New School Year Begins with New Vision, Mission, and Values
At its Sept. 11 meeting, the University of San Francisco Board of Trustees approved a new vision, mission, and values statement to guide the University into the future. The move caps nearly a year of discussion and debate between USF President Stephen A. Privett, S.J., faculty, staff, students, and alumni.
The document describes a vision of USF as a “premier Jesuit, Catholic urban university that educates for a more just world.” The core mission is to promote learning in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. This is done by offering students the knowledge needed to succeed as people and professionals, and the values and sensitivities necessary to live as men and women for others.
Fr. Privett said the approval of the statement on Sept. 11, the day of the deadly terrorist attack on the United States, was particularly meaningful.
“We know more poignantly than ever the world’s need for leaders who will fashion a more humane and just world,” Fr. Privett said in a message to the University community.
Articulating a shared vision and mission for the University has been a priority for Fr. Privett since taking office a year ago.
“It is important for the University to agree on who it is and where it wants to go before determining a strategic direction,” Fr. Privett said. “Formulating a more crisp and focused statement of vision, mission, and values involved a University-wide conversation that was crucial for developing a consensus around the ‘basics.’”
This consensus will allow the University to move forward together toward goals that are recognized and shared by the entire USF community, Fr. Privett said.
The statement, Fr. Privett said, is more than mere words on paper, and its approval by the board is just the first step toward realizing the goals it articulates. How, then, will these words be translated into action?
“That is precisely the question that the vice presidents and deans are accountable for answering and that they will expect faculty and staff leadership to be accountable for answering,” he said. “The general direction has been set and now energy and initiative can come from departments and units within the University. Asking people to address goals we have agreed upon is far more effective and appropriate than pretending to be able to tell everyone how they can contribute to the future of USF.”
The statement is accompanied by a set of three strategic initiatives and 10 core values that set a course for realizing the University’s vision and mission.
To read the full text of USF’s new vision, mission, and values statement, as well as the strategic initiatives and core values, visit the mission web page at www.usfca.edu/online/mission.
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