mission
Our Mission is to educate current and future leaders and managers to be professionally skilled, ethically principled, socially responsible, and personally fulfilled.
In fulfilling our mission, we are guided by a shared set of values and commitments that shape the character of the education we offer:
- Commitment to a Rich Tradition. We are committed to the Lasallian, Catholic and liberal arts tradition of Saint Mary’s College, with its emphasis on student-centered, values-based education, and its concerns for critical thinking, disciplined reasoning, and effective communication, and for the dignity of the individual, awareness of the needs of others, and service to the community. Emblematic of our commitment to this rich tradition is our emphasis on ethical decision-making and social responsibility, as well as on development of the skills of reasoning and communication in managerial contexts.
- Individual and Collaborative. We value individuals, respect their distinctive contributions, and address their particular needs and interests to the fullest extent possible. At the same time, we value and promote teamwork, collaboration, and community in both our classes and the larger world. We believe that in the increasingly complex and fast-paced world of contemporary business, the skills of collaboration and relationship, and the ability to recognize and help realize the interests of others, are important sources of individual and organizational success, and should thus be central to an effective business education.
- Conceptual and Applied. We are committed to an education that prepares students to respond effectively to new circumstances. This means emphasis on practical problem-solving skills focused on the mastery of core business functions, but it also means conceptual understanding of the drivers of change in markets and organizations, and the ability to formulate creative and insightful solutions to new problems. We also seek to provide a business education with a strong applied character, achieved through the use of consulting projects, internships, and case studies, and through the business experience of faculty.
- Academic Excellence. We are committed to a business education that calls forth academic excellence on the part of both students and faculty. Our objective is to offer an education that transforms the competence and confidence of students. We expect of our faculty first that they be highly effective teachers, but also that they be engaged actively in intellectual pursuits that maintain their currency, improve the quality of their instruction, and advance knowledge.
- Innovative and Enduring. We value and recognize the importance of innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship in business and education, but at the same time value the enduring business wisdom and conceptual insight accumulated over time in business experience and in scholarship. We use the best of this accumulated wisdom to prepare students for fundamentally new realities.
- Local and Global. We are focused primarily on providing high quality business education to undergraduate and graduate students in Northern California, and we are committed to strengthening the relationship of the school to the local business community, and to increasing the extent to which students and faculty are integrated with this community. At the same time, we are constantly mindful of the growing importance of global perspectives, forces, and opportunities. We seek to expand the exposure of both students and faculty to the global context of today’s business, and to increasing their direct experience with international businesses and students.
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