Southwestern Community College has a clearly defined and published mission statement (1) specific to the institution and appropriate to an institution of higher education. The College’s mission statement addresses teaching and learning as well as its commitment to assisting community and economic development initiatives in its service area. Research is not addressed in the mission statement since the institution is a community college, and research is typically a function of four-year colleges/universities.

The College mission statement is complemented by an institutional vision and by seven institutional goals. Together, these elements guide the overall College direction. The College mission is reviewed annually as part of the College’s on-going planning process. The review is conducted by both the Executive Council as part of its annual planning retreat and by the President’s Council at either the fall or spring semester meeting.

The most recent revision to the mission statement occurred in 2000. These changes were approved by the President’s Council at its January 18, 2000 meeting and were reviewed and approved by the College Board of Trustees at its January 25, 2000 meeting (2).

In May 2002, the President’s Council made some additional modifications to the College goals, which are one element of the overall College mission (no changes were made to the mission statement itself). These changes were reviewed by the College Board of Trustees and were approved at its July 23, 2002 meeting (3). The mission is published in appropriate College publications such as the Strategic and Institutional Effectiveness Plan (4), the college catalog (5), the Student Handbook (6), and in the college’s Policies and Procedures Manual (7). The mission is also included on the College website (1).