Global Engagement

Through its Christian mission and abiding commitments, Seaver College embraces the call to engage the world—locally, nationally, and internationally—through our people, programs, scholarship, and service. We are inspired by the parable of the Good Samaritan and its lesson that every person, despite differences of circumstance, is our neighbor and we are to love them as we love ourselves. We desire to be global neighbors, to partner with people both near and far, and to approach opportunities to serve and learn from the global community with humility. 

Seaver College is committed to engaging our rich and varied world, but this work must begin at home. We must partner with our physical neighbors in the Malibu and greater Los Angeles communities to address the most important issues confronting our society and world. With historical roots in South Los Angeles, the College seeks to enrich and enliven the education of our students by joining in the vibrant civic life of Los Angeles, while also providing opportunities to serve. We recognize that being global neighbors begins in Los Angeles, an international hub home to historically and culturally significant neighborhoods. The Los Angeles metropolitan area offers remarkable accessibility to international exposure, and the College’s ability to engage with and utilize the benefits of the greater Los Angeles area, including Ventura County, is limited only by its creativity and commitment.

The College’s distinctive International Programs provide an opportunity for all students to have an immersive, culturally relevant learning experience that allows for academic, personal, professional, and spiritual development. These programs are a highlight of the Seaver experience for a majority of students. To continue pursuing excellence within these programs, we must expand program locations as well as the learning and service opportunities available at each site. 

The research, creative activity, and scholarship of Seaver faculty and students advance knowledge, connect individuals across time and space, encourage thought, and cultivate growth in our disciplines, communities, and society. They further our understanding of creation and the human condition; in so doing, we amplify our pursuit of truth while simultaneously gaining renewed appreciation for the vastness of the universe and the limits of our understanding. The College must continue to nurture and support all forms of faculty scholarship and creative activity while simultaneously expanding opportunities for students to engage in undergraduate research through mentored, independent learning.

Just as scholarship is the product of the mind’s creativity, service is the manifestation of our dedication to being global neighbors. Each member of the Seaver community has been uniquely blessed, and we are called to use our gifts and talents “to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.” In the new decade, we must strengthen our long-standing commitment to service by providing new opportunities to serve both at home and abroad, strengthening the integration of service within the curriculum, and inviting host communities to co-construct our understanding and application of service in different cultural contexts. 

The distinctiveness and educational resources of Seaver provide a unique opportunity for the College to broaden its engagement with the world by offering certificate and continuing education programs to alumni and new audiences. Advances in technology and our enhanced appreciation of its benefits and limitations will further our ability to deliver these programs in a high-quality and cost-effective manner. These new programs offer the possibility of enhanced relationship, reputation, and revenue, while providing the benefits of Seaver College’s distinctive academic offerings to the recipients.