Northern Michigan University

Mission Statement

Mission:        (Proposed September 2008)

Northern Michigan University challenges its students and employees to think independently and critically, develop lifelong learning habits, acquire career skills, embrace diversity and become productive citizens in the regional and global community.

Mission:        (Current – approved 2-14-03)

Northern Michigan University, by providing quality academic programs, strong student support, and extensive regional service for its stakeholders in the upper Midwest, challenges its students, faculty, staff, and alumni to strive for excellence, both inside and outside the classroom, and to become outstanding citizens and leaders.

To accomplish this mission, Northern provides a supportive living and learning environment that includes high-caliber undergraduate and graduate programs, personal attention, extensive use of modern technology, and continuous improvement of curriculum and services through systematic assessment. Challenging themselves and their students, Northern faculty and staff are dedicated to effective teaching and intellectual inquiry; to including students as learning partners in their research, scholarship, and other professional activities; and to advancing the University's roles as a service provider and as a cultural and recreational center in the Upper Peninsula. Northern Michigan University students will study ethics, humanitarian values, and cultural awareness in a strong general education program as well as master specific knowledge in a major career field. As graduates who are life-long learners, they will possess the skills and attitudes to succeed in a fast-paced, constantly evolving, multi-cultural world. As alumni, they will be challenged to continue an NMU tradition, that of distinguishing themselves in their careers and communities.

Mission:  (Previous – approved 5-3-91)

The Mission of Northern Michigan University is to form an academic community where the best teaching and learning are available to those in its programs.  The University will be predominantly an undergraduate institution, emphasizing a core of liberal arts programs and professional degrees that build on that core.  Other undergraduate offerings will address a range of interests from technical training and community programs to international study.  The University shall offer selected Master’s degree programs and continue its special role in teacher education, continuing education, and public service.  For the region it shall serve as the major educational, economic, cultural, and recreational resource.  The University shall remain committed to fostering racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity throughout the campus community and beyond.

As a state-assisted institution accountable to an appointed Board of Control, the University shall manage its affairs within a system of shared governance.  Taking advantage of its location in a small city on the shores of Lake Superior surrounded by forested hills, it shall provide a quality of life consistent with intellectual advancement.  It shall seek academic excellence through research and regular assessment and improvement of its academic programs.  While maintaining accessibility and affordability, the University shall also seek when appropriate, the highest standards of accreditation for its liberal arts and professional programs.  Contributing further to the quality of the University shall be its library, the use of current teaching and learning technologies, small classes, its residential nature, and programs to enrich the lives of students and develop their leadership.  Ultimately, the quality of the University shall rest on the character of its faculty and students, on their efforts in research and creative activities, and on the human and intellectual values that strengthen teaching and learning.