Welcome: Mission, Goals & Values

Our Vision

The Dean of Students Office, in the Division of Student Affairs, works with students, their families, faculty and staff to create a culture of care in which students feel supported and empowered to succeed.

Our Mission

The mission of the Dean of Students Office is to initiate learner-centered programs and services that foster a culture of care conducive to academic and personal development.

Our Goals

• Empowering students, parents and families to navigate the University experience
• Engaging and supporting students in acknowledging responsibility for their choices in preparation for meaningful lives and engaged citizenship in a global community
• Educating and consulting with faculty, staff, and students
• Coordinating and supporting processes that uphold student community values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect & responsibility
• Preventing distress and responding to crisis
• Providing opportunities for students to develop critical thinking skills in a vibrant and inclusive campus community

Our Core Values

Honesty

An academic community of integrity advances the quest for truth and knowledge by requiring intellectual and personal honesty in learning, teaching, research, activities, and service. Cultivating honesty lays the foundation for lifelong integrity, developing in each of us the courage and insight to make difficult choices and accept responsibility for our actions and their consequences, even at a personal cost.

Trust

An academic community of integrity fosters a climate of trust, encourages the free exchange of ideas, and enables all to reach their highest potential. Only with trust can we believe in and rely on others and move forward as a community. Within an environment of trust, we can collaborate with individuals, sharing information and ideas without fear that our work or property will be stolen, our career stunted, or our reputations diminished. Through trust, our communities can believe in the social value and meaning of an institutions’ scholarship and degrees.

Fairness

An academic community of integrity establishes clear standards, practices, and procedures and expects fairness in the interactions of students, faculty, and administrators. For students, important components of fairness are predictability, clear expectations, and a consistent and just response to dishonesty. Faculty and administrators also have a right to expect fair treatment, not only from students but also from colleagues and the administration.

Respect

An academic community of integrity recognizes the participatory nature of the learning process and honors and respects a wide range of opinions, ideas, and cultures.

Responsibility

An academic community of integrity upholds personal accountability and depends upon action in the face of wrongdoing. Every member of an academic community — each student, faculty member, and administrator — is responsible for upholding the integrity of the community.

Adapted from the Center for Academic Integrity’s Fundamental Principles project, 2000.