both honesty and determination with respect to these ideals. We acknowledge our need and capacity, under God, for continuous growth toward their realization. |
STATEMENT OF CORE VALUES
At Washington Adventist University learner success comes first. Excellence in teaching learning and service comprise the core of our mission. We dedicate ourselves as a learning community to the continued pursuit of excellence and recognition of the dignity and worth of our individual members.
With these as fundamental principles, the following values guide our actions:
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INTEGRATION OF THE LIFE AND TEACHINGS OF JESUS CHRIST |
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We will model the life and teachings of Jesus Christ into all aspects of the learning community. |
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COMMITMENT TO QUALITY |
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We take personal responsibility for continuous improvement and commitment to lifelong learning as we celebrate creativity, innovation, service and the success of learners. |
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RESPECT |
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We insist on an environment of respect. Our actions reflect the respect we hold for our students, our colleagues, our community, and ourselves. We trust each member of the community as individuals deserving of kindness, dignity, and fairness. All are gifted, all are valued. |
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TRUST |
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We honor the trust placed in us by our students, the community, and our colleagues. With trust, we act openly and ethically, motivated by cooperation and a collaborative team spirit. |
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CONSIDERATE OPEN COMMUNICATION |
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We take responsibility to share information, encourage the exchange of ideas, listen without judgment, and speak with honesty and candor. |
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ACCOUNTABILITY AND INTEGRITY |
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We hold ourselves and others accountable for our professional and personal actions, acting responsibly and conducting our business with integrity. |
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