Mission

Villa Maria College is a private, co-educational, Catholic institution founded by the Felician Sisters in the Franciscan spirit. The College fosters Christian values, intellectual inquiry, respect for diversity, and commitment to serving others. Through career-directed associate and baccalaureate programs integrated with the liberal arts, we assist in educating students for employment and transfer to other educational institutions.

 

Mission Integration

Mission integration is living out the mission at the organizational and individual levels. Activities related to integrating the mission at the organizational level are directed by a Mission Integration Committee. This committee plans and coordinates experiences that encourage the participation of our college community in living out the mission.

 

Living the Mission

St. Francis chose to go into the community to serve those in need.  This commitment to service in the community is also mirrored by the Felician Sisters. Villa Maria College offers an holistic education that prepares graduates to take their place in the world outside of our walls. Faculty in our various programs of study are professionals in their field and do far more than teach a subject. They prepare students to join them as colleagues in their chosen field. Intellectual inquiry, respect for diversity, and a commitment to service are reinforced and modeled across our curriculum. Graduates of Villa Maria College are prepared to contribute to their community and become life-long learners.

 

Service Learning

Service Learning is an instructional method that strengthens classroom learning by creating opportunities within the formal curriculum and the co-curriculum for students to participate in and reflect upon on community service. We at Villa Maria College, believe that students should understand the value of and participate in service throughout their professional, personal, and community-based endeavors.

At Villa Maria College, we believe that service learning: 

• Reflects the Franciscan spirit of Villa Maria College’s mission.
• Enhances and enriches the collegiate learning experience.
• Provides opportunities for active learning, practical application,
  evaluation, and analysis of theoretical classroom concepts.
• Allows students to practice organizational, leadership, individual caring,
  social responsibility, and community building skills necessary for life long success.
• Promotes friendships amongst fellow students sharing a common vision of social
  consciousness and compassion. 

As a requirement for graduation all students enrolled in associate degree programs are responsible for completing a minimum of 25 hours of service.  Students enrolled in our baccalaureate degree programs are responsible for completing a minimum of 50 hours of service.

 

Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry

A major project of our campus ministry is the Sister Mary Josette Food Pantry. The pantry began operation in 1986 as a way to respond to the needs of our students and has grown to serve over 1,000 individuals each month who would otherwise go hungry. The program is unique because in addition to collecting and distributing food, it offers life-changing services such as clothing, referrals to professional counseling, information about vocational training opportunities, housing referrals and job-hunting resources.