The institution
has a clearly defined, comprehensive, and published mission specific to the
institution and appropriate for higher education. The mission addresses
teaching and learning and, where applicable, research and public service.
x Compliance o Non-Compliance o Partial
Compliance
The University of
Louisiana at Lafayette’s mission is clearly defined, comprehensive, published,
specific, appropriate for higher education, and addresses teaching, learning,
research, and public service. UL Lafayette
has its own published mission, and a mission defined by the Louisiana State
Board of Regents
(BOR).
UL Lafayette’s
internal mission is expressed in identical terms in both the Mission, Values, and Vision statement and within its Strategic Plan 2015-2020.
Mission
The
University of Louisiana at Lafayette offers an exceptional education informed
by diverse worldviews grounded in tradition, heritage, and culture. We develop
leaders and innovators who advance knowledge, cultivate aesthetic sensibility, and
improve the human condition.
Values
We
strive to create a community of leaders and innovators in an environment that
fosters a desire to advance and disseminate knowledge.
We
support the mission of the university by actualizing our core values:
1. Equity: striving for fair treatment and justice
2. Integrity: demonstrating character, honesty, and trustworthiness
3. Intellectual Curiosity: pursuing knowledge and appreciating its inherent value
4. Creativity: transcending established ideas
5. Tradition: acknowledging the contributions of the Acadian and Creole cultures to this region and to our University’s history
6. Transparency: practicing open communication and sharing information
7. Respect: demonstrating empathy and esteem for others
8. Collaboration: understanding our connection with others and working to realize synergies through teamwork and collegiality
9. Pluralism: believing in the inherent worth of diverse cultures and perspectives
10. Sustainability: making decisions and allocating resources to meet the needs of the present, while preserving resources for the future
Vision
We strive to be included in the top 25% of our peer institutions
by 2020, improving our national and international status and recognition.
The Louisiana State BOR has ultimate responsibility for the
respective missions of institutions under its governance, and its Master Plan for Public Postsecondary
Education in Louisiana (Master Plan)
defines UL Lafayette’s role,
scope, and mission in these terms:
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) is a
comprehensive university with a mission to educate undergraduate and graduate
students in a variety of arts, sciences, and professional programs, and to
conduct research in these fields. Admission to UL Lafayette is selective, based
on courses completed and academic performance.
1. Audiences
UL Lafayette has a
statewide mission and is responsible for serving:
a. Residents from throughout Louisiana, especially those of the
Acadiana region, who have excelled in high school studies and are seeking a
bachelor or graduate degree or continuing professional education;
b. Two-year college transfer students;
c. Employers, both public and private, including school districts,
health care providers, local governments, private businesses, and community
agencies seeking technical assistance and applied research;
d. Economic development interests and entrepreneurs throughout the
state;
e. Academic disciplines and the research community; and
f.
The community and region, by providing
a broad range of academic and cultural activities and public events.
2. Array of Programs and
Services
a. A broad range of bachelor’s and master’s-level core arts and
sciences programs appropriate to a comprehensive teaching and research university.
b. Bachelor and graduate programs in the professional fields of
architecture, computer science, education, engineering, criminal justice,
nursing and allied health, and business.
c. Support for area K-12 schools seeking college general education
courses for advanced students, and assistance in ensuring that their graduates
are college- and career-ready.
d. Doctoral programs in a variety of arts, sciences, and professional
fields, including English, education, nursing, computer and systems
engineering, mathematics, and environmental biology.
e. Services specifically designed to meet the economic development
needs of the state.
3. Special
Programs/Features
a. Lifespan development with early childhood emphasis.
b. Louisiana arts, culture and heritage programs, and research,
including a focus on Cajun and Creole cultural traditions.
c. Graduate and undergraduate programs in environment, energy, and
economics.
d. Graduate and undergraduate programs in nursing and health care
systems and support.
e. Computing, informatics, and smart systems development.
The University’s Mission,
Values, and Vision statement defines its mission clearly and comprehensively,
asserting that “We develop leaders and innovators who advance knowledge,
cultivate aesthetic sensibility, and improve the human condition.” The 10 core
values enumerated in the Values section specify the underlying aims that guide
research, teaching, and service at the institution, while the Vision spells out
a clearly defined aspiration: to be in the top 25% of peer institutions.
