January 6, 2009
Bunker Hill Community College is guided by three separate but cohesive mission statements. The first is a comprehensive, system-wide mission statement for Public Higher Education in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The second is a mission statement of general characteristics common to all Massachusetts community colleges. The third mission statement contains the specialized and focused components that identifies Bunker Hill Community College's distinctive characteristics and priorities.
The mission of the Board of Higher Education is to ensure that Massachusetts residents have the opportunity to benefit from a higher education that enriches their lives and advances their contributions to the civic life, economic development, and social progress of the Commonwealth. To that end, the programs and services of Massachusetts higher education must meet standards of quality commensurate with the benefits it promises and must be truly accessible to the people of the Commonwealth in all their diversity.
Massachusetts Public Higher Education is a SYSTEM with a distinguished past, increasing and measurable accomplishments, and dedicated to being recognized as having one of the nation's most outstanding array of institutions. It comprises 15 community colleges, nine state colleges, and five campuses of the University of Massachusetts. The system exists to provide accessible, affordable, relevant, and rigorous programs that adapt to meet changing individual and societal needs for education and employment. The public system is committed to continuous improvement and accountability in all aspects of teaching and learning. The Board of Higher Education, together with each respective Board of Trustees, expects all students, faculty, and staff to be held to exacting standards in the performance of their roles and responsibilities.
Within the system of Massachusetts public higher education, the community colleges provide open pathways to baccalaureate education and to career advancement. The 15 community colleges offer developmental, certificate and associate degree programs as well as opportunities for workforce development and lifelong learning.
The community colleges support the public system of higher education by:
By actively contributing to their region's intellectual, cultural, environmental and economic development, community colleges serve as leaders and resources for their communities. Differentiation in mission among the colleges is defined primarily by the needs of the communities they serve.
The community colleges offer a campus climate that respects ideas, values and contributions of a culturally diverse community. They are committed to excellence in instruction and offer responsive and innovative programs that develop students' oral, written, critical thinking, technological and quantitative skills and their appreciation of the arts, sciences and humanities.
Bunker Hill Community College is a public institution of higher education offering programs and courses of study including arts and science, nursing and allied health, domestic and international business, hospitality and culinary arts, early childhood development, electronics and computer applications. The College supports open access to post-secondary education by providing a range of educational opportunities that include distance learning, self-directed learning and an honors program. The College offers an entry-level assessment program for new incoming students, a sound foundation in developmental studies and, for non-native English speaking students, a variety of levels of English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction.
The student body reflects the diversity of the urban community and an essential part of the college's mission is to encourage this diversity. The College seeks to become a national model for successfully incorporating the strengths of many cultures, ethnic backgrounds, age groups and learning styles into the curricular and extracurricular life of the institution.
Bunker Hill Community College seeks to enhance its position as a primary educational and economic asset for the Commonwealth through cooperative planning and program implementation involving neighboring institutions of higher education, the public schools, community organizations, and area businesses and industries.
The Bunker Hill Community College Board of Trustees endorsed and approved for adoption on June 9, 1997, the American Association of Community Colleges Statement on Inclusion as follows:
Bunker Hill Community College strongly endorses the continued use of admissions policies and employment practices that promote broad diversity in the community college system. The College will be free to pursue standards and policies that allow it to fulfill its diversity mission and vision. The students who are educated will help provide tomorrow's leaders, and their College experience will demonstrate the richness and substance of our diverse, multi-cultural and global environment. The College environment will promote understanding and appreciation of others, while encouraging students to grow as individuals.
Bunker Hill Community College reaffirms its commitment to diversity. In accord with this philosophy, the College will evaluate its hiring, admissions and financial aid policies to ensure diversity and equal access within the institution. The College will ensure that the results of these evaluations conform to the concept of open access - the cornerstone of the College's mission.
Bunker Hill Community College believes that diversity in education is crucial to a democratic society. Community colleges are in effect microcosms of our greater society. As such, Bunker Hill Community College will encourage and enhance the fullest understanding of human rights and responsibilities and will teach the skills that allow its students to participate effectively in a democratic society. The College will be responsible for shaping an environment that mirrors the general culture and creates opportunities for all within the College community to interact with understanding, tolerance and respect for others. In this way, diversity in education not only serves as a model for the world at large, but it also perpetuates social harmony for the future.
The Bunker Hill Community College Board of Trustees adopted five institutional values for the College. The values were arrived at following several meetings and discussions among the trustees including two open sessions with faculty and staff.