Mission and Vision

The Erasmus Collegiate Institute is a Catholic institution operating in the liberal arts tradition and animated by a conviction that education is a transformative event instilling in students from all types of backgrounds and with all levels of ability a love of learning through intensive study and dialogue with professors, fellow students, and the Western Canon, structured around a core curriculum.

Vision

We aim to be recognized in higher education as a leader whose institutional identity is informed by an exploration of the Western Canon and the Catholic intellectual tradition. We are committed to excellence in responsible teaching, to maintaining an environment that encourages active learning, and to fostering a renewed commitment to the liberal arts for future generations.

Convictions

Pursuit of Truth
We value intellectual inquiry as an elevating and life-long habit. We are committed to the impartial pursuit of truth, the exploration and expression of knowledge across disciplines, and an imaginative and creative encounter with significant ideas and human experiences. While we identify ourselves as a Catholic institution, our curriculum embraces thinkers from the entirety of Western thought.

Academic Excellence
We maintain an environment among faculty, students, and staff that recognizes the power of thought and ideas and rewards rigorous and critical thinking. Furthermore, we believe that all students are capable of and called to an education in the liberal arts.

Faith and Reason
We work within the Catholic intellectual tradition, which values the fundamental compatibility of faith and reason.

Community
We respect the dignity of each person and value the unique contributions that each brings to the academic community. We welcome students of all faiths and beliefs.

Personal attention
We foster a culture that supports the well-being of each individual member of the academic community by addressing the academic needs of all students. We provide many opportunities for the conversations between faculty members and students to continue beyond the classroom, providing, for instance, one-on-one tutoring, and giving substantial feedback on all papers, assignments, and tests.

Love of learning for its own sake
Both students and teachers take delight in the study of the liberal arts for their own sake. This study is understood to be an end in itself but, when undertaken, bears many fruits both in the students and in the world.