In March 2018, the Guiding Principles Subcommittee was tasked with reviewing the University’s current Mission Statement, Vision Statement, and Core Values and making a recommendation to the University Strategic Planning Committee.
The Subcommittee held multiple forums on campus throughout March and April in addition to developing a survey sent out through University-Wide Notices encouraging anyone in the University community to complete. The forums and survey requested input relative to our present Vision and Mission and ideas for changes.
The April/May forums were attended by 98 faculty, staff, and students while 117 university community members completed the survey.
From the data collected, our subcommittee drew the following conclusions:
- Certain words within the statements triggered substantial reactions – both positive and negative – for example: “responsible citizenship, serves, global economy”.
- Trying to measure whether our graduates are “lifelong learners” was judged problematic
- 5% did not support the current vision – they did not see a connection between the Vision and the University as defined today
- The current Vision is too long
- The Vision and Mission are somewhat reversed
- The Core Values are valuable, but their definitions should be reviewed and redefined
The subcommittee deliberations were guided by the following:
- A Vision is what we aspire to be
- A Mission is how we will strive to achieve that vision
- The Core Values are the principles and ideals that bind the University community together
Following multiple reviews and deliberations the subcommittee developed proposed Vision and Mission statements. These were reviewed with the President and with modest refinement the proposals were then shared with:
- The President’s Council
- The Dean’s Council
- The Academic Leadership Council
After meetings with these groups, the subcommittee further refined the proposed Vision and Mission statements and presented the revised versions to SPARC.
The SPARC meeting encouraged us to examine the proposed Vision and Mission utilizing the following additional perspective.
What must Ferris University accomplish in the future to enable Ferris to survive and succeed in a global society that is rapidly changing? How can we quickly and efficiently adapt to these changes. Ferris has historically prided itself on being a unique university. Our Vision and Mission should reflect that fact.
Utilizing the guidelines noted above that define what a Vision and Mission should accomplish, as well as input from SPARC, the subcommittee proposed a further refinement to the Vision, Mission, and Core Values that was shared with the Strategic Planning Steering Committee and the community. The final revised versions are what you see presented.
To see more specific details of the feedback received, please see the Campus Forums and Survey Input Report, the Three Council Meetings Input Report, and the SPARC Retreat Input Report.