Mission Statement:

Grounded in the belief that education is a liberating force which makes it possible for the individual to live a life of meaningful activity, of personal satisfaction, and of service to others as a neighbor and a citizen, Lander University has chosen teaching and learning as its principal concerns and providing a challenging education for qualified students as its mission.

Through its liberal arts programs and its professional schools of business, education, and nursing, the University offers an undergraduate curriculum that combines a broad liberal education with specialized study leading either to immediate application in a career or to more advanced study.

The undergraduate programs provide opportunities for students to achieve competence in a major discipline and to explore a broad core curriculum designed to assist them in developing the ability (1) to gather and critically analyze information from a variety of fields and to use that information as a basis for reasoned judgments and for effective problem solving, (2) to synthesize diverse ideas and information, and (3) to understand and convey ideas clearly.

In addition to its undergraduate programs, Lander provides a limited number of master’s programs and post-graduate courses that respond to critical needs of the immediate region and the State.   Supporting the University's role as a teaching institution and recognizing that scholarship is essential to establishing and maintaining excellence of instruction, Lander faculty engage in scholarly and creative activities appropriate to their teaching fields.  In addition, the faculty and staff recognize Lander’s responsibility to the public and to the local economy; therefore the University serves as an intellectual and cultural center and cooperates with various agencies, schools, and businesses.

The University, situated near the center of Greenwood, a small South Carolina city, combines urban with rural and traditional with modern features.   Proud of its identity as a small, student-centered public four-year university with a nurturing educational environment, Lander is committed to gradual but limited growth to a size of approximately 3300-3500 students.   Because student success depends in large part upon readiness, the University reserves admission to those students who can demonstrate adequate preparation for higher education either through a predicted GPA or through previous success at another post-secondary institution.

While Lander serves primarily students from a seven county area (Greenwood, Laurens, Edgefield, Abbeville, McCormick, Newberry, and Saluda) and reflects the demographic diversity of this constituency, it strives to draw students from every region of South Carolina as well as from other states and foreign countries because a geographically diverse population better serves the educational interests of all students enrolled.   Lander predominately attracts qualified traditional full-time students but also welcomes non-traditional and part-time students.

Lander University’s commitment to extending educational opportunities to these varying constituencies reflects its belief that citizens of a free society have a right to the enriching benefits of higher education.