Goals and Objectives

In harmony with its mission, the University seeks to attain the following goals and objectives:

• To provide a wide range of undergraduate programmes for personal and professional development, thus enabling a significant number of persons to adequately participate in nation building.
• To provide a broad spectrum of high quality educational programmes for postbaccalaureate degree preparation and productive, useful roles in society.
• To motivate students to attain intellectual excellence, through creativity and independent thought, developed through the application of sound teaching methods, exposure to appropriate reading materials, technology and enriching experiences.
• To balance academic and practical experience through work/study programmes which develop a wholesome respect for the dignity of labour.
• To provide Pre-college programmes to bridge the gap between the under-prepared university entrant and university entrance requirements.
• To respond to the special needs of the local and international community through the provision of special courses, seminars and workshops.
• To co-operate with the Jamaican and other Caribbean governments in developing accredited programmes in line with their national objectives.
• To create an academic culture that both receives and creates knowledge.

• To provide an environment that reflects the spiritual values and principles of the Bible as taught by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
• To incorporate the Christian faith into the learning of all academic departments, by means of a Christ-centred approach to the teaching of each subject area.
• To foster a respect for things spiritual and encourage temperate living.
• To promote the development of tolerance of differences in the human race, as an instrument of peace and goodwill.

• To encourage healthful living through the teaching and practice of temperance, good nutrition and abstinence from alcohol, tobacco and other unhealthful drugs.
• To encourage physical development through outdoor exercise and physical labour.
• To develop within students an awareness of the importance of good health for themselves and their families and as an important aspect of their relationship with God.

Objectives

• To lead each student into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
• To guide students in the development of Christian character, marked by loyalty to God, their nation and mankind.
• To engender in students a love for humanitarian deeds of selfless service.
• To inspire students to intellectual excellence, creativity and independent thought.
• To develop in students a sense of responsibility, self discipline and personal dignity.
• To cultivate in students tolerance and respect for the rights and opinions of others.
• To train students to appreciate and practise the highest levels of deportment and refinement.
• To instil in students an appreciation for the elevating and the beautiful, as revealed in nature, the sciences and the arts.
• To develop in students a wholesome respect for the dignity of labour, especially within the context of a developing nation.
• To provide opportunities for students to participate in beneficial community-oriented activities.
• To enable students to acquire knowledge and skills that are necessary for gainful engagement in honest livelihood activities.
• To prepare students to cope with the stresses and challenges of a changing world.