A Distinctive Education for Enhancement, Growth, and Compassionate Engagement
SEARCH, Alvernia University's distinctive general education program, emphasizes an integrative approach to knowledge and skill development rooted in the Catholic and liberal arts traditions. Inspired by our Franciscan values and our academic mission to foster knowledge joined with love, SEARCH prepares students for lifelong learning, professional success, ethical leadership, and meaningful citizenship. Through SEARCH, students cultivate the intellectual, spiritual, and ethical foundations essential for personal and societal transformation.
Joining Knowledge with Love Through the 4 C's
SEARCH is structured around four transformative General Educational Student Learning Outcomes (or GESLO) known as the 4 C's:
- Content
Students investigate the complexities of our world through cross-cultural and interdisciplinary ways of knowing and fundamental questions that drive content creation by developing contemplative skills necessary to foster deep understanding and independent inquiry.
- Critical Thinking
Students synthesize information, explain issues, assess assumptions, analyze concepts and evidence, and engage in problem-solving by developing open-mindedness, imagination, creativity, and quantitative, scientific, and logical reasoning.
- Communication
Students express ideas clearly and effectively in multiple modalities (verbal, oral, and non-verbal) by comprehensively explore issues and ideas, determining the credibility of information, integrating diverse perspectives, and using information effectively, ethically, and collaboratively.
- Community
Students identify and engage in efforts to positively influence communities and environments through values-centered, ethical perspectives.
No learning outcomes is completed through a single course or single discipline. That is the beauty of general education – the skills required for a complete education demand multiple touchstones and an integrative approach to knowledge acquisition that is the hallmark of liberal arts education. Alvernia's general education program is further distinguished by our commitment to our Franciscan heritage of knowledge joined with love, which is integrated into every one of our outcomes – making a truly distinctive Alvernian experience. By completing the SEARCH general education curriculum, students will:
- Become independent thinkers empowered by deep understanding and a passion to change the world.
- Sharpen their abilities to navigate complex problems and an ever-evolving future.
- Enhance their ability to connect, communicate, and collaborate.
- Gain advantageous skills of active citizenship and ethical leadership.
