Proposed Vision, Mission and Values Statements

The Mission Review and Revision Committee released the following proposed statements for review by the NIU community at the end of January, 2109. When crafting the statements, we used the following principles to guide our work:

  • A vision statement is aspirational, and speaks to who we want to be as a university.
  • A mission statement is what we do daily to achieve that aspiration.
  • Values are the ideals we uphold as we live out our mission.

Proposed Vision

NIU strives to be an agent for social progress and personal growth in service to our broader community.

Proposed Mission

NIU empowers students through excellent instruction and engaged learning experiences to prepare them for meaningful lives and careers. We create knowledge and engage in artistry that will benefit the region, state, nation and world.

Proposed Values

In pursuing our vision and fulfilling our mission, we value and practice:

  • Inclusion and respect.
    • We welcome and are strengthened by those with diverse perspectives and experiences.
    • We use an inclusive decision-making process.
    • We appreciate and respect every member of our community.
  • Curiosity and creativity.
    • We have a passion for innovation that leads to personal, professional and intellectual growth.
    • We offer our students active learning experiences to help them thrive.
    • We commit our resources to supporting students, faculty and staff in their research, artistry and professional development.
  • Ethics and integrity.
    • We prepare our students to be global citizens who work to build a better society.
    • We model ethical behavior in and out of the classroom.
    • We are transparent in our operations and communications.
  • Service and stewardship.
    • We serve society and help solve local, national and global problems through collaborations that improve our learning, teaching and research.
    • We make the knowledge and resources we create accessible to everyone.
    • We facilitate our students' success by providing them with mentoring and advising.

Contact Us

Shanthi Muthuswamy, Ph.D.
Co-chair
smuthuswamy@niu.edu
Holly Nicholson
Co-chair
hnicholson@niu.edu
Carolinda Douglass
Facilitator
cdoug@niu.edu