South College-Asheville has been enrolling students for over a century, re-inventing itself several times during its long existence to remain responsive to the changing educational needs of Western North Carolina and the nation.

During the first decade of the twenty-first century, the College has been undergoing further transformation as it undertakes to prepare students for the unprecedented challenges of the coming decades, including widespread economic, technological, scientific, and social changes.  The mission of South College-Asheville addresses these challenges.  It reflects the College’s commitment to providing its students an educational experience geared to emerging realities and preparation for a future of complex interrelationships and continuous, rapid change.

The mission of South College-Asheville is:

South College-Asheville offers academic programs at the bachelor, associate, and certificate levels that are designed to provide students 1) professional and technical knowledge and skills demanded by the current and emerging employment market, 2) awareness of the significant impact of their profession and individual contributions on the community, the nation, and the country’s global standing, and 3) the cognitive and perceptual skills essential for personal and professional effectiveness during an era of continuous and rapid change, increasing complexity, and growing interdependencies.  The College, a private, co-educational, non-sectarian academic institution, promotes students’ sense of direction, accomplishment, and growing confidence in attaining their educational and professional goals.

The faculty and staff of the College provide students an educational experience that is invitational and supportive, while fostering discipline, independent initiative, and pursuit of high standards.  To foster among students an appreciation of how all courses contribute to attainment of professional and personal aspirations, the College ensures that the learning experience is as integrative as possible and that competencies basic to effectiveness in the contemporary environment are reinforced across the curricula.

South College-Asheville, recognizing that its effectiveness in serving both students and employers hinges upon its responsiveness to the changing local, national, and global environments, embraces its role as a learning organization.  The College actively seeks out and applies new knowledge to increase its vitality and creativity and continuously to improve the value of its services.  In its capacity as a learning organization, South College-Asheville not only responds to the immediate educational needs of the community, but also provides leadership through its insightful and innovative educational approaches to meeting emerging economic and social challenges.