Civic and Social Responsibility

Civic Engagement: “working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities and developing the combination of knowledge, skills, values and motivation to make that difference. It means promoting the quality of life in a community, through both political and non-political processes.” (Excerpted from Civic Responsibility and Higher Education, edited by Thomas Ehrlich, published by Oryx Press, 2000, Preface, page vi.)
Our core values:
  • DEVELOPMENTAL: Acknowledge that individuals seek a wide range of service opportunities that match their interests and skills.
  • ECOLOGICAL: Address the connectedness of individuals to their community and the world.
  • SUSTAINABLE: Create opportunities with the community for social justice.
  • INTELLECTUAL: Challenge students to reflect critically about service and connect it with their academic pursuits.
  • HOLISTIC: Recognize the synchronistic nature of personal, social, spiritual, cognitive, and affective development.
  • RELATIONAL: Integrate healthy, dynamic, and inclusive relationships
Our program goals:
  • Collaborate with community partners for sustainable relationships
  • Cultivate lifelong social responsibility by developing engaged citizens
  • Develop compassionate student leadership
  • Foster critical thinking and reflection
  • Stimulate awareness and understanding of the community’s strengths and challenges
  • Promote equity in organizations, structures, programs, relationships, and processes

Download our mission and goals [pdf]

College Mission Statement

In an environment that fosters the free exchange of ideas, Lafayette College seeks to nurture the inquiring mind and to integrate intellectual, social, and personal growth. The College strives to develop students’ critical thinking and verbal communication skills, quantitative reasoning and their capacity for creative endeavors; it encourages students to examine the traditions of their own culture and those of others; to develop systems of values that include an understanding of personal, social, and professional responsibility; and to regard education as an indispensable, lifelong process.