Institutional Mission , Governance, and Effectiveness

 Standard Number 3.1.1: The institution has a clear and comprehensive mission statement that guides it; is approved by the governing board; is periodically reviewed by the board; and is communicated to the institution's constituencies.

Full Compliance

In response to the Board of Regents “ Mission Development and Review Policy Directive ,” Georgia Southern University articulated a Mission Statement that reflects its distinctive role within the University System and guides strategic planning activities at the University. This 1994 Regents document directs that institutional mission review in the University System be undertaken as part of institutional strategic planning efforts. Consequently at Georgia Southern University, the Strategic Planning Council (SPC) has been assigned primary responsibility for reviewing and recommending revisions to the University's Mission Statement as necessary, but not less than once every five years.

The evolution of Georgia Southern's current Mission Statement began in August 2003, when the Strategic Planning Council received its charge from President Bruce Grube to review and recommend revisions to the then current Mission Statement, which had been approved by the Board of Regents on July 9, 1996. In September 2003, the SPC, following the principles of the University's Strategic Plan, proposed a draft statement aligning the mission with the University's priorities and aspirations. This draft was shared with the University community in October 2003 and feedback was solicited through stakeholder (faculty, staff, and student) forums, the web page of the Office of Strategic Research and Analysis (formerly Institutional Research), and through the internal University publication “This Week” which is disseminated to all University faculty and staff. During the remaining Fall 2003 semester, these inputs were discussed and incorporated into a second draft document that was re-released to the University community for further comment. Following this process, a final draft was produced and submitted to the President's Cabinet for approval before forwarding to the Board of Regents, which approved the statement on June 30, 2004 .

As part of the ongoing planning efforts at Georgia Southern, heads of the major functional areas of the University are asked to articulate their objectives and activities within the framework outlined by the University's Mission Statement and Strategic Plan. Evidence of the University's emphasis on the Mission Statement in planning efforts is clearly illustrated in the recommended model for program review (see #5, Centrality to Mission ). Furthermore, the University's policies on faculty evaluation, promotion, tenure, pre-tenure review, and post-tenure review have been developed to coincide with Georgia Southern's commitment to “academic distinction in teaching, scholarship, and service” and the faculty model of the “teacher-scholar” (see the Faculty Handbook , § 203-212).

Georgia Southern's Mission Statement is widely disseminated to the University community through numerous publications, including the 2004-2005 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog , the 2003-2004 Fact Book , the 2004-2005 Faculty Handbook , the University's web site , and the Strategic Plan .

The evolution of Georgia Southern's new Mission Statement demonstrates the cyclical nature of the review and revision process established for the University's mission and illustrates how it has become a dynamic system of evaluation ensuring that Georgia Southern continues to be guided by its mission.

Georgia Southern University Mission Statement , adopted June 30, 1994 .