Highline has adopted a new set of mission, vision, and values statements that focus more on inclusivity and equitable practices.

As of October 13, Highline has updated their new mission statement, vision, and values.

The Equity First Strategic Planning Core Team has been working on a new set of statements to better represent the school and its students since Fall Quarter 2021.

“Their work centers around our students, equity, and education,” said Dr. John R. Mosby, president of Highline, in an email to the campus.

Equity in the mission, vision, and value statements are defined as “The absence of avoidable or remediable differences among groups of people, whether those groups are defined socially, economically, demographically or geographically,” as defined in Highline’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Glossary of Terms.

Making Highline more equitable means giving students not just equal opportunities, but opportunities that give them equal footing to their peers.

Highline’s new mission statement:

“As a South King County college striving for social justice, Highline College partners with global students as they envision, plan, and achieve their educational and professional goals.” 

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a mission statement as “a short written description of the aims of a business, charity, government department, or public organization.”

Highline’s new mission statement is taking the students’ goals and making them their own, taking into consideration that not all students are from the same place.

The statement also goes beyond the students’ time in education, as Highline aims for success beyond schooling.

Highline’s new vision:

“Highline College creates anti-racist, equitable pathways in higher education to close opportunity gaps experienced by our students. We support employees to foster the conditions for student and workplace equity. We accept people as they are and honor the life experience they bring. We are cultivating a collaborative learning community that centers the well-being of the whole person and provides a sense of belonging. We highly regard the families and support systems that enable our success and acknowledge that by working together we are limitless.” 

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a vision statement as “a statement of what a company or an organization would like to achieve in the future.”

Vision and mission statements are similar, but the difference between them is that the mission statement represents the goals, while the vision represents the aspirations.

Highline is taking acceptance beyond simply acknowledging that racism is bad, and is seeking to get rid of negative prejudices that may exist in the community. Cooperation is key in Highline’s new vision statement. 

Highline’s new values:

• Accessibility
• Accountability
• Cultural responsiveness and agency
• Environmental sustainability
• Equity-first focus
• Life-long learning
• Partnership with local and global communities
• Respect
• Social justice
• Student-centered approaches
• Transparency

Values are defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “the principles that help you to decide what is right and wrong, and how to act in various situations.”

These values focus on acceptance between students, and represent how Highline hopes to foster a better community. 

With these new statements,  students are being put first, no matter who they are or where they are from. Highline is sharing their goals with students, and the values will tie it all together.

“Thank you to those who gave input and took the time to provide necessary feedback. Our college is better for it and I am proud to be your president,” said Dr. Mosby in an email to the campus.