Dear Friends:

On January 30, 1999, the Longwood College Board of Visitors approved a document titled The Mission, Vision and Five-Year Strategic Plan of Longwood College. The result of three years' planning by the entire College community, this is far more than just a piece of paper ­ it is a living, breathing action plan designed to assure that Longwood College will meet the incredibly complex educational demands of the 21st century. Based upon concepts of quality, technological innovation, application of knowledge and accountability, Longwood College is proud to offer nothing less than The New Collegiate Experience.
     From the moment a student arrives on campus, she or he is immersed in an extraordinary educational environment. Our goal is to provide a high tech, highly relevant and uniquely supportive educational experience that prepares them for a successful life and career in the new millennium. Whether an English major or a business major, a commuter student or a resident, full time or part time, the Longwood student is part of a community dedicated to nothing less than educational excellence. From our state-of-the-art facilities and comprehensive curriculum, to our dedicated and knowledgeable staff, to our supremely qualified faculty, Longwood's mission is to provide our students an active, intellectually vibrant environment where the joy and excitement of learning permeates every aspect of their lives.
     Lying at the heart of The New Collegiate Experience is an educational values system that is based on a very traditional belief that a college is first and foremost a community of colleagues, of people united in the pursuit of learning. Longwood College is an affirming place where students, faculty, and staff know and interact with each other on a regular basis ­ in and out of the classroom, and for whom notions of citizenship, responsibility, honesty and civility are just as important as the content knowledge of an academic discipline. At Longwood students not only will learn to communicate effectively, think critically, solve problems, imagine creatively, and use technology adeptly, they also will learn to conduct themselves as proud citizens and capable leaders in the world's greatest democracy.
     As the new millennium dawns, Longwood College is confident that we can provide the high quality education that will be needed to live meaningfully and work productively in the 21st century. We do this in the belief that the best environment in which to learn is one that only a college can provide; an environment where you are not just a social security number, but a recognized individual who is a vital and indispensable part of a very special community; an environment that is every bit as much a home as it is a school.
     As you peruse this issue of Longwood, the first in many years, I hope that you will share my joy and pride in all that Longwood is accomplishing and emerge with an appreciation of the excitement and vitality that is The New Collegiate Experience.
 
– Patricia P. Cormier, President