A Development of a Mission -- Self-Study -- Missouri State Porfolio for HLC Accreditation

One of the most significant developments since the University’s last Self-Study has been the emergence and fine-tuning of a unique and multi-faceted mission that has, in turn, become an integral component in virtually all aspects of the University. The development of this mission began when President Keiser arrived on campus in 1993 and declared his intent to develop and use a series of five-year plans to help guide the University. The first of these plans, Welcoming the 21^st Century: A Long-Range Vision and Five-Year Plan (1995-2000), was adopted just after the preparation of the University’s last Self-Study. The second plan, Countdown to the SMSU Centennial: A Long-Range Vision and Six-Year Plan (2000-2006), guided the University through its centennial year. When the most recent plan, Daring to Excel: A Long-Range Vision and Five-Year Plan (2005-2010) is approved by the Board of Governors, it will become the University’s guidebook as it begins its new role as Missouri State University.

A key feature of each of these plans has been an explicit expression of the University’s mission. Even though minor adjustments have been made in response to the needs of the University’s constituents, the essence of the mission has remained unchanged since the first plan. As stated in Countdown, “Southwest Missouri State University is a multi-campus metropolitan university system with a statewide mission in public affairs whose purpose is to develop educated persons while focusing on five themes: professional education, health, business and economic development, creative arts, and science and the environment.”

Because its purpose is to develop educated persons, the University is committed in all of its programs, both undergraduate and graduate, to the use of the most effective and regularly evaluated methods of discovering and imparting knowledge, and to the appropriate use of technology in support of these activities. Furthermore, the University understands that it has an obligation to draw

The general education program, which draws heavily from the liberal arts and sciences, provides students with the shared knowledge and intellectual tools needed to successfully explore the disciplines. As defined by the faculty, “the aim of general education at Missouri State is to develop people capable of making thoughtful choices that lead to creative and productive lives and to responsible participation in society.” The specific goals of the general education program can be found in the Undergraduate Catalog.

Undergraduate majors and minors provide opportunities for students to build on their general education foundation by developing mastery of the knowledge, abilities, dispositions, and skills of disciplinary and professional studies. Missouri State graduate programs further enhance student abilities and readiness to enter career pathways at a higher level of discipline-related capabilities and maturity of thought and practice. Many of the disciplinary emphases interact within and across the five themes.

While many of the preceding components may be typical in the mission statements of other comprehensive universities, there is little doubt that public affairs, the primary concept of the Missouri State mission, is also its most unique feature. Since June 1995, when Governor Mel Carnahan signed the legislation that granted the University a statewide mission in public affairs, Missouri State has been one of very few higher education institutions in the country to place such a prominent emphasis on civic virtues.

The overriding goal of the University’s public affairs mission is “to produce citizens of enhanced character, more sensitive to the needs of the community, more competent and committed in their ability to contribute to society, and more civil in their habits of thought, speech, and action.” This, in turn, suggests the creation of a learning environment where civic virtue is celebrated and practiced, where citizenship obligations are explored and encouraged, where the capacity and commitment to think about the public implications of private behavior are cultivated, and where the capacity to recognize and reflect on public issues is nurtured.

The University recognizes that public affairs in higher education are not restricted to politics, humanities or the social sciences. They are present in all areas of life that require knowledge, participation, civic skills, and the willingness to work for the common good. In addition to mastering one or more disciplines, and thus enabling problem solving in a variety of occupational settings, the University believes students should prepare for their lifelong careers as citizens through higher education on a campus that supports the development of responsible citizenship.

As this Self-Study report demonstrates, all aspects of the University are driven by the mission, and especially by its public affairs component. One of the strengths of this mission is that while it offers an embracing framework for the total institutional effort, it is also broad enough to permit a wide variety of interpretations and applications. The public affairs mission has been examined and refined in ways that influence and support many different facets of the University. Missouri State is clearly a mission-driven institution.

Chapter 1: SMSU: A Mission-Focused Evolving Institution

Development of a Mission