Who We Are

Welcome to Greenville University, where students are transformed for life.

Greenville University is an institution that meets students where they are and guides them to greater self-discovery and a deeper relationship with our loving God. GU’s professors and staff are mentors to students – providing curricular and co-curricular experiences that empower them for lives of character and service.

Our Mission

Greenville University empowers students for lives of character and service through a transforming Christ-centered education.

For more than 130 years, students from all over the world have benefited from GU’s mission-driven work. Equipped to think critically, solve problems, create, inspire, lead, and collaborate, they have become salt and light across the United States and worldwide.Today’s graduates blend faith, learning, character, and service into business, medicine, education, ministry, technology, financial services, science, music, and others.

Core Values

Christ-like character and service
Innovative and creative operations
Interconnected, synergistic thinking internally and externally
Immersive experiences as the most student-centric way to teach – degree, resume, and connection base included

Identity

GU is an Innovative, Immersive, and Interconnected institution that offers a Christ-centered education utilizing the power of experiential learning to fulfill our mission of empowering students’ lives for character and service.

We are Innovative

Our success is marked by our innovation, a hallmark of GU since its founding.

Experiential learning is a philosophy and methodology in which educators purposefully engage with students in direct experience and focused reflection to increase knowledge, develop skills, and clarify values. GU engages in experiential learning to drive a learning outcome of character and service.

We are true to the liberal arts history and culture of our institution as a foundation that provides for lifelong learning. Our liberal arts curriculum combines coaching for workplace readiness.

We educate beyond the walls of the classroom. We have expanded GU’s campus beyond its location in Greenville, Illinois, with Experience Institutes in Nashville, Dallas, and more forthcoming.

We are Immersive

Immersive opportunities across our programs shape our student experience.

Students are immersed in their educational experiences, spiritual development experiences, athletic experiences, residence hall experiences, community life experiences, leadership scholarship experiences, and more. Experience is the difference at GU.

We are Interconnected

We are interconnected with one another, our communities, and opportunities near and far.

No silos here. Departments work together to provide the best educational outcome for students.
We connect students to professors, coaches, and staff members who become mentors and advisors in their lives.
We connect students to our community, to businesses, and to professional networks near and far.
We connect students to alumni in their fields who can provide a network, an internship, and a mentor.
We are an intercultural melting pot, representing 36 countries and over 30 U.S. states on our small campus, where we learn to interconnect in cultural diversity.

EQUIP TO INFLUENCE
Equip students to influence through academic excellence

Our future needs wise and innovative leaders more than ever. Our students shine brightly in the sciences, education, audio engineering, criminal justice, digital media, and many other disciplines. To help prepare these future leaders, we strive to make GU education more accessible, affordable, and empowering.

EMPOWER TO LEAD
Empower students to lead, create spaces for growth

Together, we live, worship, and thrive as a community. Our students are empowered to become servant leaders on the field, in locker rooms, or within classrooms. As we build, we build futures. By giving students opportunities, we hope they will become more than they ever imagined they could be.

INSPIRE TO SERVE
Hands-on experiences fuel service leadership

Inspire students to serve by giving them opportunities to learn by doing. Our dedicated faculty crafts transformative experiences both within and beyond the classroom, enabling students to nurture their character, enrich their resumes, and build meaningful connections.

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GU Stories

GU has empowered students for lives of character and service for over 130 years. Learn why students chose Greenville, why alumni credit GU, and why faculty choose to teach here.