Respect Deeply. Act Courageously. Belong Fully.
The Bearcat Creed is more than a statement of values. It is a shared commitment to the kind of community we want to create at Lander University.
Every Bearcat plays a role in shaping the culture of our campus. Through the way we treat one another, the choices we make, the courage we show, and the ways we help others feel connected, we each contribute to what it means to call Lander home.
The Bearcat Creed gives us a simple, shared language for that commitment.
The Three Core Commitments
Respect Deeply
We recognize the dignity, experiences, perspectives, and contributions of others.
We listen with the intent to understand, engage one another with care, and recognize that respect is foundational to a strong community.
Respect means valuing ourselves, valuing others, and caring for the community and spaces we share.
Act Courageously
We choose integrity, even when doing the right thing may not be the easiest thing.
We take responsibility for our actions, speak up when something is not right, ask for help when we need it, and step forward when someone else may need our support.
Courage is found not only in big moments, but in the everyday decisions that strengthen our community.
Belong Fully
Every Bearcat deserves the opportunity to feel welcomed, valued, connected, and part of the Lander community.
Belonging does not happen by accident. It is something we build together through inclusion, participation, kindness, curiosity, and care.
We bring our individual experiences and identities to Lander while recognizing that together, we are part of something bigger.
Origin of the Bearcat Creed
The Bearcat Creed has long served as an expression of the values and expectations of the Lander University community. It reminds us that being a Bearcat comes with both opportunity and responsibility—a responsibility to ourselves, to one another, and to the community we share.
During Summer 2026, Lander University refreshed the Bearcat Creed with a renewed focus on connection, purpose and belonging.
The goal was not simply to change the words. It was to make the Creed easier to remember, easier to understand and more meaningful throughout the Lander experience.
From that work emerged three commitments:
Respect Deeply. Act Courageously. Belong Fully.
Simple enough to remember. Meaningful enough to guide us.
The refreshed Creed was introduced as an intentional part of the new student experience, helping incoming Bearcats understand from the beginning that joining the Lander community means becoming part of something larger than themselves.
During the Bearcat Creed Ceremony, new students are invited to reflect on these commitments and personally sign the Creed as a symbol of their place within the Lander community.
But the Bearcat Creed is not only for new students. It belongs to every Bearcat.
Students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends of Lander all have a role in carrying these values forward and helping define the community we want Lander to be.
Living the Creed
A strong community is built through thousands of everyday choices.
It is choosing to welcome someone new.
It is listening before responding.
It is speaking up when someone needs help.
It is taking responsibility when we make a mistake.
It is having the courage to ask for support.
It is celebrating the people around us.
It is making room for someone else at the table.
It is choosing to care.
The Bearcat Creed gives those choices a shared purpose.
This is our Creed. This is our community. This is what it means to be a Bearcat.
Take the Bearcat Creed Pledge
The Bearcat Creed becomes meaningful when we choose to live it.
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to add their names to our shared commitment to:
Respect Deeply. Act Courageously. Belong Fully.
By signing the Bearcat Creed, you are not promising to be perfect. You are choosing to be intentional about how you show up for others, how you respond when courage is needed, and how you contribute to a community where people can belong.