Senior Vice President and Provost Scott Coltrane has unveiled new draft language for the university’s mission statement. The provost shared the proposed language with the Academic and Student Affairs Committee of the UO Board of Trustees at its meeting Wednesday, June 11.

The draft statement is broken into three paragraphs stating the purpose, vision and values of the university.  Each statement focuses on aspirational and differentiating attributes of the UO.

For example, the purpose statement says the UO serves as a “preeminent residential liberal arts and sciences research university” with a vision to “strive to understand and enrich all aspects of the human condition.”  People can read and comment on the proposed language at the Provost’s website.

The latest revision reflects feedback from board members asking that teaching, students and a sense of place be emphasized in the mission statement. “You did incorporate our comments very well. Thank you,” trustee Mary Wilcox said.

Coltrane held a series of campus discussions earlier this spring to gather input on the mission statement. The university is revising the statement as part of its transition to a new governance structure. The goal is to create a mission statement that more clearly articulates to the campus and to outside audiences what the university stands for and strives for as an institution.

The Office of the Provost will take additional comments for the next two months before presenting a final proposal for the board’s consideration. The approved final version will be reviewed by the state’s Higher Education Coordinating Commission in September.

―By Jennifer Winters, Public Affairs Communications