Augsburg College Residence Life Mission
Mission
Our mission is to create and maintain a community that:
- is social in nature;
- is academic in spirit;
- embodies the ideals of inclusion;
- is respectful of its members and its property;
- encourages safety;
- is accountable in behavior; and, most importantly,
- prepares its members for future success as engaging and productive leaders in society.
Purpose
The purpose of the Residence Life program is to provide an array of educational and developmental opportunities that support the academic mission of the college while providing safe, well-maintained, modern and affordable housing options and facilitaies for students. The Residence Life program promotes student, faculty, and staff cooperation and collaboration, and provides opportunities for personal and intellectual growth, academic success, social, and educational programming, and student self-governance in ways uniquely possible in a residential setting. Our programs and services provide opportunities in accordance with Augsburg College's core values of liberal arts, diversity, urban life, and faith and values.
Philosophy
Our philosophy is that a strong community forms the foundation upon which the entire development of the student can be structured. As a student feels connected to a community, she/he is more likely to feel comfortable in the environment, and thus is more likely to engage in the collegiate experience and thus more likely to feel satisfied with the entire collegiate experience. A community is both a product and a process. That is, community can be achieved and, in some ways, measured and observed. A community is always changing and can be inproved upon or damaged by the actions of its members.
To this end, the following tenets of the department are achieved through the collaborative partnership and efforts of the professional staff, paraprofessional staff who serve as student agents of the College, and other departments.
- Developing Relationships. To foster an inclusive community in which students and staff interact in meaningful ways, and individuals recognize, appreciate and respect each other, their surroundings, and their importance in the community.
- Civic Responsibility. To create a living environment that promotes a demonstrated commitment to and a repect for the community by holding all participants accountable for the well-being and condition of our surroundings. In full, we will create a willingness to support the community by acknowledging the needs of others and assisting in the development of further growth.
- Holistic Growth. To foster a community that values wholeness and overall development within an individual, focusing specifically on and supporting intellectual and spiritual growth, leadership and life skills, citizenship, responsibility and identity development, and physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
- Fun. To create a community that produces multiple sources of happiness, smiles, and memories through healthy recreational activities, and maintenance of a festive residential environment, while strengthening a community whose members gain joy from being present within and sharing the same space as part of one community.