Mission Statement

The mission of Chestnut Hill College is to provide students with holistic education in an inclusive Catholic community marked by academic excellence, shared responsibility, personal and professional growth, service to one another and to the global community, and concern for the earth.

Chestnut Hill College, founded by the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 1924, is an independent, Catholic institution that fosters equality through education. Faithful to its strong liberal arts tradition, Chestnut Hill College offers academic programs of excellence in the areas of undergraduate, graduate, and continuing studies.

True to its Catholic heritage, Chestnut Hill College espouses the beliefs and values inherent in the Judeo-Christian tradition while it respects the contributions made by other faith traditions in the development of the whole person. The College nurtures a sense of integrity, spirituality, and social justice in all.

The College community dedicates itself to four purposes in fulfilling this mission.

It seeks:

• to provide avenues for students to achieve academic excellence and to pursue research in their major field or in interdisciplinary studies. The College encourages students to explore and experience diverse curricula and to participate in exchange programs with other institutions of higher education.
• to initiate links between the world of learning and the world of work through curricular planning, technological opportunities, and career preparation. The College guides students in applying theoretical learning through experiential education designed collaboratively by faculty and students.
• to uphold an atmosphere of communal respect in which all may clarify and articulate personal values and beliefs while exploring the ethical and moral dimensions underlying all relationships. The College encourages inter-faith opportunities by acquainting all students with Catholicism, its theology and its Judeo-Christian roots, and by engaging in dialogue with women and men of other beliefs.
• to create local and global connections that enable students to respond to the needs of others through service-oriented enterprises. The College educates students to identify and to address issues of social justice and to work toward systemic change.

Core Values

We Value Personal and Professional Growth throughout the Community.
We Strive To Live This Value By:

• maintaining a lively forum for intellectual and artistic pursuits on campus;
• promoting intellectual sharing and development through inter-disciplinary programs and the encouragement of mentoring relationships;
• exploring avenues for growth and learning outside the campus boundaries.

We Value Academic Excellence.
We Strive To Live This Value By:

• offering a rigorous and challenging academic program with a global emphasis;
• expecting students to take active responsibility for their education;
• fostering close student-teacher bonds;
• ongoing assessment of academic programs.

We Value Ethical Principles.
We Strive To Live This Value By:

• including ethics across the curriculum;
• practicing fairness to all;
• living according to ethical standards and codes of behavior;
• addressing appropriately breaches of ethical standards.

We Value Catholic Intellectual Tradition, History, and Legacy.
We Strive to Live This Value By:

• keeping alive the mission and charisma of the Sisters of Saint Joseph*;
• offering sacramental preparation through campus ministry;
• providing opportunities to participate in Catholic liturgy;
• inviting dialogue on issues pertaining to human dignity, social, and economic justice, and stewardship of the environment;
• promoting on-going interpretations of core theological values and contemporary needs.

We Value Spirituality.
We Strive To Live This Value By:

• embracing the ideal of spiritual growth and expression;
• exploring the spiritual domain of human existence and integrating this into the totality of our experience;
• seeking to explore and to understand the world’s religious traditions.

We Value Service.
We Strive To Live This Value By:

• fostering an attitude of generosity in service;
• providing opportunities for experiential and holistic community service on campus and in the broader community.

We Value Concern for the Earth.
We Strive To Live This Value By:

• keeping informed and educated about environmental issues;
• being mindful of the impact that we, as individuals and as a community, have on the environment;
• continuing to work to preserve and enhance the natural environment of the campus;
• accepting our responsibility as stewards of the earth and its resources.

We Value Holistic Pursuit of Truth, Integrity, and Justice.
We Strive To Live This Value By:

• reflecting these virtues in our everyday lives;
• applying these virtues as guides to our decision-making individually and as a community.

We Value Inclusive Community.
We Strive To Live This Value By:

• affirming human dignity as an absolute value;
• celebrating one another’s potential and achievements, both great and small;
• fostering a friendly and open atmosphere, where all are welcome;
• exhibiting respect for all members of the global community.

*We live and work so that all people may be united with God and with one another. The mission of unity rests on the charism of reconciliation.