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Alvernia Mission

Guided by Franciscan values and the ideal of “knowledge joined with love,” and rooted in the Catholic and liberal arts traditions, Alvernia is a rigorous, caring, and inclusive learning community committed to academic excellence and to being and fostering:

• Broadly educated, life-long learners;
• Reflective professionals and engaged citizens;
• And ethical leaders with moral courage.

�鶹��Ƶ is guided by Franciscan values and a history that is rooted in the Catholic and liberal arts traditions. We offer a rigorous, caring and inclusive learning community that is open to members of all religions. The notion of “knowledge joined with love” is at the core of our university mission, a concept developed by St. Bonaventure, that inspires members of our community, regardless of their academic discipline or field of study, to use what they know and learn to transform the world and the lives of the people around them.

Alvernia also seeks to foster in its students a reverence for the dignity of all life, a commitment to peace and justice, and a devotion to the service of others, particularly the materially and spiritually disadvantaged. Core Franciscan Values of �鶹��Ƶ

Service, humility, peacemaking, contemplation, and collegiality—these core values are rooted in in the mission statements of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters and �鶹��Ƶ. They form the foundation for decision-making, for program development, and for our relationships with each

other in the pursuit of our personal, communal, and educational goals. They make an education at �鶹��Ƶ distinctive. As members of the �鶹��Ƶ community, each of us, no matter our role, willingly proclaims common ownership of these core values.

Service

• We believe that service to others is central to the Franciscan mission and reflects the elemental values of humility and simplicity.
• We value the unique contributions and gifts that each person brings to service in our internal communities.
• We believe that social responsibility and devotion to service, particularly to the materially and spiritually disadvantaged, are cornerstones of the Alvernia mission.

Humility

• We recognize that what we have comes from God and, therefore, we exercise care and good spirit in revering and honoring each other.
• We value simplicity that acknowledges need, asks for, and willingly accepts help.
• We believe that what good we do is accomplished by God working in us, and we are not concerned with the appropriation of power or status.

Peacemaking

• We believe that peacemaking is the striving for harmonious relations and the development of an environment that is calm and serene, free from strife and contention.
• We believe that peacemaking in society should make it easy for all to obtain their material needs and to grow in their spiritual life.
• We believe in a peaceful community of learning that resolves conflicts with fairness and justice.

Contemplation

• We believe that each created being, by nature, is called to worship, and we value a prayerful and reverential attitude toward God, one another, and all creation.
• We believe that we all are called to be contemplative, "to see with God's eyes.
• We reverence all life, and we treat all creation with care and respect.

Collegiality

• We believe that collegiality is founded on living the principles of service to others, humility, charity, and joy.
• We believe that the spirit of collegiality is demonstrated in leadership that serves others and in a true community of shared vision, purpose, and decision-making.
• We believe that the talents of each member of the community are necessary to create a nurturing and peaceful environment for personal growth and development.