Dignitas Resources: Dignitas Outcomes

The College of St. Scholastica's Mission

Shaped by the Catholic Benedictine heritage, The College of St. Scholastica provides intellectual and moral preparation for responsible living and meaningful work.

Heritage
The College of St. Scholastica is a Catholic academic institution in the Benedictine Tradition. We are shaped by the Benedictine principles of formative study, meaningful work, responsible livingand daily prayer. The College of St. Scholastica embraces the fundamental principles of the Catholic Intellectual Tradition: reason and faith are equally valid and ultimately compatible; rational inquiry and the search for meaning are key values; the contributions of other perspectives are enriching. The College intentionally fosters a community of diverse voices, religions and philosophies. St. Scholastica students should reflect our distinctive identity and, as beneficiaries of the College's heritage, recognize their responsibilities to the academic community that nurtures them and to other communities in which they may contribute.

Students at St. Scholastica will:
• Articulate the ways they have experienced the Benedictine values while at the College
• Recognize the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and its role in their college experience
• Contend with issues through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching

Scope of Learning
The College of St. Scholastica is committed to preparing students broadly for their responsibilities as skilled and ethical working professionals, as engaged and informed citizens, and as individuals seeking to realize their full human potential. CSS students gain broad experience in liberal education, focused by engagement with meaningful questions, both contemporary and enduring. This occurs especially in the General Education Curriculum but also across other programs and experiences.

• Through study and engagement in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, languages, and the arts.

Intellectual and Foundational Skills
The College of St. Scholastica equips students with the intellectual and foundational skills that prepare them for responsible living and meaningful work. CSS students practice these skills extensively, throughout their experiences at the College, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance.

• Inquiry and analysis
• Critical and creative thinking
• Written and oral communication
• Quantitative literacy
• Information literacy
• Teamwork and problem solving

Personal and Social Responsibility
As a Catholic Benedictine institution, The College of St. Scholastica prepares students to live and work in a diverse world and to live in justice and peace, consistent with Catholic Social Teaching, which calls us to live simply, sustainably, and in solidarity with all people. Anchored through active involvement with diverse communities and practical challenges, CSS students take on ever-increasing levels of responsibility for thinking about diversity and for understanding how our individual identities impact relationships.

• Civic knowledge and engagement - local and global
• Intercultural knowledge and competence
• Ethical reasoning and action
• Foundations and skills for lifelong learning

Integrative and Applied Learning
In majors, minors, and other programs, students of The College of St. Scholastica direct a substantial portion of their effort toward excellence within a particular discipline. Additional ongoing experiences in the liberal arts and sciences prepare students for the challenges of the twenty-first century. CSS students demonstrate their application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems.

• Synthesis and advanced accomplishment across general and specialized studies.

In Dignitas, we are guided by important questions that shape our learning, our actions, and our purpose as members of the CSS community. These questions support the Dignitas learning outcomes, providing structure and coherence to each course. In Dignitas, we ask questions and seek answers in preparation for "responsible living and meaningful work."

Who are we as a college community?

• At CSS, we seek to intentionally live out the Benedictine Tradition and Values. In Dignitas, students demonstrate how the Benedictine Tradition and Values guide their learning, their own lives, and their relationships with others. 
• At CSS, we affirm the value of rational inquiry by engaging in the difficult questions of our time. In Dignitas, students explore the Catholic Intellectual Tradition and come to appreciate how faith and reason complement each other in a never-ending quest for wisdom. 
• At CSS, we cultivate the love of truth by introducing students to the main tenets of liberal learning through rigorous, innovative thinking and creative self-expression. In Dignitas, students develop a broad appreciation for the life of the mind. 

Who am I?

• At CSS, we affirm human dignity as the fundamental moral principle recognizing that every person is an end-in-itself who ought never to be treated merely as a means to an end. In Dignitas, students reflect on the nature and sources of human dignity and on the meaning and mystery of being human.
• At CSS, we cultivate the personal beliefs, passions, and talents of each person, developing and refining them in ways that enable us to better realize our full human potential. In Dignitas, students learn about human autonomy and responsibility, and about the range of factors that influence our self-identity.

How am I in community with my neighbors (locally, nationally, globally)?

• At CSS, we prepare students to live and work in a diverse and expanding world by providing our students with a context for thinking about diversity and with a framework for understanding how our individual identities impact relationships. In Dignitas, students analyze how systems of privilege affect identity development and impact relationships. 
• At CSS, we challenge our community to live in justice and peace by examining Catholic Social Teaching which calls us to live simply, sustainably, and in solidarity with ALL people-especially the poor. In Dignitas, students illustrate how engaging in service and social justice activities encourage personal and spiritual growth.