Overall Goal
The Student Life Division is committed to Whitworth's mission as an educational institution whose Christian identity reflects evangelical and Reformed theological traditions. Specifically, it is our aim to help each student develop a sense of identity and calling, the foundations for mature, thoughtful and purposeful living.

Assumptions:

• Lift up distinctives that run across programs/areas.
• Translate distinctives into measurable goals/steps.
• Build on strengths, shore up weaknesses.
• Identify points of collaboration with Academic Affairs.

Goal 1
Promote a distinctive environment of student responsibility.

Actions steps include:

• Emphasize and describe Whitworth's ethos of student responsibility in external communications.
• Develop advanced positions and curriculum for experienced student leaders.
• Support A.S.W.C.'s efforts to ensure student representation on committees.
• Develop proposal for co-curricular/leadership transcript in collaboration with Academic Affairs.
• Offer "exit interviews" following committee assignments to serve as opportunities for reflection and feedback:
  a. Encourage more student responsibility for residence-hall lounge environments (e.g., artwork of residents).
  b. Continue emphasis on self-governance and discussion of community ideals in residence-hall settings.
  c. Consider hosting professional meetings/conferences regarding student responsibility.

Benchmarks:

• Advanced leadership opportunities will be made available to 80% of experienced student leaders.
• "Exit interviews" will be offered to 100% of student representatives on search and governance committees.
• Guidelines and support for the co-curricular/leadership transcript will be available to 100% of entering students.

Goal 2
Enhance the institution's culture of service.

Actions steps include:

• Develop service-learning opportunities with an international focus.
• Build service-learning opportunities that focus on poverty relief.
• Increase involvement in the Bonner leaders' program and enhance the Bonner students' training.
• Continue to prevail as leading participating division in Community Building Day.
• Offer faculty development programs on the connection between service and calling.
• Build reflection on vocation into service-learning programs

Benchmarks:

• Service opportunities will be available in each site identified as a focus location for overseas study.
• 80% of regional service-learning opportunities will have poverty relief as their focus.
• There will be a minimum of 40 students enrolled in the Bonner leaders' program.
• There will be four one-credit courses offered to Bonner students.

Goal 3
Create a stimulating educational environment that extends beyond the classroom.

Actions steps include:

• Groups of faculty will be invited to join Student Life directors to build relationships/avenues of collaboration.
• Explore, together with Academic Affairs and A.S.W.C., a regular speakers-and-artists series that might be tied to Core and student-leadership programs.
• Involve faculty and staff in discussions following campus events.
• Continue the practice of awareness weeks.
• Engage in professional development within the Student Life Division, with particular emphasis on college-student development (e.g., Big Questions, Worthy Dreams).

Benchmarks:

• Books and discussion opportunities will be made available to all members of the Student Life Division each year.
• One awareness week of educational programs will be offered annually.

Goal 4
Develop a strong community culture, commitment to the common good, and appreciation for diverse members of the campus community

Actions steps include:

• Offer community worship services, and cultivate an institutional culture of commitment to corporate worship.
• Develop an alternative to the Forum Program (may overlap with speakers and artist's series).
• Offer personal-leadership training to student leaders to help equip them to be aware of community culture and their responses to it.
• Incorporate justice themes into leadership training and campus programs.
• Evaluate strength of community through focus on first year-sophomore retention and exit interviews.

Benchmarks:

• Within the year, in coordination with Academic Affairs, develop a proposal for a weekly schedule that includes a new look at the worship-service schedule.
• Develop a position paper on the role of corporate worship at Whitworth, including recommendations for promoting worship in our culture.
• Include personal-leadership training into the GE 330 curriculum for students in at least two position sections of the course.
• Move freshman retention rate from 85% to 88%.

Goal 5
Encourage opportunities for engaging culture in a thoughtful way.

Actions steps include:

• Develop a position paper that articulates an understanding of the "open and committed" position behind co-curricular programs.
• Address the "mission question": How might this program look different at Whitworth than it would at another institution?
• Offer consistent opportunities to engage in active self-reflection:
  a. What are my thoughts and convictions on this topic—even before hearing the presentation—and why?
  b. What have I heard that was new to me?
  c. How does this influence my understanding of myself? Of other people? Of God?
  d. How does this understanding translate into action?

Benchmarks:

• Complete a position paper within the academic year, distribute and discuss with the division.
• Collaborate with the speakers and artists committee to plan visits by campus speakers, and bring key speakers into the HUB and residence halls for post-program discussions.

Goal 6
Promote mindfulness at points of decision; actively encourage identity formation, career planning, and reflection on vocation.

Actions steps include:

• Offer opportunities for thoughtful reflection about declaration of major at decision points.
• Encourage student leaders to be involved in the Strengthsquest program.
• Audit freshman-and senior-year programs to determine needs that might be better met.
• Promote career preparation more explicitly among prospective and first-year students.
• Through collaboration between the career services and math/science departments, make internship experiences available to all math and science majors.
• Offer stipends to 15-20 students each summer to make internship opportunities outside the Spokane region viable.
• Provide support annually to groups of students and staff to travel to other geographic regions (e.g., Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles) for the purpose of employment exploration and interviews.
• Offer career services to alumni (one-year out) if, when contacted by the Phona-a-Thon, they indicate that they're having difficulty finding employment.

Benchmarks:

• Incorporate Strengthsquest into the GE 330 curriculum for all student leaders on a pilot basis.
• Offer a "Meet Career Services" program for new students.
• Develop career-preparation checklist that can be readily distributed to students and prospective students.
• Offer workshops that can assist students in selecting majors by May 2006.
• Develop meaningful internship opportunities for 100% of math and science majors.

Goal 7
Through the ministry of the Chaplain's Office, strengthen the integration of Christian faith with vocational discernment and calling.

Actions steps include:

• Enrich small-group ministry through year-long weekly training of small group leaders.
• Through the leadership of the assistant professor of church music, deepen theological understanding of worship among students, faculty, and staff.
• Deepen Whitworth's "culture of worship" through an evaluation of, and shift to, an academic schedule that will place more emphasis on corporate worship as a regular discipline.
• Expand faculty/staff opportunities for reflection on vocational discernment.
• Expand faculty/ staff involvement in mentoring students.
• Develop a leadership cadre of students whose primary focus is creating a welcoming environment for international students where faith perspectives can be shared.
• Develop in students who identify as Presbyterian a greater understanding of the theology, history, and impact of Presbyterianism in America and around the world.

Benchmarks:

• Develop a year-long course in campus ministry specifically designed for recruitment (first year) and development (second year) of small-group coordinators.
• By 2007, increase the number of volunteer small-group leaders from 55 to 100.
• Develop a monthly discussion on the theology of worship for all prospective and current worship leaders.
• Implement a new schedule for worship events during the 2006-2007 academic year.
• Expand to two faculty discussion groups each summer re: vocational discernment.
• Develop 50 new faculty/ staff mentors for vocational discernment of students by 2008, and a total of 75 new mentors by 2010.
• Develop reading groups to train students to engage more actively and with greater appreciation around issues of different faith traditions.