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Western Carolina University Mission Statement
The University
Western Carolina University is a comprehensive university within the University of North Carolina, offering a broad array of undergraduate and graduate programs in the arts, sciences and professions. The University serves the people of North Carolina from its residential main campus at Cullowhee, situated between the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, and through its resident credit programs in Asheville and Cherokee.
Mission
Teaching and learning constitute the central mission of Western Carolina University. The University seeks to create a community of scholarship in which the activities of its members are consistent with the highest standards of knowledge and practice in their disciplines.
The commitment of the community to service, research and creative activities complements the central mission and extends the benefits of its scholarship to society. As a major public resource for western North Carolina, the University assists individuals and agencies in the region through the expertise of its faculty, its staff, and its students.
Aspirations
Western Carolina University aspires to provide an environment in which students, faculty, and staff jointly assume responsibility for learning, where the free exchange of ideas, intellectual challenge, and high standards of scholarship prevail.
The University prepares students to become contributing and informed citizens in a global community. By working both independently and collaboratively, graduates of the University have demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of an educated person, including:
- the ability to think critically, to communicate effectively, to identify and resolve problems reflectively, and to use information and technology responsibly
- proficiency in the intellectual and technical skills of a disciplined study in the arts, sciences, or professions;
- an appreciation for the creative and performing arts; and
- a basis for continued personal development and life-long learning.
To encourage and protect the free and open interchange of ideas, the University strives to provide experiences that foster the development of respect among all its members toward the larger communities of which it is a part. Accordingly, the University encourages its students, faculty, and staff to display the following traits of citizenship:
- behavior characterized by honesty, integrity, and responsibility;
- service to others;
- awareness of and sensitivity to the concerns of diverse people and cultures; and
- commitment to stewardship of the natural and cultural environment.
Approved by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, Jan. 9, 1998
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