6.  Mission:
The institution’s educational mission is clearly defined, adopted, and published by its governing board consistent with its legal authorization, and is appropriate to a degree-granting institution of higher education and the constituency it seeks to serve. The mission statement defines institutional commitment to student learning and achievement (Standard I.A.1 and I.A.4)

The mission statement of the ASCC is written in both English and Samoan to describe its broad educational purposes of fostering successful student learning by providing high quality educational programs and services that allows students to achieve their educational goals and contribute to the well-being of American Samoa.¹

The mission is as follows:

The mission of the American Samoa Community College is to foster successful student learning by providing high quality educational programs and services that will enable students to achieve their educational goals and to contribute to the social, cultural, political, economic, technological, and environmental well-being of American Samoa.
To fulfill this mission, the College, as open admissions United States accredited Land Grant institution, provides access to bachelor and associate degrees and certificate programs of study. These programs prepare all students including those who are educationally underserved, challenged or non-traditional for:

• Transfer to institutions of higher learning
• Successful entry into the workforce
• Research and extension in human and natural resources
• Awareness of Samoa and the Pacific

The mission further clarifies the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) in Elementary Education Program as the only Bachelor Degree offered at ASCC, which follows:²

The mission of the American Samoa Bachelor of Education in Elementary Education is to meet the professional development needs of pre-service and in-service teachers enabling them to effectively teach in American Samoa and within the context of the global demands of the twenty-first century.

The program aims to:

• Prepare and provide ongoing professional development of Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education teachers at the undergraduate level;
• Apply knowledge in education that is research based, innovative and appropriate for the American Samoa society;
• Provide service for and support to the local and regional education communities.

Program graduates will be competent in:

• Teaching content area and the fundamental principles, theories and methodologies in elementary (K-8) education;
• The traditional and transitional perspectives of the Samoan culture/language and their implication in teaching and learning;
• The current technology and the application of technology.

As an institution with one bachelor degree under the purview of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC), the bachelor degree program operates accordingly to the overall Mission of ASCC.

All educational programs are aligned to the Mission of the College. These educational programs are designed whereas its Associate of Arts degrees are to prepare students to transfer to institutions of higher learning.  Associate of Science degrees and Certificates of Completion and Certificates of Proficiency prepare students to enter into the workforce. Its Bachelor in Elementary Education degree provides a student with a choice to either enter the workforce or to transfer to an institution of higher learning.

The ASCC Mission is essential to institutional planning through its emphasis on student learning and student achievement. All internal stakeholders are committed to the best interest of the students and are unified by the College’s Vision, Participatory Governance Core Values, and achievement of its Institutional Learning Outcomes in assuring that Student Centeredness is central to institutional planning and the setting of institutional priorities.

The ASCC Vision holds as its central theme “Saili le Atamai” or to “seek knowledge” as an institutional foresight towards achieving its Mission and guiding principles of participatory governance that organize the College’s operating agreements and shared governance.³ Furthermore, highlighting ASCC’s commitment to student learning is stated in its Institutional Core Values which are the characteristics of internal constituents to ensure their support of student learning.⁴ The Institutional Core Values are as follows; Student Centeredness, Respect for Diversity, Collaboration and Teamwork, Respect for Tradition and Culture and Lifelong Learning.

In 2015, through further review of what the institution expected their students to achieve when they graduate, the Dean of Academic Affairs and Director of Institutional Effectiveness proposed the evaluation of Institutional Learning Outcomes for discussion with the Curriculum Committee. This resulted in the newly established Institutional Learning Outcomes of ASCC that are measurable.⁵

• Effective Communicators: ASCC graduates communicate respectfully, listen attentively, seek clarification, and value the opinions of others. Graduates effectively present information using a variety of modes and media. They adapt their method of presentation to suit specific audiences and convey their intended message using a variety of oral, written, and visual strategies;
• Critical Thinkers: ASCC graduates engage in the examination of ideas, issues, and problems, drawing on established bodies of knowledge and means of analysis. Graduates organize information logically and consider alternate strategies. They recognize the need for multiple voices and seek opportunities for those voices to be heard;
• Global Citizens: ASCC graduates are prepared to participate in regional and global communities. They demonstrate knowledge of their region and the world.
• Quantitative Competent Individuals: ASCC graduates organize, and critically examine written, oral, visual, and numerical information. Graduates efficiently use technology as a tool to gather and evaluate information from a variety of perspectives. Graduates use the information ethically, respecting the legal restrictions that exist when using published, confidential, and proprietary information;
• Responsible Leaders: ASCC graduates act with integrity and take responsibility for their actions, ethically and equitably. Graduates engage in professional dialogue and participate in learning communities.   

The institution has identified outcomes at all levels to emphasize the effectiveness of its Mission. These outcomes are assessed periodically following an annual or biennial assessment cycle that coincides with the catalog review and approval.

ASCC has a strong mission statement that is regularly reviewed every two years and revised when deemed necessary.  The review of the mission statement is carried out during the Catalog revision every two years. Listed below are the constituents who are made aware of the mission statement.⁶

The ASCC Mission review is an element of institutional program review, assessment and planning. Institutional assessment provides the information necessary for any revisions.
The mission statement is approved by the governing board and published in the College Catalog.

1 - ASCC Catalog 2014 – 2016, pp. ii – iii