Vision / Mission Some students watching an announcement

The vision of Morris College

Morris College will be a premier liberal art and career-focused institution in Sumter, the state of South Carolina and the southern region; as well as carry out its stated mission as an institution that is totally committed to excellence in all areas of operation and is driven toward continuous improvement.

In the attainment of this vision, Morris College will:

  1. Provide a high-quality education for students which results in employment and achievement of their educational and career goals.
  2. Provide an exceptional faculty and staff who are committed to the mission, vision, excellence in all areas of operations, and teamwork.
  3. Provide relevant quality academic programs and resources in order for students to perform at their best and find gainful employment.
  4. Fully utilize the Morris College Bertie B. White Teaching and Learning Center to achieve excellence in teaching and maximize learning.
  5. Provide a student-centered, caring, supportive and nurturing a learning environment that will engender life-long learning.
  6. Produce graduates that achieve and lead in their respective communities, states, and country.
  7. Continue to develop into an institution that is significantly more impactful on the intellectual, cultural, and economic development of Sumter, the state of South Carolina and the Southern region.
  8. Instill pride and strive to improve the quality of life for all stakeholders.
  9. Provide necessary financial resources to achieve excellence in all areas of operations and development.

The mission of Morris CollegeAn instructor helps a student at a computer.

Morris College was founded in 1908 by the Baptist Educational and Missionary Convention of South Carolina to provide educational opportunities for Negro students in response to the historical denial of access to the existing educational system. Today, under the continued ownership of its founding body, the College opens its doors to a culturally and geographically diverse student body, typically from the Southeast and Northeast regions. Morris College is an accredited, four-year, coeducational, residential, liberal arts and career-focused institution awarding baccalaureate degrees in the arts and sciences, as well as certificates and associate degrees in career-based professional fields.

The College serves the needs of its students, alumni, and community.

It serves its students by

  • Providing sound liberal arts and career-based programs with a particular emphasis on teacher education.
  • Providing an intensive program for mastering basic social, thinking, listening, speaking, reading, writing, mathematical, technological, and leadership skills.
  • Providing services and programs to enhance their academic, social, professional, and personal development.
  • Promoting an ethical and religious environment which complements the student's total development.

It serves its alumni by

  • Promoting a relationship that is mutually beneficial to the alumni and the institution.

It serves its community by

  • Providing continuing education and services to clergy and laity.
  • Promoting the growth and development of the larger community through public service programs.
  • Providing research services and facilities in the solution of academic and community problems.

Morris College is primarily a student-centered institution which seeks to fulfill its mission by

  • Evaluating the academic performance of students to ensure competence in communication, problem-solving, critical thinking, and the use of information technology.
  • Emphasizing a broad understanding of the liberal arts and sciences.
  • Emphasizing specific professional and technical skills necessary to meet societal demands.
  • Emphasizing total development of the student for responsible citizenship in a global society.

This student-centered commitment embraces the College's motto, "Enter to Learn; Depart to Serve."