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Core Purpose

To offer higher education to those who are seeking to live an extraordinary life. To this end, the college will inspire its students to love truth, seek wisdom, embrace innovation and be instruments of peace in the world.

Graduate Attributes

It’s our conviction at Sheridan College that study does more than equip students with knowledge in a specific academic discipline. We believe it can have a transformational effect on a person’s own nature.

The philosophers, JP Moreland and William Craig, write:

“Study itself is a spiritual discipline, and the very act of study can change the self. One who undergoes the discipline of study lives through certain types of experiences where certain skills are developed through habitual study: framing an issue, solving problems, learning how to weigh evidence and eliminate irrelevant factors, cultivating the ability to see important distinctions instead of blurring them, and so on. The disciplines of study also aids in the development of certain virtues and values; for example, a desire for the truth, honesty with data, an openness to criticism, self-reflection and an ability to get along nondefensively with those who differ with one.”

JP Moreland and WL Craig, Philosophical Foundations of a Christian Worldview, 2003

The higher education sector in Australia describes these kinds of outcomes as “Graduate Attributes” (GAs) – see the National Graduate Attributes Project Final Report. Every higher education provider is expected to develop graduate attributes and ensure that these are in alignment with their curriculum and community activities.

At Sheridan College, our graduate attributes describe the kind of personal characteristics we hope students will exhibit when they graduate. If future referees use these kinds of descriptors when writing about Sheridan College students, we will consider this a sign of a successful higher education.

As Sheridan College’s core activity is higher education, the College’s Graduate Attributes and Core Purpose are consciously aligned with one another.

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Core Values

In interpreting its responsibility to faithfully steward Sheridan College in the fulfilment of its mission, the Board upholds the following values:

Adding Value to Society

The Board believes that Sheridan College will enrich the broader community through (1) innovative education, scholarship and research that advances knowledge and produces graduates who will be faithful stewards of the world’s resources, (2)  a presentation of the Christian message which provides an opportunity for students to be reconciled with their Creator, and (3) modeling a community that images God’s infinite, unconditional love.<GAP>

Nurturing and Cherishing Christian Educators

The Board recognises that Christian educators are the most important resource of a Baptist educational institution. Sheridan College invites committed Christian scholars into an intellectual community which shares those beliefs common to evangelical Christian denominations. One of the reasons the College has been established is to serve as an authentic platform for Christian scholars to engage in lines of intellectual inquiry grounded in the Christian faith. The Board is committed to preserving the College’s evangelical Christian ethos by recruiting Christian educators and satisfactorily providing for their personal and professional wellbeing.

Protecting Freedoms

Early Baptists were fierce advocates for religious liberty and freedom of conscience. Reflecting this rich heritage, the Board promotes the political, economic, social, religious and academic freedoms enjoyed by both women and men in democratic societies. The Board understands the historical emergence of these freedoms and the quality of life that has resulted from them to be a work of common grace, and a precious, if incomplete, picture of the true reality of freedom that is found in Christ.

Serving with Integrity

The Board promotes the principles of servant leadership in the College, emphasising the importance of humility and  personal integrity in all the College’s activities and interactions.

Practising Hospitality

The Board practices and upholds the Christian virtue of hospitality. The College will maintain low barriers to entry, including low tuition fees and open enrolment, and will provide a safe physical and social environment for expressing personal convictions and for studying, researching and discussing ideas without fear of personal abuse or discrimination.