STUDENT DEVELOPMENT

PHILOSOPHY

The Student Development Officeis committed to the philosophy that students who participate in the life of a college excel academically, personally and professionally. Students who participate in co-curricular activities, building relationships with faculty, staff, and peers are most likely to stay in school and persist to graduation. The Student Development Office therefore supports the leadership and personal development of our students through opportunities such as the Associated Student Government (ASG) and campus clubs.

It is our mission to attend to the whole person in supporting student development and lifelong success. The eminent Harvard psychologist Howard Gardner, in his research concerning the cognitive abilities associated with leadership, asserts that if we are to thrive personally and professionally we must develop five mental capacities: a disciplined mind; a synthesizing mind; a creating mind; a respectful mind; and an ethical mind. The Student Development program, along with Saddleback College’s top rated academic offerings, athletic programs, and other co-curricular experiences, all serve to offer every student the opportunity to cultivate these cognitive characteristics of excellent leadership.

The Student Development Office’s programmatic foundation is built upon three cornerstones within which we categorize all of our learning lab experiences (lessons, experiences, training opportunities, reflections, etc.):