Our Mission

The Spring Arbor Concept calls for a community of learners who are distinguished by our:

• life-long Involvement in the study and application of the Liberal Arts
• total Commitment to Jesus Christ as our perspective for learning
• critical Participation in the Contemporary World

It demands a design that shapes a curriculum, builds a campus, and develops a climate for learning.

Our Philosophy

The Spring Arbor University philosophy of learning in community is designed from the background of the critical challenges of our day.

Technology is the dominant force in today's world. The explosion of new knowledge and technological advancement has disturbed and displaced moral and spiritual values. Yet no power on earth can eliminate man's need for personal integrity, sense of direction, and ultimate purpose.

The organizing principle that brought Spring Arbor University into existence is the need for Christian institutions to stand as a link between the changing frontiers of knowledge and the need for clearer vision and a stronger commitment to changeless truth.

To meet this challenge, the Spring Arbor University philosophy is structured on a plan of learning in community. The plan functions on three major levels:

I. Liberal Arts Foundation
The university graduate of the future will have more than one career during a working lifetime. Therefore, it is essential for the student to:

• think clearly
• express ideas forcefully
• think critically
• utilize available resources
• find answers and develop a personalized philosophy of life

II. Career Considerations
Through the curriculum and career planning program the student has opportunities for goal clarification and exploration of career choices.

III. Sense of Direction
Today's student wants not only to make a living, but also to make a life. Spring Arbor University provides the opportunity to view life from the perspective of the values of the Judeo-Christian heritage.


Achieving these objectives requires an academic setting with professionally competent Christian faculty and the freedom of the student to question, refine, and clarify life values. Interaction, debate, acquisition of knowledge, and development of understanding are all part of filling out the colors and shades of your life.

Our Goal

The Spring Arbor University faculty has defined the ideal Spring Arbor graduate as one who embodies the very essence of the Spring Arbor Concept and Community. Our goal is to ensure that the ideal Spring Arbor graduate:

• Is prepared to be a continuing student, capable of self-education. In a world of exponentially expanding knowledge, the student must be able to sort out relevant knowledge and make wise judgments and must be able to think divergently, critically, and productively.
• Is adequately prepared in one or more disciplines to undertake further graduate training, or to fill another productive and rewarding role in our contemporary world.
• Has developed an understanding of heritage; has discovered the crux of contemporary social and moral issues; has acquired tools of research; and has improved skills of communication.
• Has gone through the process of self-confrontation. As a result of this confrontation, the graduate will understand more fully personal motivations, aspirations, capabilities, and goals in life.
• Has learned the value of physical fitness as a part of total fitness, and accepts personal responsibility for developing and maintaining optimal health and wellness.
• Has encountered the Christian faith; has grasped a portion of its demands for our day; and has discovered the perspective that life in Christ can give to all learning, vocation, and life itself. In this encounter, the graduate will have formed a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ and with humankind.
• Is a person of compassion who cherishes community among all people and expresses compassion by critically participating in the world. The graduate is sensitive to need, responsive to opportunity, and wise in participation.
• In summary, is a well-integrated person who is prepared to live a life pleasing to the Creator, a life enriching to others, and a life which is self-rewarding.