Since our founding, we have been an institution that aims to cultivate citizens by way of “virtuous principles and liberal knowledge instilled into the minds of the rising generation.” —Dickinson College Charter, 1783
Dickinson College encourages all members of our community to think critically about the following set of values in support of our mission and our motto, “Freedom is made safe through character and learning.”
These values directly complement each other by focusing on intellectual, emotional, interpersonal, and motivational aspects of character development and decision-making:
Curiosity
We value intellectual and interpersonal curiosity. We seek to understand with open minds and commit to taking intellectual and creative risks. We affirm the importance of being truth-seekers in our commitment to lifelong learning.
Compassion
We aim to recognize the person first in our interactions with others. We know that all members of our community will experience celebrations, disappointments and losses. We keep this in mind as we engage generously with our fellow Dickinsonians.
Integrity
We understand integrity as the alignment between who we say we are and who we are in practice. We see connections here to John Dickinson’s family motto, “To be rather than to seem.” We consider integrity foundational for the development of self-trust and trust in others.
Equity
We value fairness and aim to pursue justice in ways that are attentive to how differences between members of our community impact access to experiences, opportunities and resources.
Tenacity
We lead with humble, passionate ambition and do not quickly abandon efforts because they are difficult. We recognize our interdependence and the important role collaboration can play in achieving our goals, especially when we are faced with obstacles that require adaptation and perseverance.
Core values are opportunities to think critically about why we care about what we care about.
We welcome respectful disagreement about the core values and the meaning of these values. When we adopt core values, this does not mean that we passively accept these values. We engage with these values. We write about them, create art about them, motivate each other using them, challenge ourselves on the basis of them and develop our ethical reasoning and decision-making skills using these values as a foundation that provides shared language in our community.
What can we do with core values?
Connect core values to learning objectives for classes, majors, minors, committees, or programs.
Learn how disciplines across the college understand these core values.
Connect core values to job descriptions and invite people to reflect on them during performance reviews.
Encourage student clubs, teams and organizations to engage creatively with the core values.
Connect strategic plans and priorities to core values.
Create opportunities to recognize good work on campus and in our communities based on core values.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Lily Hogan ’25, Elana Vergara ’25, Alexander Rojek ’25, Fern Beede '26, Anna Wilson '27, Zoe Selig '27, Piper Wake '28 and Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of Ethics Across Campus & the Curriculum Amy McKiernan for their work on the Dickinson Core Values Project between August 2024 and August 2026.
“To me it is an axiom of liberal learning that there is no greater enhancement of the free and effective individual than critical and responsible participation in the community that nurtures him [them]. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are on our way. If we, in our common life, continue to listen to each other with critical intelligence and care deeply and act responsibly, we can have a year of movement toward those ends that tug at the hearts and minds of us all.”
—President Rubendall at Dickinson's 1968 Convocation
About the Core Values Project: Fall 2024-Spring 2026
The Core Values Project was a collaborative, community-wide effort to identify and cultivate a set of three to five core values shared by students, faculty, staff and alumni at Dickinson. These foundational values can serve as touchstones that guide our community by regularly reminding us to consider what we care about and why as individuals and as an institution.
The core values do not replace our mission statement, strategic plan or code of conduct. They complement these existing frameworks by articulating underlying values-based commitments at the college. Future strategic plans will take the core values into consideration.
Review the Report
Thank you to all Dickinsonians who participated in providing feedback related to the Dickinson Core Values Project. Review the February 2026 report.
Why did we do this?
To clarify who we are and who we want to become as a community and to track our growth
To encourage members of our community to define, interpret and engage with a set of shared values
To guide our personal, interpersonal, and institutional ethical discernment and decision-making
Timeline & Process
This is an 18-month project beginning in Fall 2024 and ending in Spring 2026, moving from archival research through data collection to community approval.
Fall 2024
Archival research
Open sessions at Hartman House
Spring 2025
First round of focus groups
Survey development
April 2025
Survey administration
Summer 2025
Data analysis
Fall 2025
Second round of focus groups
December 2025
Summary and recommendation of 3-5 core values
January-March 2026
Public comment period
April 2026
Adopt core values
Methodology & Approach
Resources:
Historical research in the college archives
Research on core values at other colleges and universities
Analysis of student publications
Community surveys
Focus groups
Stakeholder interviews
Community building events
Public comment period on executive summary
Incorporating diverse perspectives:
Engaging students, faculty, staff, and alumni
Using multiple feedback channels
Conducting broad outreach across departments
Hosting events at various times to accommodate schedules
Providing multiple ways to contribute (written, verbal, individual, group)
