Presidential Mission Statement
A comprehensive, national university, Ohio University offers both distinctive, high quality undergraduate education and excellent, focused graduate education. The University's educational enterprise is strengthened by superiority in research and creative activity and a fundamental service commitment to its region. The educational mission is realized in a residential setting on the main campus in Athens and through outreach and access efforts on five regional campuses. The mission of Ohio University is articulated through five major goals.
Ohio University will:
- Provide undergraduate students a distinctive education that prepares them for life and career.
The foundation of this undergraduate experience is the University's general education program. This program provides active learning opportunities, gives students a breadth of learning experiences, hones creativity, and engenders a commitment to life-long learning. First-year student programs are structured to engage and challenge students, thereby establishing a framework for success in later academic life. Programs in the major disciplines and other initiatives such as "Writing across the Curriculum" build skills and enhance future scholarship. This curriculum, in combination with the residential campus experience, fosters good citizenship by integrating civility and an understanding of the importance of diversity.
Academic programs such as the Honors Tutorial College and departmental honors programs offer special opportunities for students. Undergraduate research, cooperative education, and on-site internship experiences provide special paths to academic excellence. Undergraduates emerging from our programs will have the prerequisites to become national leaders in their disciplines, holding significant positions in government, academia, the arts, business, and industry. The unique opportunity afforded by Ohio University's academic programs and residential environment serves to bind students to the University and each other for life. The recruitment of students focuses on establishing a diverse and talented student body that will accept the challenge the University offers. Ohio University is committed to providing the resources needed for students to excel.
- Emphasize distinctiveness in graduate education through program focus at the advanced graduate level and creative approaches to master's education.
Graduate education is essential to the mission of Ohio University. The University fosters both distinctive academic masters programs, emphasizing preparation for further graduate work, and innovative professional masters programs that provide students with the skills and knowledge to excel in professional roles. Ohio University offers both traditional on-campus residential programs and creative distance learning programs that combine technology-intensive, independent studies with brief residential stays on the Athens and regional campuses. Outstanding undergraduate students also may explore programs that allow accelerated access to graduate study.
At the doctoral level, Ohio University offers a select set of programs that include focused disciplinary programs as well as innovative collaborative and interdisciplinary programs linked to special themes. These programs are closely linked with areas of excellence in research. Students are prepared for careers in academic as well as research, professional, or industrial settings.
- Maintain excellence in research through support for creative activity and the search for new information, knowledge, and understanding.
Ohio University has achieved a national academic reputation in selected areas of research and creative activities. This reputation helps to attract additional resources and recruit outstanding faculty and graduate students. Centers and institutes are established to enhance this reputation, and outstanding research and teaching in the graduate programs blend to improve both the research and graduate training missions. Research and creative activity at Ohio University are supported by a nationally ranked library that provides comprehensive collections and services.
- Maximize the learning opportunities afforded by a residential campus environment.
The historic residential nature of Ohio University has encouraged the formation of a community of scholars. Ohio University students on the Athens campus benefit from a residential experience that combines learning with extensive opportunities for student engagement in the community. This level of campus and community engagement contributes a special distinction to the educational experience. The student residential community and the community of scholars are complementary and contribute to the advancement of teaching, learning, and research.
Established in 1787 and chartered in 1804 as the first center of learning in the Northwest Territory, Ohio University is committed to an environment conducive to learning. The University strives to preserve and enhance the beauty of the campus buildings and grounds to attract and retain faculty, staff, and students. It enhances the academic community by the way in which it designs and constructs its buildings and uses technology to link faculty, staff and students to one another and the outside world.
- Expand Service to the Region.
Ohio University, located in the Appalachian area of Southeastern Ohio, has a unique opportunity and a special obligation to enhance and extend cultural and educational opportunities to the region. Through programs on the Athens campus and five regional campuses, and within units such as the College of Osteopathic Medicine (OUCOM) and the Institute for Local Government Administration and Rural Development (ILGARD), the University builds partnerships responsive to the needs and interests of the region. The University has a special mission to support and extend economic development and service to its geographic area. This goal is accomplished in part by encouraging students to seek service-learning opportunities throughout the region. These programs benefit the communities and provide invaluable lessons for students.
In Conclusion
Ohio University strives to enhance its scholarly and student-oriented reputation through pursuit of these goals. Important core values guide the University as it fulfills its mission. The University values the individuals who create its community - its faculty, students, and staff. It encourages and supports programs that enrich their lives and improve their knowledge and skills. Ohio University values the nurturing of a diverse community of individuals who work cooperatively and collaboratively to accomplish its mission, and it strives to create a climate of civility where leadership and innovation are prized and responsibility and accountability are fostered. Ohio University values the internationalization of its curriculum and its campus community and it encourages programs that strengthen multicultural awareness. Finally, the University values the creation and maintenance of an attractive and technologically sophisticated campus that helps to attract and maintain a special community of scholars and students.
August 2001
