The Culture and Values Working Group believes the goal area, Academic Development, which incorporates high intellectual standards, support of the major and of general education, and preparation of students for advanced scholarly study, is the most significant core value of the institution. As the highest ranked of all goal areas, the constituencies of the college have shown support for this position. The committee recommends that it be acknowledged as such through more pervasive inclusion in the documents and practices of the institution. The definitions and documents subcommittee began with a review of literature regarding academic culture and values and then proceeded with a careful review of the content analyses of selected College of Charleston documents. Although a number of values were identified that are important to our culture, there was no obvious way to rank order those values.
Presidential addresses can be very important in shaping the culture and values of the organization.
The Faculty and Administration Manual might include more references to the College's values than it currently does. A revision of the Manual with the idea of including formal statements endorsed by the Board, the Administration, and the Faculty, might help to clarify the content of our culture. Given the wide accessibility and increased use of the College's web site, considerable attention should be given to ensuring that the official web sites do reflect the College's core values. These findings suggest that the Long Range Planning Committee might wish to develop a plan for reinforcing the College's core values through the use of the College's various publications, web sites, etc. Additionally, the Long Range Planning Committee might wish to consider establishing processes which describe and support the culture of the College of Charleston.