The University of Mount Union's mission statement has undergone one revision in the past 30 years – as a result of the name change from “college” to “university” in 2010 that came after careful study and key stakeholder input and as part of the strategic planning process taking place on campus at that time. The mission statement has since been reconfirmed two times alongside subsequent strategic planning processes, including the most recent strategic planning effort resulting in Students First – A Strategic Action Plan 2024-2027. This adopted practice – reaffirming the mission statement as part of a new strategic planning process and officially approving it as part of the approval of a new strategic plan, has served the institution well and is in alignment with the institution’s shared governance policy.
Students First also includes a new vision statement and purpose statement, which in combination with the mission, serve as checks and balances for the plan. A coalition representing trustees, faculty, administration, staff, students, and community partners was established to develop the vision and purpose statement that would operationalize the mission and set the foundation for the institution’s next strategic plan. The group referenced the mission statement, as well as our founder Orville Nelson’s Hartshorn vision of an institution where men and women could be educated with equal opportunity, where science would parallel the humanities, where laboratory and experimental subjects would receive proper emphasis, and where there would be no distinction due to race, color, sex, or position as historical context throughout the process. Their goal was to create vision and purpose statements that were not just compatible with the institution’s history and mission, but that uplifted and advanced both.
