In response, students who will inevitably confront the weight of urban influence, must be prepared to utilize the city's resources and systems in their future calling to transform individuals and communities. Urban communities are living organisms. The systems that serve their residents are interconnected in a complex whole where the success or failure of one part has a direct effect on the others. While a professional certainly must have the expertise to work competently in a single area or discipline, the failure to recognize and utilize other disciplines leads to a myopic and isolated perspective. Understanding health care, education, economic development, politics, religion and the arts provides the practitioner with a more complete perspective for bringing about positive transformation.
Cities are global communities - Philadelphia is where the world meets.
As a result of modern transportation, industrialization, a global economy, and the famines, wars and catastrophes that lead to population migrations, the city is home to the ethnic groups of the world. Interacting on a daily basis, the members of these ethnic groups must learn to adjust and adapt or face a lonely and contentious life. Critical thinking is essential and knowledge becomes power in an environment where problems are complex and resources are limited. Future leaders must have the skills to ask the right questions and work through critical thinking processes to attain accurate information, analyze complex data, and draw conclusions for implementation within the community environment. Integrating principles of the Christian faith into all disciplines, the SSC recognizes that faith makes a difference and is a most significant factor in transforming communities.