DWC Values

THE VISION FOR DWC
Dr. Robert E. "Skip" Myers
August 24, 2006

Introduction

Entry into a new organization is about entry into a new culture. One of the activities in which I have engaged in my first year has been to listen as attentively as I could, not only for what was being said (or not said), but what values the Daniel Webster College community intended to convey by its words and its actions. Let me share with you – and give voice to – what I believe are the values central to our enterprise.

Values

Our mission at Daniel Webster College is to educate “purposeful” young men and women. When an individual chooses us … not just as a student, but as a faculty member, or a member of the staff … they don’t typically come here to find themselves. They recognize they have a purpose, they more often than not know what that purpose is. It is our collective job to teach them how to realize that purpose, how to achieve success. That, at its core, is what we believe here at Daniel Webster College.

To achieve that end, we do everything we can to surround each and every student from day one with what they will need to be successful.

Indeed, we have very strong expectations, yet we also have high compassion. We are not a highly selective institution, nor do we intend to be. Nevertheless, we hold out high expectations and we do challenge every student, every day from the first day they arrive until they graduate … and we help those who struggle. It is the improvement of every student, adding value to them intellectually and to their character, which is our concern. Ours is not a mission to “wash out” those who don’t grasp the challenge immediately. Keeping every student who walks on to this campus and who has the desire to succeed is a mission and a calling to us.

Where you might find at other institutions a disparity between the rhetoric of student-centeredness and the actual behavior, here at Daniel Webster College students really are at the heart of everything we do. Part of what makes the College special is the nature of “community” and “family” here … we believe strongly in taking care of each other at Daniel Webster College, that each of us is a support and service provider to everyone else … it is what defines us as family, it helps us to attract, recruit and retain the very best people, and that directly impacts our students. It is also what pains us when we are unable to do so.

I’d also like to share with you some other personal values that I believe are important here at Daniel Webster College:

I believe that a student is a student is a student … that is to say that there is no logical reason why an 18-year-old freshman who aspires to start a career in any of our professional-based program areas should receive a quality of education or service that differs from a 35-year-old student who aspires to advance their current career.
I believe that our thoughts influence what we say and what we do, and it is on that basis that our character is judged. And so I value the diversity of intellect, background and experiences, and cultural heritages that come to this campus.
I believe that everyone who comes to Daniel Webster College … as a student, faculty member, or support staff … is of value and worth, and therefore worthy of everyone’s respect.
I believe that a clear sense of where we’re going is far more important – and ultimately inspiring – than where we’ve been or where we are now.
I believe that nothing can be taken for granted, so I value those who share a sense of urgency to find the courage to share a vision and change the world.
And, finally, I value those most who take ownership of solutions and exhibit what I call the “whatever it takes” attitude to get things done.

These core values influence everything we do, every decision we make at Daniel Webster College.