MISSION AND MERCY CORE VALUES
A MISSION-DRIVEN
CAMPUS AND
COMMUNITY
AT GEORGIAN COURT, OUR VALUES GUIDE US TO BUILD A MORE JUST AND COMPASSIONATE WORLD.
THE OFFICE OF
MISSION INTEGRATION
The Georgian Court University mission statement and Mercy core values inform all aspects of institutional and student life. The Office of Mission Integration works with Campus Ministry and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to provide meaningful opportunities and experiences that represent three themes: the whole person, the common good, and community engagement and service. Together, we recognize the importance of a holistic education where learning is ongoing and purposeful and where individual students, faculty, and staff are always part of something bigger than themselves. As a member of this university, you have a stake in determining what kind of place it will be. We hope you’ll join us in becoming a compassionate, inclusive community dedicated to our Sisters of Mercy heritage.
Get in touch to learn more about mission-driven initiatives at GCU. Our office is open Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. in Kingscote (2nd floor). We’re also available by phone at 732-987-2303 and by e-mail at jedepietro@georgian.edu.
MISSION STATEMENT
Georgian Court University, founded by the Sisters of Mercy of New Jersey in 1908 and sponsored by the Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas since January of 2007, provides a comprehensive liberal arts education in the Roman Catholic tradition. The university has a special concern for women and is a dynamic community committed to the core values of justice, respect, integrity, service, and compassion, locally and globally.
Georgian Court University provides students with:
- A curriculum broad enough to be truly liberal, yet specialized enough to support further study and future careers;
- An environment for the entire university community to grow through shared educational, cultural, social, and spiritual experiences; and
- The will to translate concern for social justice into action.
MISSION PRINCIPLES
In order to promote and support our mission and the charism of the Sisters of Mercy, we ascribe to the principles listed below. These act as guidelines that help us create not only a welcoming campus but also a passionate student population ready to collaborate and serve the communities around them.
- We hold that the Catholic Tradition needs to remain at our core and animate us in mission.
- At the same time, we affirm that the Tradition needs to be engaged in vigorous ecumenical and interfaith dialogue.
- We acknowledge Catholic Intellectual Tradition as a fearless pursuit of truth, beauty, and wisdom.
- We find joy in the all-embracing hospitality that is the legacy of the Sisters of Mercy.
- Our vision and energy are fueled by mercy and compassion, which compels us to service and the promotion of social justice and the common good.
- We strive to set an example of the Mercy way to newcomers and visitors to our community.
- We promote a vibrant multiculturalism, which contributes to the richness and vitality of our living and working together.
- We welcome people with a diversity of faith and belief systems, as well as those with no particular faith.
- We provide faith formation and service opportunities for students, faculty, and staff of all faiths in their quest for human flourishing and a purposeful life.
- We shun narrowness that divides and isolates and so discourages groups that cause divisions based on discrimination, hatred, and elitism.
- We avoid proselytization and actions that attempt to convert a person from their own faith tradition into another.
- We consider it inappropriate to use misleading, harassing, untrue, or slanderous language about the faith of others.
- We respect the privacy of others in religious matters.
MERCY CORE VALUES
We’re committed to the Mercy core values of respect, integrity, justice, compassion, and service. These values are the roots from which Georgian Court University activities, decisions, and behaviors flow.
Respect: We reverence the dignity of all persons and all life as gifts of God and strive to promote community in our world.
Integrity: We believe that fidelity to moral principles, honesty, and sincerity is the basis of trustworthiness in all encounters.
Justice: We believe ordering of right relationships with all persons and all creation is fundamental to our advocacy for structures that protect the vulnerable.
Compassion: We embrace the joys and sorrows of others to whom and with whom we minister, and we are moved to action in solidarity with the human community.
Service: We joyfully extend our energy and resources on behalf of the poor, sick, and uneducated, working to relieve misery and address its causes wherever possible.
SISTERS OF MERCY
CRITICAL CONCERNS
The Sisters of Mercy were founded out of a deep concern for persons who are poor. Today, that commitment is focused on five critical concerns that we address through attention to personal and institutional choices, advocacy with legislators and other government leaders, and corporate engagement.
IMMIGRATION
Believing firmly in the dignity of every person, we work for just and humane immigration laws in the United States, address policies that push people to flee their countries, and examine the global impact of immigration.
RACISM
We believe racism is an evil affecting us all. We work to recognize and dismantle institutional racism in order to become an anti-racist, multicultural community.
WOMEN
Through our university and legislative advocacy, we give special attention to women’s education, health, and spirituality.
NONVIOLENCE
We work for peace through prayer, education, and personal and communal practices of nonviolence and legislative advocacy to reduce armed conflicts, abuse, and violence.
EARTH
We believe in the need for the sustainability of life, supporting both a lifestyle and legislation that acknowledge everyone’s right to water and the need to address climate change.
SERVICE AND VOLUNTEERISM
Showing mercy and care to those in need is foundational to the GCU experience. We believe that individuals are all persons in relation—we’re inherently connected to each other and to the world and everything in it. That’s why we stand in solidarity and take action to serve the community. At GCU, you’ll participate in a spirit of volunteerism that helps you become a better ally and advocate.
These are just a few examples of how we engage in community service:
- In March 2022, the Campus Ministry held a service trip with Habitat for Humanity where GCU students built a new home.
- At the Fall 2021 orientation, first-year students packaged meal kits for world hunger relief in collaboration with Rise Against Hunger.
- GCU student-athletes are often “Christmas Angels” and they also help to sponsor families in need through the St. Vincent DePaul Society.
- Julian’s Cupboard, a student food pantry, addresses food insecurity across campus.
- The Campus Ministry organized an Afghan Refugee Resettlement Drive to collect donations and welcome new neighbors into the community.
- In partnership with Fulfill, GCU operates a mobile food pantry open to the greater Lakewood community and the public.
120,000+
30
Minimum number of hours required for GCU students that pursue service-learning projects
4
Global education and study abroad programs focused on community service campaigns
SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY. ENGAGE WITH COMPASSION. BE AN ALLY.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Choose from 40+ clubs and organizations, including many service-oriented groups. Our student body actively engages with and reflects upon the world’s most pressing issues. There’s always an event, workshop, or discussion to get involved in.
SERVICE ABROAD
Are you planning to study abroad? Consider one of our service abroad programs, where you’ll do meaningful work in under-resourced communities around the world. In 2019, nursing students set up medical clinics for a service trip in Peru.
CAMPUS MINISTRY VOLUNTEER SERVICE
Campus Ministry offers many ways to do good and serve the community. In addition to planning local and international service trips, it also runs multiple donation drives and holiday projects.
MERCY COLLEGIATE SOCIETY
Grow in Mercy with the support of Campus Ministry and the Office of Mission Integration. The Mercy College Society has four pillars: social networking, service, spiritual development, and servant leadership.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
The five critical concerns of the Sisters of Mercy require us to acknowledge and challenge the systemic injustices in our society. At Georgian Court, we aim to celebrate difference, ensure fairness, and increase empowerment.
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion sponsors events, activities, and programs that advance university-wide DEI efforts.