At California University of Pennsylvania, our “Building Character. Building Careers.” mission means that we bring education to life for our students everyday. Here, the university experience means more than simply attending classes. We truly work everyday to enliven our educational offerings while offering the tools to build the careers, as well as the character, of our students.

The drive to make the overall learning experience a meaningful one for our students is derived from four specific directives:

• Incorporate continuous improvement into all programs and activities to ensure competitive excellence.
• Recruit and retain a distinguished faculty who challenge and mentor students to attain their fullest potential.
• Maintain a learning community known for its academic excellence, intellectual rigor, and civil discourse.
• Instill not just learning … but the love of learning

Building and improving our university academically—and measuring that improvement frequently—is important to us. Cal U’s scores on nationally recognized higher education assessments prove that we are continuing to become a better academic institution everyday.

But, when a university strives to truly bring education to life, those efforts go beyond academics. What makes the college experience special is not the same for every student; assembly line education is not what Cal U is all about. Indeed, what we are about is collaboration. By creating partnerships within our surrounding communities today, we learn more about the workforce trends of tomorrow. And, we can respond to those needs by offering programs that reach beyond the walls of our own institution.

Truly bringing education to life for our students means attracting faculty who look beyond the traditional classroom to create an unforgettable learning experience. Since the fall of 2000, Cal U has added more than 125 such gifted faculty members. Whether measured by advanced degrees, excellence in teaching, scholarly publication, or the writing and receiving of research grants, they bring a fresh energy to our campus, building on Cal U’s 154-year tradition of academic excellence.

At Cal U, the call to build the careers of our students comes directly from our mission statement. We seek to “define career-building broadly to include both life-wide (multiple life roles) and life-long (legacy) aspects.”

Today’s college graduates will encounter a multitude of challenges. They will be expected to balance and master multiple life roles. Our University’s dual mission of building the character and the careers of our students is critical. A person of character instinctively recognizes and accepts the need to think of one’s life in terms of multiple life roles.

When we define career-building to include life-long or legacy issues, we raise the bar for our students. We prompt them to ask compelling and important questions and to look within themselves to find answers. What is the purpose of my life? How will I be remembered? What good will I accomplish over the course of my life?

At California University of Pennsylvania, we believe that we owe it to our students to pose these challenging questions—early and often—for livelihood and for life.