Dickinson Defines Five Core Values Through Campuswide Initiative
The college's historic emphasis on character is translated into a contemporary framework
by Tony Moore
After an 18-month process of research, discussion and community feedback, Dickinson has adopted five institutional core values: curiosity, compassion, integrity, equity and tenacity.
The Dickinson Core Values Project was spearheaded by Amy McKiernan, associate professor of philosophy and director of Ethics Across Campus & the Curriculum, with support from a team of student researchers. It sought to identify a small set of principles that could express both what Dickinson is today and what the college hopes to become.
“Dickinson is a highly values-driven community,” McKiernan says. “We talked with so many offices, departments and teams who had determined core values in their individual areas, and this project aimed to surface a set of core values that all Dickinsonians could refer to moving forward. We now have shared language that people can critically engage with across our community, so we hope people will make these values their own in creative ways moving forward.”
The Process
The project began in fall 2024 with archival research and open campus sessions. Over the following months, the team conducted 52 focus groups, approximately 20 interviews and a communitywide survey. Students, faculty, staff, alumni and families were invited to participate, while researchers also studied Dickinson’s history, student publications and the values promoted by other colleges and universities.
A public-comment period followed the release of the team’s recommendations in February 2026. The five resulting values are intended to work together:
- Curiosity calls on Dickinsonians to approach ideas and people with open minds, take intellectual and creative risks and remain committed to lifelong learning.
- Compassion emphasizes recognizing the person first and engaging generously with others through celebrations, disappointments and losses.
- Integrity is defined as aligning the college’s stated identity with its conduct in practice.
- Equity reflects a commitment to fairness and to understanding how differences within the community affect access to opportunities and resources.
- Tenacity encourages ambitious, collaborative work and perseverance when challenges require adaptation.
Deployment
The values are not designed to replace Dickinson’s mission statement, strategic plan or code of conduct. Instead, they provide a vocabulary that can help the community examine decisions, priorities and relationships.
College officials also emphasize that adopting the values does not require passive agreement. Dickinsonians are encouraged to interpret them, debate their meaning and explore the tensions that may arise when two values point toward different courses of action.
That openness reflects the project’s broader educational purpose. The values can be incorporated into class and program learning objectives, strategic planning, student organizations, employee evaluations and efforts to recognize work across campus. They may also give different departments and disciplines a common starting point for discussing ethical questions.
Freedom Through Character & Learning
The initiative draws on a long tradition at Dickinson. The college’s 1783 charter called for “virtuous principles and liberal knowledge” to be instilled in future generations, while its motto declares that “Freedom is made safe through character and learning.” The Core Values Project translates that historic emphasis on character into a contemporary framework shaped by the wider Dickinson community.
For McKiernan and the student researchers, the adoption of the five values marks a beginning rather than an endpoint. Their meaning will continue to develop as Dickinsonians apply them, challenge them and consider how closely the college’s daily practices reflect its stated commitments.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published September 18, 2026