This semester I've started taking a class at VT (by the way, since I last posted, I graduated UGA with an M.S. in Animal Science and started a Ph.D. in Dairy Science at Virginia Tech!!) where we're tasked with creating some blog posts focused on various topics in learning and higher education. This week, I selected 2 mission statements from different universities to analyze.
University of Florida - Mission Statement
The University of Florida is a comprehensive learning institution built on a land-grant foundation. We are The Gator Nation, a diverse community dedicated to excellence in education and research and shaping a better future for Florida, the nation and the world.
Our mission is to enable our students to lead and influence the next generation and beyond for economic, cultural and societal benefit.
The university welcomes the full exploration of its intellectual boundaries and supports its faculty and students in the creation of new knowledge and the pursuit of new ideas.
Teaching is a fundamental purpose of this university at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.Research and scholarship are integral to the educational process and to the expansion of our understanding of the natural world, the intellect and the senses.Service reflects the university's obligation to share the benefits of its research and knowledge for the public good. The university serves the nation's and the state's critical needs by contributing to a well-qualified and broadly diverse citizenry, leadership and workforce.
The University of Florida must create the broadly diverse environment necessary to foster multi-cultural skills and perspectives in its teaching and research for its students to contribute and succeed in the world of the 21st century.
These three interlocking elements — teaching, research and scholarship, and service — span all the university's academic disciplines and represent the university's commitment to lead and serve the state of Florida, the nation and the world by pursuing and disseminating new knowledge while building upon the experiences of the past. The university aspires to advance by strengthening the human condition and improving the quality of life.
Being a land-grant institution, it makes sense to me that they are highlighting the 3 pillars of being a land-grant institution, teaching, research and service. However, without having read very many mission statements, this one seems very generic. It would seem as though this could be pulled out and applied to any college/university. It also seems very "fluffed" with a fair amount of fairy-dust and bulls**t with lofty goals of creating a better world, but not really giving any specific ways to achieve this. However, once I read a few more, I may seem that this will be a common theme (or that it's unique to this university).
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY MISSION STATEMENT
As a research-extensive land-grant university, North Carolina State University is dedicated to excellent teaching, the creation and application of knowledge, and engagement with public and private partners. By uniting our strength in science and technology with a commitment to excellence in a comprehensive range of disciplines, NC State promotes an integrated approach to problem solving that transforms lives and provides leadership for social, economic, and technological development across North Carolina and around the world.
The biggest difference that I notice between these 2 is the length. Where UF wrote a lot out and also repeated themselves a lot for emphasis, NCState kept it short and sweet. While I still have the same feeling of "generics" and a bit of fairy-dust, I appreciate that NCState said basically the same thing, but much more concisely. NCState is also a land-grant university so I expected the mission statements to be fairly similar.
Overall, I'm surprised by mission statements and their lack of uniqueness and specificity for the university that they belong to. However, I did like the closing statement of UF where they mention strengthening the human condition and improving the quality of life which grabbed my attention and seemed unique. While the "transforms lives" statement from NCState is similar, it isn't as eye catching or profound in my opinion. I would like to see mission statements incorporate unique factors that indicate why the mission of that particular university is unique and important. After looking at some more mission statements, this appears to be the common theme.