Mission Statement

Board of Regents Policy: Mission Statement

Category: Board of Operations

Last Amended: February 8, 2008

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BOARD OF REGENTS POLICY:

Mission Statement

Subd. 1. Mission.

The University of Minnesota (University), founded in the belief that all people are enriched by

understanding, is dedicated to the advancement of learning and the search for truth; to the sharing of this

knowledge through education for a diverse community; and to the application of this knowledge to benefit

the people of the state, the nation, and the world.

The University's mission, carried out on multiple campuses and throughout the state, is threefold:

• Research and Discovery - To generate and preserve knowledge, understanding, and creativity

by conducting high-quality research, scholarship, and artistic activity that benefit students,

scholars, and communities across the state, the nation, and the world.

• Teaching and Learning - To share that knowledge, understanding, and creativity by providing a

broad range of educational programs in a strong and diverse community of learners and teachers,

and prepare graduate, professional, and undergraduate students, as well as non-degree seeking

students interested in continuing education and lifelong learning, for active roles in a multiracial

and multicultural world.

• Outreach and Public Service - To extend, apply, and exchange knowledge between the

University and society by applying scholarly expertise to community problems, by helping

organizations and individuals respond to their changing environments, and by making the

knowledge and resources created and preserved at the University accessible to the citizens of the

state, the nation, and the world.

Subd. 2. Guiding Principles.

In all of its activities, the University strives to sustain an open exchange of ideas in an environment that:

• embodies the values of academic freedom, responsibility, integrity, and cooperation;

• provides an atmosphere of mutual respect, free from racism, sexism, and other forms of prejudice

and intolerance;

• assists individuals, institutions, and communities in responding to a continuously changing

world;

• is conscious of and responsive to the needs of the many communities it is committed to serving;

• creates and supports partnerships within the University, with other educational systems and

institutions, and with communities to achieve common goals; and

• inspires, sets high expectations for, and empowers the individuals within its community.