The Elizabethtown College Mission

M olded by a commitment to educate for service,

Elizabethtown College is a community of
learners dedicated to educating students intellectually,
socially, aesthetically and ethically for lives of service and
leadership as citizens of the world. As a comprehensive
institution, the College offers academic programs in the
liberal arts, sciences and professional studies. Combining
classroom instruction with experiential learning, these
programs advance independent thought, personal
integrity and social responsibility as the foundations for
a life of learning. Founded by members of the Church
of the Brethren, the College believes that learning is
most noble when used to benefit others and affirms
the values of peace, non-violence, human dignity and
social justice.
confront them with learning experiences that are
compelling, and call out from them responses that
reach beyond what even they thought possible. In this
learning community, our faculty members and other
employees demonstrate their passion for their subjects
and for continued learning so that our students see
how compelling deep engagement is. Students receive
personal attention, as all employees commit to expressing
sincere and genuine interest in the educational success
of our students. Our College’s classes deliberately are
kept small to support our students’ individual needs and
challenge them to grow.

A Transformative Educational Experience

T he impact of an Elizabethtown College education
is long-lasting and far-reaching because it is deeply
transformative. Students acquire new habits of mind
and heart—some in the course of the undergraduate
experience, others as students grow beyond college.

The Qualities of Our Education

O ur educational experience blends a high standard
of scholarship with four signature attributes,
which include commitments to educate our students
in a relationship-centered learning community, to
foster in our students international and cross-cultural
perspectives, to complement classroom instruction with
experiential-learning opportunities, and to prepare our
students for purposeful lives and meaningful work.
Relationship-Centered Learning
Meet Etown’s president
Dr. Strikwerda
Carl J. Strikwerda is the fourteenth president
of Elizabethtown College, serving since 2011.
Between 2004 and 2011, he served as Dean of
the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at the College
of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia.

O ur educational programs engage students in

ways that capture their most profound attention,
Previously, he was Associate Dean of the College
International and Cross-Cultural
Perspectives
E lizabethtown offers a globalized curriculum and co-
curriculum. Programs of study and development
help students understand and effectively engage
with other cultures and the globalization of life and
work. Our staff includes faculty members and other
employees who are citizens of countries from around
the world, who speak a multitude of languages, and
who have had myriad study and residential experiences
on other continents. Students study alongside students
from other cultures. Additionally, they encounter our
international world when they visit, study in or live in
cities as diverse as Harrisburg, Philadelphia, London,
Beijing and Quito.
Experiential Learning
E lizabethtown seeks to broaden the contexts
for student learning by fostering educational
experiences through which students learn by doing.
Through this experiential learning, students develop
the aptitude to link theory and experience, and they
are better prepared to continue learning throughout
their lifetime. These opportunities are available
through internships and externships, field placement
assignments, independent and collaborative research
Educational Philosophy and Goals
projects, service-learning and civic engagement,
E
leadership development and campus enjoyment.
Purposeful Life Work
I n both the curriculum and cocurriculum,
the College’s educational program
fosters an understanding of education
for a life of purpose based on
a holistic model of student
development that integrates
career development; reflection
on vocation, meaning and
life; and a commitment
to civic engagement.
As a result, graduates
of Elizabethtown are
prepared to make the world
a better place. They do
so, in part, by living in ways
that reflect their individual
commitments, respond to the
needs of others, and value personal
and ethical integrity.
of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of
Kansas He received a B.A. from Calvin College, an
M.A. from the University of Chicago, and a Ph.D.
from the University of Michigan.
Besides his scholarship in history, he has published
a book, Deans and Development: Making the Case for the
Liberal Arts.
President Strikwerda has served as an historical
consultant to the National World War One Museum
in Kansas City, Missouri, and to a number of colleges
and universities on higher education administration..
He has given talks to business groups, schools
and religious organizations on World War One
and the history of globalization. Currently, he
serves on the Board of Directors of the Lancaster
County Economic Development Company, public
radio and television station witf in Harrisburg,
and the Association of Independent Colleges and
Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP), as well as
serving as a member of the Presidents’ Trust of the
American Association of Colleges and Universities. §
lizabethtown College engages students in a
dynamic, integrated learning process that blends the
liberal arts and professional studies. Challenged
to take responsibility for their education,
students at Elizabethtown embark on
a journey of self-transformation
that involves intellectual, social,
and personal growth.
The College is committed
to educating the
whole person within a
relationship-centered
learning community
where common goals
are achieved through
engagement in a rigorous
academic curriculum and
thoughtful co-curricular
experiences. Students are
encouraged to develop and
challenge their own values, while seeking
to understand and appreciate alternative perspectives.
Embedded in an ever-changing global context, the
College promotes the developmental, collaborative and
complex nature of learning.
In seeking to “educate for service,” Elizabethtown
College believes that students can perform no greater
service than they do when sharing knowledge and
creativity with others. Opportunities to strengthen
scholarship and leadership extend beyond the
classroom, and students learn actively through practical
experiences and civic engagement.
The impact of an Elizabethtown College education
is long lasting and far-reaching because it is deeply
transformative. Students acquire new habits of mind
and heart–some in the course of the undergraduate
experience, others as students grow beyond college.
At Elizabethtown College, students are inspired and
challenged to:
• Assume responsibility for their intellectual
development, personal growth and well-being.
Students will learn to sharpen their curiosity and
become aware of the capabilities, strategies and
resources needed to learn.
• Reason, analyze and engage in critical thinking.
Students will make, systematically evaluate, and,
if necessary, refute arguments and claims—both
their own and those of others.
• Demonstrate thoughtful and articulate
communication by applying knowledge in a
variety of contexts, including writing, speaking,
listening and interpretation.
• Understand the creative process and its role in
human expression, and cultivate the ability to
make informed aesthetic judgments.
• Navigate diverse cultural world views and
perspectives, with the realization that differing
frames of reference influence analysis,
communication and behavior.
• Make reflective ethical decisions and act with
integrity to seek just outcomes with relationships,
communities and society.
• Apply and integrate different strands of learning
and comprehend interconnections in the process
of gaining knowledge and experience.
• Identify and cultivate a sense of purpose that
inspires a commitment to meaningful work in
service to society. §