STANDARD I

Standard I: Mission and Goals

The institution’s mission defines its purpose within the context of higher education, the students it serves, and what it intends to accomplish. The institution’s stated goals are clearly linked to its mission and specify how the institution fulfills its mission.

Criteria

A candidate or accredited institution possesses and demonstrates the following attributes or activities:

1. clearly defined mission and goals that:

a. are developed through appropriate collaborative and inclusive participation by all who facilitate or are otherwise responsible for institutional development and improvement;

b. address external as well as internal contexts and constituencies;

c. are approved and supported by the governing body;

d. guide faculty, administration, staff, and governing structures in making decisions related to planning, resource allocation, program and curricular development, and the definition of institutional and educational outcomes;

e. include support of scholarly inquiry and creative activity, at levels and of the type appropriate to the institution;

f. are publicized and widely known by the institution’s internal stakeholders;

g. are periodically evaluated;

2. institutional goals that are realistic, appropriate to higher education, and consistent with mission;

3. outcomes and student achievement that

a. include retention, graduation, transfer, and placement rates;

b. consider diversity, equity, and inclusion principles;

c. are supported by administrative, educational, and student support programs and services;

d. prioritize institutional improvement; and

4. periodic assessment of mission and goals to ensure they are relevant and achievable.