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SYSTEM AND INSTITUTIONAL MISSION
(MnSCU Policy 3.17)

ROCHESTER COMMUNITY AND TECHNICAL COLLEGE
MISSION: To provide accessible, affordable, quality learning opportunities to serve a diverse and growing community.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: Rochester Community and Technical College is a two-year regional college serving southeastern Minnesota.

The College provides curricula that are designed to meet a variety of academic and career educational opportunities that prepare students for work, life, and additional education now and into the future. Programs lead to the award of certificates, diplomas, and degrees such as Associate in Applied Science, Associate in Science, and Associate in Arts.

To meet our mission, staff members of Rochester Community and Technical College are committed to provide a variety of educational options on a nondiscriminatory, open door basis, as follows:

• Technical and general education leading to the Associate in Applied Science degrees, diplomas and certificates in career fields requiring less than a baccalaureate degree;
• Relevant technical and general education leading to the Associate in Science degree, focusing on preparation for employment or transfer to a baccalaureate degree;
• Liberal arts and sciences education leading to the Associate in Arts degree and transfer to a four-year college or university;
• Developmental courses in basic educational areas to provide students with the background they need to succeed in a college environment;
• Continuing Education, customized training services, and professional development to provide skills and knowledge for career improvement, service to business and industry, and licensure;
• Support services and student life opportunities that aid in leadership development in the educational, career, and personal goals of students in a learning environment that accommodates individual learning needs;
• Partnerships with business and industry, agencies, government, and other higher educational providers to develop and maintain a skilled workforce in an ever-changing environment;
• Regional economic development through job creation, retention, and retooling of the workforce.

STATEMENT OF PHILOSOPHY
We believe:
• Learning is a lifelong process reflected in an academic continuum of developmental, general, technical, and transfer and continuing education.
• Quality educational opportunities must be affordable, convenient, and geographically accessible for all students;
• Open educational access requires the use of a variety of instructional strategies and technologies to accommodate individual learner needs and varied learning styles;
• Quality and excellence occur in a continuous improvement climate that recognizes emerging technologies, values applied experiences, advances community and business partnerships, and promotes student and staff development;
• Students deserve a respectful, safe, and caring environment that supports personal growth and embraces diversity;
• Student life enriches educational, career, cultural, recreational, and social development in preparation for citizenship in a global society;
• Student services enhance educational experiences, promote personal well-being, and support student success;
• Public investment in higher education assumes a promise of fiscal responsibility;
• Higher Education in a multi-cultural setting values academic freedom, develops critical thinking, and accepts philosophical differences.

Date Presented to Board of Trustees: January 20, 1999
Date of Approval: January 20, 1999