Mission, Core Values & Vision
MISSION
Influenced by a unique history and an enduring affiliation with the United Methodist Church, Ohio Northern University’s mission is to provide a high-quality learning environment that prepares students for success in their careers, service to their communities, the nation, and the world, and a lifetime of personal growth inspired by the higher values of truth, beauty and goodness.The University’s distinctive academic program includes mutually supporting liberal and professional education components that integrate practice with theory, complemented by excellent co-curricular offerings that enrich the Northern experience.
To fulfill this mission, faculty and staff engage with students so they can learn to think critically, creatively and entrepreneurially; communicate effectively; gain practical experience; solve problems collaboratively; and act as ethical and responsible members of a global community.
CORE VALUES
• Collaboration: We encourage the development of unique collaborations that further distinguish the university• Community: We are a community that strives to be “purposeful, open, just, disciplined, caring, and celebrative” (Boyer, 1990) and that is strengthened by engaging all members of the community in the life of the University
• Diversity: We value the core belief expressed in the University’s motto, “Ex diversitate vires,” “out of diversity strength,” and provide experiences and programs that prepare graduates for success in a diverse nation and world.
• Excellence: We aspire to achieve the highest standards of performance in our professional fields and our roles at the University.
• Faith: We celebrate the University’s historic relationship and active affiliation with the United Methodist Church and welcome persons of all faiths by providing a supportive environment for their moral and spiritual growth.
• Integrity: We expect individuals to conduct themselves with honesty, trustworthiness and respect for others.
• Service: We encourage service to others and civic engagement, both as a commitment to community involvement and as a responsibility of democratic citizenship.
Reference: Boyer, Ernest L., Campus Life: In Search of Community. Princeton, NJ: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1990.
