At Madonna University, we believe that the first year of university study calls for
a focused program of study, advisement, and orientation based on the following philosophical
perspectives:
- Learning is social and is best promoted and supported by a community of learners.
To this end, the University encourages first-year-of-college students to participate
in the Collaborative Studies Program, a curriculum that links first-year courses to
create a community of learners.
- Learning is developmental; that is, first-year students are at individual levels of
maturation and intellectual, social, and personal development. As educators, the faculty
is committed to understanding where students are when they come to us, accepting and
valuing them as persons, and identifying strategies for fostering their development.
- Learning is holistic, and at Madonna we strive to fulfill our mission of intellectual,
spiritual, and personal development. To this end, the Collaborative Studies Program
promotes interdisciplinary approaches to learning and problem solving so students
recognize the interconnectedness of knowledge and human experience.
- Our educational practice should be learner-centered. This implies that students need
to be taught to take responsibilities for their learning in order to promote the ideal
of life-long learning. One aspect of this goal relates to the component of UNV 1010:
Transitions to Higher Education, that familiarizes students with the variety of academic
support services available to them as Madonna University students and encourages them
to use these services when they experience academic difficulty.
- Education at Madonna University should promote the idea of service to our communities,
particularly to those in the global community who are less fortunate. This is a reflection
of the University's commitment to Catholic teachings on social justice and the ideals
of St. Francis of Assisi. To this end, the University requires all students in UNV
1010 to participate in a service learning experience.
- Students benefit from understanding the history, traditions, and foundational values
of the university they attend. Through the continuum of admissions, orientation, pre-enrollment,
first semester, and second semester, the University has designed intentional strategies
for communicating these ideas to first-year students.
