Mission, Vision, Values, and Principles

Mission
Union Institute & University empowers adults to acquire, apply, and create knowledge through interdisciplinary, flexible, and collaborative programs focusing on social relevance, personal enrichment, and professional advancement.

Vision
Union Institute & University aspires to educate generations of highly motivated adults who seek academic programs that engage, enlighten and empower them in their pursuit of a lifetime of learning and service.

Values
Social Relevance - Union Institute & University requires that the programs of its learners reflect their awareness of the social implications of their studies and of their obligation to share knowledge with integrity in uplifting the communities in which they serve.

Creative and Critical Thinking - Union Institute & University uses different modes of interdisciplinary and interdisciplinary inquiry to explore ideas and issues from multiple perspectives.

Interdisciplinarity - Union Institute & University promotes interdisciplinary scholarship as a means to advance the frontiers of knowledge and develop new modes of inquiry.

Scholar-Practitioner Model - Union Institute & University advocates an educational process whereby scholarship and theory are connected and applied to real-world action and practice.

Principles
Academic Quality - Union Institute & University is committed to academic excellence and insures institutional quality through continuous assessment and review of programs, processes, policies, and outcomes.

Diversity - Union Institute & University reflects and celebrates diversity in all its forms.

Service - Union Institute & University engages in service to others with a commitment to transparency, integrity, and respect.

Community - Union Institute & University links engaged learners with dedicated faculty mentors and the larger society in which they live and work, thus building a mutually beneficial, expansive, and collaborative community that lives beyond the classroom.

Adopted by the Board of Trustees June 22, 2007