Mission, Vision and Core Values

MISSION

Influenced by a unique history and an enduring affiliation with the United Methodist Church, ��«Ӱҵ’s mission is to provide a high-quality learning environment that prepares students for success in their careers, service to their communities, the nation, and the world, and a lifetime of personal growth inspired by the higher values of truth, beauty and goodness.

The University’s distinctive academic program includes mutually supporting liberal and professional education components that integrate practice with theory, complemented by excellent co-curricular offerings that enrich the Northern experience.

To fulfill this mission, faculty and staff engage with students so they can learn to think critically, creatively and entrepreneurially; communicate effectively; gain practical experience; solve problems collaboratively; and act as ethical and responsible members of a global community.

CORE VALUES

• Collaboration: We encourage the development of unique collaborations that further distinguish the university

• Community: We are a community that strives to be “purposeful, open, just, disciplined, caring, and celebrative” (Boyer, 1990) and that is strengthened by engaging all members of the community in the life of the University

• Diversity: We value the core belief expressed in the University’s motto, “Ex diversitate vires,” “out of diversity strength,” and provide experiences and programs that prepare graduates for success in a diverse nation and world.

• Excellence: We aspire to achieve the highest standards of performance in our professional fields and our roles at the University.

• Faith: We celebrate the University’s historic relationship and active affiliation with the United Methodist Church and welcome persons of all faiths by providing a supportive environment for their moral and spiritual growth.

• Integrity: We expect individuals to conduct themselves with honesty, trustworthiness and respect for others.

• Service: We encourage service to others and civic engagement, both as a commitment to community involvement and as a responsibility of democratic citizenship.

Reference: Boyer, Ernest L., Campus Life: In Search of Community. Princeton, NJ: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1990.

VISION

��«Ӱҵ’s vision is to be among the best private, comprehensive universities in the nation, known for programs of excellence and distinction and recognized for effectively integrating arts and sciences disciplines, professional studies, high impact learning, and civic engagement.

Stronger Together
Strategic Plan 2023-2029

��«Ӱҵ will be a welcoming and supportive community where faculty, staff, and students feel a sense of belonging and where we come together to build a strong foundation for a successful future while ensuring the long-term financial sustainability of the institution.

Pillar 1: People

Declaration: At ��«Ӱҵ, students are prepared for success in their careers and life; faculty and staff have the support to fully achieve their vocational goals; alumni, employers, and stakeholders are enriched through their connections to ��«Ӱҵ; and we share a sense of belonging, inclusion, and diversity.

Objective 1: ��«Ӱҵ will retain and graduate students by supporting their academic, professional, financial, and wellness needs, thereby creating a strong sense of belonging.

Objective 2: ��«Ӱҵ will support its faculty and staff, creating a strong culture of engagement and belonging.

Objective 3: ��«Ӱҵ will proactively engage alumni, stakeholders, and employers, particularly those in the surrounding region, and will build strong relationships in support of the long-term success of ��«Ӱҵ.

Significant Outcomes: Develop a strategic plan and tactics to achieve first-year retention and six-year graduation goals, building the plan on strategies directed at student engagement, wellness, finances, and academic support.

Institute a schedule of benchmarking for employee benefits and surveys of campus culture to support a positive culture of belonging at ��«Ӱҵ.

Establish goals for categories of diversity and underrepresented students, faculty, and staff and work with the Chief Belonging, Inclusion, and Diversity Officer to build a plan.

Establish strategies that enhance the affordability and value students experience while attending ��«Ӱҵ.

Pillar 2: Teaching and Learning

Declaration: ��«Ӱҵ will be known for distinctive academic programs delivered by accomplished faculty that equip all students to succeed in their careers and meet the region’s growing workforce needs.

Objective 1: ��«Ӱҵ will support high-quality, accessible, and diverse learning environments for students, faculty, and staff.

Objective 2: ��«Ӱҵ will remain at the leading edge of curricular design, implementation, and evaluation to enhance learning and meet the needs of a diverse student body.

Objective 3: ��«Ӱҵ will work proactively to align and meet the needs of employers through a 21^st-century focus on its foundational programs.

Significant Outcomes: Develop a program review process to optimize academic program resources while aligning programs to workforce needs.

Increase degree pathways for traditional, non-traditional, and transfer students, including hybrid and online instructional offerings.

Pillar 3: Place

Declaration: ��«Ӱҵ’s campus will meet the learning and recreational needs of students, faculty, and staff, as well as the living accommodations of our students.

Objective 1: The University will develop a campus master plan that meets the campus academic, residential, recreational, and athletics needs.

Objective 2: ��«Ӱҵ’s recreational and wellness facilities will meet the needs of the campus community and build upon our foundational excellence in the health sciences.

Objective 3: ��«Ӱҵ will invest in technology to meet the current and future needs of students, faculty, and staff.

Significant Outcomes: Envision, plan and fundraise for a renovated and expanded King Horn Center in conjunction with a Health Sciences facility.

Review current technology capabilities and align investments to deliver and support faculty, staff, and students.

Pillar 4: Sustainability

Declaration: ��«Ӱҵ will be financially stable by fostering a culture of continuous innovation and improvement through prudent management, effective branding and marketing, cost management, and enduring relationships.

Objective 1: ��«Ӱҵ will balance expenditures with available resources, increasing the University’s Financial Indicators Tool (FIT) score to be in the 4 to 5 range or higher.

Objective 2: ��«Ӱҵ will meaningfully increase and diversify enrollment, clearly communicating its brand to all stakeholders.

Objective 3: ��«Ӱҵ will outperform investment benchmarks and increase earned income and contributed revenue.

Significant Outcomes: Achieve a five year FIT score average above 4.0 by 2027-28 fiscal year.

Meet or exceed investment benchmarks in two out of three asset classifications on a 3-5 year average annually.

Significantly increase the endowment to eliminate the structural deficit and support the quality of the institution.

See Full Strategic Plan

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