Quaker Elements
I suggest that you preach truth and do righteousness as you have been taught, whereinsoever that teaching may commend itself to your consciences and your judgments. For your consciences and your judgments we have not sought to bind; and see you to it that no other institution, no political party, no social circle, no religious organization, no pet ambitions put such chains on you as would tempt you to sacrifice one iota of the moral freedom of your consciences or the intellectual freedom of your judgments.
—President Isaac Sharpless, Haverford College Commencement, 1888
Among institutions founded by Friends in North America, Haverford is the oldest. Today, Haverford's Quaker elements are dynamic and evolving, and they correlate with an attitude of openness–asking difficult questions, resisting dogma, and challenging injustice. Our longstanding commitments to diversity and peace are firmly in place, and are embraced by students, faculty, alumni, and all other members of the Haverford community.
Haverford's Quaker Elements are evident in the College's academic mission, in its emphasis on community, in its governance structure, and in uniquely Haverfordian traditions like the Honor Code and "consensus."
Choose a section below for more information about these Quaker elements.