The BOR Master Plan provides a clearly defined
and comprehensive mission for the University within the state’s higher
education system by specifying
the kinds of programs and degree levels the University offers, the audiences
it serves, and its areas
of special focus.
Together, these statements clearly and comprehensively define the
University’s reason for being, and convey its identity and purpose.
Both the BOR Mission Statement for the University and the
University’s own Mission Statement are published and accessible:
·
University: The University’s Mission,
Values, and Vision statement is published and easily accessible to the public under
“About Us” on the University’s main webpage (https://louisiana.edu/about-us/who-we-are/mission-vision-values),
and as part of its Strategic Plan 2015-2020 (https://louisiana.edu/strategicplan).
·
Board of Regents: The
BOR’s published Master Plan
(https://regents.la.gov/master-plan/) includes “Role,
Scope and Mission Designations” (Appendix D)
for all its institutions, including UL Lafayette.
The University’s Mission, Values, and Vision statement defines UL
Lafayette’s mission as distinctive from other institutions. Its Mission states
that it offers an education “grounded in tradition, heritage, and culture,” a
reference to the strong regional identity of the institution and its unique local
culture. Similarly, the Values
section cites the importance of “Tradition: acknowledging the
contributions of the Acadian and Creole cultures to this region and to our
University’s history.”
The BOR Master Plan explicitly defines the University’s role,
scope, features, and mission as distinct from other institutions: the BOR classifies
all Louisiana public institutions of higher education into five
categories: (1) comprehensive research universities, (2) specialized units, (3)
statewide universities, (4) regional universities, and (5) community and
technical colleges.
UL Lafayette is designated as one of three “statewide”
institutions, a term that has a specific
meaning within post-secondary education governance in Louisiana:
“Statewide universities offer a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and
masters’ levels, with selective offerings at the doctoral level. Research is
selective in nature, focusing in those areas of graduate expertise. Typically,
moderately selective admissions and higher tuition characterize the state
university.”
The BOR Master Plan also
spells out five areas
of special focus not shared by other institutions in Louisiana: lifespan
development with early childhood emphasis; Louisiana arts, culture, and
heritage programs and research, including a focus on Cajun and Creole cultural
traditions; graduate and undergraduate programs in environment, energy, and
economics; graduate and undergraduate programs in nursing and health care
systems and support; and computing, informatics, and smart systems development.
The University’s Mission
statement is centered on teaching and learning: “The University of
Louisiana at Lafayette offers an exceptional education informed by diverse
worldviews grounded in tradition, heritage, and culture.” The description of UL
Lafayette in the BOR Master Plan above
highlights an array of educational programs in various teaching disciplines.
The BOR Role,
Scope, and Mission for UL Lafayette further specifies that it has “a mission to educate undergraduate
and graduate students in a variety of arts, sciences, and professional
programs, and to conduct research in these fields.”
The
University’s Mission and Values statements both emphasize that the
University strives to “advance knowledge,” which is accomplished through
faculty and student research. Its values also include:
·
Intellectual Curiosity: pursuing knowledge and appreciating its
inherent value
·
Creativity: transcending established ideas
·
Tradition: acknowledging the contributions of the Acadian and
Creole cultures to this region, and to our University’s history
Each of these areas is accomplished through
faculty and student research.
Public Service is an integral part of UL Lafayette’s mission as
expressed in its own Mission,
Values, and Vision statement and in the BOR Master
Plan’s Role,
Scope, and Mission Designation section for UL Lafayette. The University’s Mission
Statement concludes with a reference to “improve the human condition.” Among
the core values enumerated in the Values section are several focused on public
service and community relations:
·
Equity: striving for fair treatment and justice
·
Tradition: acknowledging the contributions of the Acadian and
Creole cultures to this region, and to our University’s history
·
Pluralism: believing in the inherent worth of diverse cultures and
perspectives
·
Sustainability: making decisions and allocating resources to meet
the needs of the present, while preserving resources for the future
The BOR Master Plan asserts that
UL Lafayette is responsible for serving “The community and region, by
providing a broad range of academic and cultural activities, and public
events.”
BOR Master Plan: Areas of Special Focus
BOR Master Plan: Array of Programs and Services
BOR
Master Plan: Role, Scope, and Mission
BOR Public Institutions Classification
Mission,
Values, and Vision on UL Website