About the Division

Dickinson’s mission is to provide a “useful education” that prepares students for citizenship and leadership in a democracy and global society.  This mission extends beyond the classroom walls and into student and campus life. The staff and departments within the Division of Student Life support the college’s mission by:

• Preparing students for the complexities of leadership and citizenship
• Fostering a safe, healthy, supportive and inclusive environment in which students can learn and succeed
• Engaging students in a process that will help them determine how they will lead meaningful professional and personal lives. 

At Dickinson, meaningful engagement in residential and organizational life will allow you to make friends and explore new interests.  Purposeful engagement provides you with opportunities to develop the practices of citizenship. By working with and learning from students with different ideas, backgrounds and experiences, your own world view will expand.  By wrestling with complex challenges of organizational life, you will develop invaluable insights for the workplace and for community and volunteer engagement.  Through thoughtful consideration of issues and ideas and activities that you care about, you will begin to develop your voice as a leader, and a citizen.  All of this will combine to help you determine what role you want to play in our society and the greater world.

The Division of Student Life has established the following strategic priorities to guide us through 2022.

Encourage a shared responsibility for student and community well-being, health, & safety.

Well-being, health, & safety is both an individual and community responsibility, and we will seek to provide opportunities that encourage students to understand their responsibility to each other and the community. We must both challenge and support students in their growth, acknowledging that learning requires discomfort at times.

Create opportunities that develop students’ skills for civically engaged, globally-minded, and socially responsible leadership.

In addition to a focus on creating a comprehensive leadership program as outlined in the College’s strategic priorities, all offices in Student Life will consider how we can facilitate the development of our students as leaders, especially in the contexts that are central to the College’s identity: civic engagement, sustainability, and global education within our residential setting.

Foster institutional pride and sense of belonging within the campus community through a comprehensive student experience.

Creating a sense of affinity to Dickinson means not just developing school spirit, but also encouraging all students to develop a sense of belonging in their own unique ways. We will build up opportunities like the Dickinson Four to create shared experiences, as well as focus on engaging individualized relationships across faculty, students, and staff.

Cultivate a nurturing environment for students to learn from, value, reflect on, and respect differences across identity and culture.

Students must have opportunities to engage in conversations and reflection around identity and culture in ways that ask them to develop awareness of self, power, privilege, We must find ways for students to build ownership over inclusivity in our community.