Educational Priority

Respect and responsibility are our educational priority.

Residence Life plays an essential role in the education of Penn State students. Specifically, we connect their in-class academic experiences to their experiences in the residence halls. This is accomplished by establishing close artnershipships with faculty and staff from across the University to create an integrated experience. Furthermore, an educational priority built on the principles of respect and responsibility, outlines our commitment to facilitating learning beyond the classroom.

The educational priority is to enable residents to develop respect and responsibility for themselves and their communities. We strive to create dynamic learning communities where students have the opportunity to explore their identities and system of beliefs, connect their experiences alongside those of others, and build the skills necessary to become involved members of the Penn State community and society at large.

Learning Goals

Learning goals define the broad areas in which students who live on campus will grow and develop as students and are as follows:

Personal respect and responsibility
Personal respect and responsibility include building an understanding of who you are and how this informs the choices that you make. It is also taking ownership of your actions, accepting the consequences that come from those actions and understanding that what you do impacts those around you. After living on campus, residents will develop skills in the following areas:

  • Personal identity: Students will be able to describe their personal identity, values, and ethics
  • Personal decision making: Students will be able to apply decision-making practices that lead them to be successful as students and alumni.

Social respect and responsibility
Social respect and responsibility include acting in such a way that others are not adversely affected. It is making a commitment to contribute toward social, cultural and ecological causes for the betterment of society. After living on campus, residents will build skills related to:

  • Social Identity: Students will be able to compare and contrast their experiences within the community to that of others different from them
  • Community decision making: Students will be able to apply decision-making practices that positively affect their community
  • Public purpose: Students will learn to engage in practices or initiatives to better their local, state, national and global communities.