Cherishing our Academic Community

As a student in Willamette University you are a member of a community that values excellence in academic, personal and professional pursuits. Since our community at Willamette University is dedicated to achieving excellence in all of those areas we require that all members of our community (students, faculty, administrators, and support staff) accept and live up to the highest standards of personal, ethical and moral conduct. The Center for Academic Integrity has defined academic integrity as “a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.”

In order to live according to such values we are required not to engage in any type of academic or intellectually dishonest practice. A commitment to high personal integrity, and recognition of the fact that our actions have repercussions for the community at large is required of us all.

These expectations are not just the result of our specific mission as an academic community and institution of higher learning. Cheating, plagiarism and other acts of academic dishonesty are selfish, community disintegrating practices. All of us, individuals and communities, require trust in order to flourish. Our actions help to shape the world in which we live, and that which our children will inherit. To the extent that we engage in dishonest practices we lay the groundwork for an uncivil society.

Willamette University is held in the highest regard across the nation. Its students and faculty are considered top flight. Much of that high regard stems directly from our commitment to excellence and our dedication to the highest principles of academic integrity. The value of our student’s education, and the reputation of our faculty and University is measured directly by the trust placed in the quality and integrity of our academic community. Hence, as we affirm the value of our community, we see failure to honor high ethical standard as a significant offense.

Our field of study demands and requires a high emphasis on moral character. Quintillian’s definition of Rhetoric, “the good man [person] speaking well,” reveals a recognition of the fact that in all pursuits a commitment to high ethical standards is the foundation from which excellence can emerge and thrive. Our expectation is that our students will live up to that commitment. Our commitment is to making a difference in the lives we touch, and to the development and enrichment of academic, personal, social, and professional excellence.