Mission & Values

Mission

Agnes Scott College educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times.

• Agnes Scott College provides a dynamic liberal arts and sciences curriculum of the highest standards so that students and faculty can realize their full creative and intellectual potential.
• Agnes Scott College fosters an environment in which women can develop high expectations for themselves as individuals, scholars, professionals and citizens of the world.
• Agnes Scott College strives to be a just and inclusive community that expects honorable behavior, encourages spiritual inquiry and promotes respectful dialogue across differences.

Adopted by the Board of Trustees, August 2002; reaffirmed by the Board of Trustees, May 2012

Foundations

Agnes Scott College honors in its name the integrity and intellectual curiosity of Agnes Irvine Scott, a Scots-Irish immigrant to the United States. Her son, Col. George Washington Scott, was the college’s primary benefactor, and The Rev. Frank Henry Gaines, minister of Decatur Presbyterian Church, was the founding president. While their leadership extended into the South the Presbyterian educational movement that began with Princeton University, Agnes Scott was established with a distinctive mission: to educate women for the betterment of their families and the elevation of their region. Initially named the Decatur Female Seminary in 1889 and renamed the Agnes Scott Institute in 1890, the college was chartered as Agnes Scott College in 1906.

The first institution of higher education in Georgia to receive regional accreditation, Agnes Scott College dedicated itself from the beginning to the highest level of “moral and intellectual training and education.”¹ Its emphasis on academic excellence and a rigorous liberal arts curriculum “fully abreast of the best institutions of this country”² has always encouraged independent thinking in an atmosphere for learning. The college’s residential campus, prized for its aesthetic distinction, has given all student generations a sense of place, purpose and responsibility. Student self-government under an honor code has been a hallmark since 1906. A founding member of many national and regional educational associations, Agnes Scott has been a member of Phi Beta Kappa since 1926. This tradition of educational leadership continues in the 21st century as the college models new forms of undergraduate education for women through SUMMIT, which prepares every graduate to be an effective leader in a global society.

The Reformed tradition in which the college was created helped shape the intellectual, spiritual and ethical values affirmed to this day: individual inquiry, commitment to the common good, the importance of character formation and engagement with the world. These are reflected in its motto from II Peter 1:5, “Now add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.” The college’s charter commitment to provide “auspices distinctly favorable to the maintenance of the faith and practice of the Christian religion” has broadened into a commitment to ensure that students, faculty and staff of many faiths and secular persuasions are full participants in the life of the college. While Agnes Scott continues to be related to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), its Board of Trustees is an independent, self-perpetuating governing body.

Widening the vision of its founders while remaining grounded in its original mission, Agnes Scott College continues to provide women with an edge for achievement. Alumnae distinguish themselves in medicine, science, education, ministry, the arts, law, politics, business and community service. Since the early 1920s, the college has ranked in the top 10 percent of American colleges whose graduates complete Ph.D. degrees. The Agnes Scott student body has expanded to include women who represent the diversity that is the United States and the world and women who are returning to college to complete their degrees. The engagement of the Agnes Scott community in the intellectual, cultural and social issues of its times represents both the proud history and the bright future of the college.

1 Charter, Decatur Female Seminary, Aug. 27, 1889
2 Agnes Scott Ideal, Frank H. Gaines, 1889

Adopted by the Board of Trustees, August 2002; revised by the Board of Trustees, May 2012 and October 2015

Values

A Commitment to Women

To a holistic approach to education for women, acknowledging the primacy of intellectual development, with integrating opportunities for physical, social, cultural and spiritual development.

To perspectives within the liberal arts tradition that are particularly significant for women.

A Commitment to Teaching and Learning

• To academic excellence, rigor and creativity that engender the joy of learning.
• To personal interaction between students and faculty with an emphasis on independent study and mentoring.
• To the utilization of wide-ranging pedagogical techniques and technologies.
• To an emphasis on collaborative learning

A Commitment to the Liberal Arts

• To the experience of a broad range of liberal studies disciplines, including the humanities, fine arts, natural and social sciences with significant depth in a disciplinary or interdisciplinary major.
• To the liberal arts as the indispensable foundation for professional life.

A Commitment to an Appreciation of Diverse Cultures

• To curricula reflecting a wide range of original sources and scholarly critiques.
• To a student body and a faculty who bring to Agnes Scott the diverse perspectives of their circumstances, cultures and backgrounds.
• To respectful engagement with divergent ideas, philosophies and perspectives from all members of the college community.
• To applied learning opportunities in local and international communities.

A Commitment to a Community that Values Justice, Courage and Integrity

• To encourage the development of a spiritual commitment and a set of values that can serve as sources of vitality, meaning and guidance in the lives of students.
• To support the development of leadership skills and community service experiences needed to become effective contributors to one's family, profession and to society and world citizenship.

Endorsed by the faculty, April 1995; affirmed by the Board of Trustees, August 2002