Dalton State College - Archived Mission Statement
This mission statement was superseded June 2007. Current mission statement
Dalton State College serves Northwest Georgia by offering associate, certificate, and targeted baccalaureate programs of study and a wide variety of public service and continuing education activities. Located at the center of the greatest concentration of carpet production in the world, the College is a comprehensive institution, one of only two in the University System authorized to offer a full range of technical programs in addition to the traditional pre-baccalaureate curricula and targeted baccalaureate offerings which meet workforce development needs of the Northwest Georgia area. Through direct and technological collaboration with neighboring technical institutes and other colleges and universities on the one hand, and outreach and cooperation with local preschool, primary, and secondary systems on the other, Dalton State College acts as an educational broker to meet the needs of business and industry and to provide opportunities for all persons within its service area to live self-fulfilling and productive lives.
Dalton State College shares with the other state colleges of the University System of Georgia the following core characteristics or purposes:
- a commitment to excellence and responsiveness within a scope of influence defined by the needs of the local area and by particularly outstanding programs and distinctive characteristics that have a magnet effect throughout the region or state;
- a commitment to a teaching/learning environment, both inside and outside the classroom, that sustains instructional excellence, functions to provide University System access for a diverse student body, and promotes high levels of student learning;
- a high quality general education program that supports a variety of well-chosen associate programs and prepares students for transfer to baccalaureate programs, learning support programs designed to insure access and opportunity for a diverse student body, and a limited number of certificate and other career programs to complement neighboring technical institute programs;
- a limited number of baccalaureate programs designed to meet the educational and economic development needs of the local area;
- a commitment to public service, continuing education, technical assistance, and economic development activities that address the needs, improve the quality of life, and raise the economic level within the college1s scope of influence;
- a commitment to scholarship and creative work to enhance instructional effectiveness and to encourage faculty scholarly pursuits; and a responsibility to address local needs through applied scholarship, especially in areas directly related to targeted baccalaureate degree programs;
- a supportive campus climate, necessary services, and leadership and development opportunities, all to educate the whole person and meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff;
- cultural, ethnic, racial, and gender diversity in the faculty, staff, and student body, supported by practices and programs that embody the ideals of an open, democratic, and global society;
- technology to advance educational purposes, including instructional technology, student support services, and distance education;
- collaborative relationships with other System institutions, State agencies, local schools, technical institutes, and business and industry, sharing physical, human, information, and other resources to expand and enhance programs and services available to the citizens of Georgia.
In all that it does, Dalton State College strives for the highest possible standards of quality and excellence and systematically assesses and evaluates its effectiveness. Especially in its combination of associate level studies in the liberal arts and targeted baccalaureate degrees with a large complement of career programs in health-related, business, and technical fields; in the quality of its preparation of students for work or further study; and in its role as a broad-based information resource for the people of Northwest Georgia, the College seeks to build upon its strengths and to justify recognition as one of the most academically respected, student-oriented, and community-centered institutions of its kind.